2006 Minnesota Statutes

84D.13 ENFORCEMENT; PENALTIES.
    Subdivision 1. Enforcement. Unless otherwise provided, this chapter and rules adopted
under section 84D.12 may be enforced by conservation officers under sections 97A.205, 97A.211,
and 97A.221 and by other licensed peace officers.
    Subd. 2. Cumulative remedy. The authority of conservation officers to issue civil citations
is in addition to other remedies available under law, except that the state may not seek penalties
under any other provision of law for the incident subject to the citation.
    Subd. 3. Criminal penalties. (a) A person who violates a provision of section 84D.06,
84D.07, 84D.08, or 84D.10, or a rule adopted under section 84D.12, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
(b) A person who possesses, transports, or introduces a prohibited invasive species in
violation of section 84D.05 is guilty of a misdemeanor. A person who imports, purchases,
sells, or propagates a prohibited invasive species in violation of section 84D.05 is guilty of a
gross misdemeanor.
(c) A person who refuses to obey an order of a peace officer or conservation officer to
remove prohibited invasive species or aquatic macrophytes from any watercraft, trailer, or plant
harvesting equipment is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.
    Subd. 4. Warnings; civil citations. After appropriate training, conservation officers, other
licensed peace officers, and other department personnel designated by the commissioner may
issue warnings or citations to a person who:
(1) unlawfully transports prohibited invasive species or aquatic macrophytes;
(2) unlawfully places or attempts to place into waters of the state a trailer, a watercraft, or
plant harvesting equipment that has prohibited invasive species attached;
(3) intentionally damages, moves, removes, or sinks a buoy marking, as prescribed by
rule, Eurasian water milfoil;
(4) fails to drain water, as required by rule, from watercraft and equipment before leaving
designated zebra mussel, spiny water flea, or other invasive plankton infested waters; or
(5) transports infested water, in violation of rule, off riparian property.
    Subd. 5. Civil penalties. A civil citation issued under this section must impose the following
penalty amounts:
(1) for transporting aquatic macrophytes on a forest road as defined by section 89.001,
subdivision 14 , road or highway as defined by section 160.02, subdivision 26, or any other public
road, $50;
(2) for placing or attempting to place into waters of the state a watercraft, a trailer, or aquatic
plant harvesting equipment that has aquatic macrophytes attached, $100;
(3) for unlawfully possessing or transporting a prohibited invasive species other than an
aquatic macrophyte, $250;
(4) for placing or attempting to place into waters of the state a watercraft, a trailer, or aquatic
plant harvesting equipment that has prohibited invasive species attached when the waters are not
designated by the commissioner as being infested with that invasive species, $500 for the first
offense and $1,000 for each subsequent offense;
(5) for intentionally damaging, moving, removing, or sinking a buoy marking, as prescribed
by rule, Eurasian water milfoil, $100;
(6) for failing to drain water, as required by rule, from watercraft and equipment before
leaving designated zebra mussel, spiny water flea, or other invasive plankton infested waters,
$50; and
(7) for transporting infested water off riparian property without a permit as required by
rule, $200.
    Subd. 6. Watercraft license suspension. A civil citation may be issued to suspend, for up
to a year, the watercraft license of an owner or person in control of a watercraft or trailer who
refuses to submit to an inspection under section 84D.02, subdivision 4, or who refuses to comply
with a removal order given under section 84D.13.
    Subd. 7. Satisfaction of civil penalties. A civil penalty is due and a watercraft license
suspension is effective 30 days after issuance of the civil citation. A civil penalty collected under
this section is payable to the commissioner and must be credited to the water recreation account.
    Subd. 8. Appeal of civil citations and penalties. A civil citation and penalty may be
appealed under the procedures in section 116.072, subdivision 6, if the person to whom the
citation was issued requests a hearing by notifying the commissioner within 15 days after receipt
of the citation. If a hearing is not requested within the 15-day period, the citation becomes a final
order not subject to further review.
History: 1996 c 385 art 1 s 13; 2004 c 221 s 15; 2004 c 243 s 33-35