14 U.S.C. § 84
Section 84 · Interference with aids to navigation; penalty
Amended 2 times on record
Applied in 3 court decisions — leading case Inland Tugs Company v. Ohio River Company (1983)
Most recently applied in Inland Tugs Company v. Ohio River Company (June 1983)
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
It shall be unlawful for any person, or public body, or instrumentality, excluding the armed forces, to remove, change the location of, obstruct, wilfully damage, make fast to, or interfere with any aid to navigation established, installed, operated, or maintained by the Coast Guard pursuant to section 81 of this title, or with any aid to navigation lawfully maintained under authority granted by the Coast Guard pursuant to section 83 of this title, or to anchor any vessel in any of the navigable waters of the United States so as to obstruct or interfere with range lights maintained therein. Whoever violates the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be fined not more than $1,500 for each offense. Each day during which such violation shall continue shall be considered as a new offense.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on title 33, U.S.C., 1946, ed., §§761, 762 (May 14, 1908, ch. 168, §6, 35 Stat. 162; June 17, 1910, ch. 301, §6, 36 Stat. 538; Mar. 3, 1915, ch. 81, §8, 38 Stat. 928; 1939 Reorg. Plan No. II, §2(a), eff. July 1, 1939, 4 F.R. 2731, 53 Stat. 1432).
Changes were made in phraseology. 81st Congress, House Report No. 557.
Amendments
2014—Pub. L. 113–281 substituted "$1,500" for "$500".