Connecticut General Statutes
Chapter 263 - Harbors and Rivers
Section 15-13. - Pilots; qualifications; extension of route; license fee; bond; suspension or revocation of license; inactive status; limited licenses; written procedures.

(a) The Connecticut Port Authority shall license as many residents of this state and any other state as said authority deems necessary and finds qualified to act as pilots for one year in any of the ports and waters of this state including the Connecticut waters of Long Island Sound. A license shall be denied to any person holding a license or authority under the laws of any other state that does not issue a license or authority to pilots licensed by the authority. Except as provided in this section, no person shall be so licensed unless such person possesses a federal masters license and has procured a federal first class pilot's license of unlimited tonnage issued by the United States Coast Guard covering the sections of the waters of this state for which application is being made to said authority. Each applicant for a license to act as a pilot for any port or waterway of the state, including the Connecticut waters of Long Island Sound, shall document that such applicant has made the following passages on ocean-going vessels of not less than four thousand gross tons, through the port or waterway for which application is being made during the thirty-six months immediately preceding such application: (1) Twelve round trips on American vessels under enrollment as pilot of record, on which the applicant is not a crew member; or (2) twenty-four round trips as observing pilot on foreign or registered vessels during which the applicant does the piloting work under the supervision and authority of a pilot licensed by this state, provided the applicant possesses a first class pilot's license issued by the United States Coast Guard for the port or waterway; or (3) any combination of the above requirements for trips, substituting two observer trips for each trip as pilot of record.

(b) An extension of route for waters of this state, including the Connecticut waters of Long Island Sound, for which application is being made by a pilot currently licensed by the authority for eastern Long Island Sound and at least one of the ports of New London, New Haven or Bridgeport, shall be granted provided the applicant (1) has procured a federal first class pilot's license of unlimited tonnage issued by the United States Coast Guard covering the sections of the waters of this state, including the Connecticut waters of Long Island Sound, for which application for an extension of route is being made, and (2) can document that, within the thirty-six months immediately preceding such application, the applicant has made six round trips through the port or waterway for which application is being made as (A) observing pilot on vessels under enrollment or vessels under register subject to compulsory pilotage under sections 15-15 and 15-15c, during which the applicant does the piloting work under the supervision and authority of a pilot licensed by this state, or (B) pilot of record on American vessels under enrollment on which the applicant is not a crew member.
(c) Each pilot shall, upon the granting of a license, pay a fee of thirty dollars to said authority and shall give a bond of one thousand dollars to the Treasurer and the Treasurer's successors in office, with surety, to the acceptance of the authority, conditioned for the faithful performance of his or her duties as a pilot, upon which bond suit may be brought in the name of said Treasurer for the benefit of any person who may suffer loss or damage, by reason of the ignorance, neglect or misconduct of such pilot in the discharge of such pilot's duties. The authority shall increase such fee by fifty per cent July 1, 1985, by an additional fifty per cent effective July 1, 1989, by an additional twenty-five per cent effective July 1, 1991, and by an additional twenty-five per cent effective July 1, 1993.
(d) Each license shall expire on the last day of December following its issuance and may be renewed upon application and payment of the fee required by subsection (c) of this section, renewal of the bond required under subsection (c) of this section and proof of current federal licensure as required in subsection (a) of this section.
(e) The authority shall keep a record of each license and, if requested, shall furnish a certificate of such license.
(f) Said authority may suspend or revoke any pilot's license for (1) incompetence, (2) neglect of duty, (3) misconduct, or (4) using a vessel owned or operated by a person who has not obtained a certificate of compliance under the provisions of section 15-15e for the purpose of embarking or disembarking another vessel in open and unprotected waters. Any person aggrieved by the action of said authority under the provisions of this subsection may appeal therefrom in accordance with the provisions of section 4-183.
(g) Any pilot who has been away from duty for a period of not less than six months, or who has not completed a passage through any port or waterway for which such pilot is licensed during such period, shall be placed on inactive status. Such pilot shall complete at least one round trip over the port or waterway for which such pilot is licensed before resuming his or her duties as a pilot. The refresher passages shall be made in the company of an active pilot licensed by the state. Such pilot, before resuming pilotage duties, shall submit to the authority a list of completed refresher passages, including the name, gross tons and draft of each vessel involved, a description and date of each passage and the name of the attending pilot.
(h) The authority may issue limited licenses pursuant to this section. Such licenses may be limited according to a pilot's qualifications for operating a vessel, which shall include, but not be limited to, the type, size, gross tonnage or draft of a vessel.
(i) The authority shall adopt written procedures, in accordance with section 1-121, to carry out the purposes of this section.
(1949 Rev., S. 4757; 1955, S. 2380d; 1967, P.A. 258; 1969, P.A. 815, S. 1; 1971, P.A. 797, S. 1; 872, S. 370; 1972, P.A. 48, S. 1; P.A. 73-405, S. 1; P.A. 76-436, S. 350, 681; P.A. 77-337, S. 2; 77-603, S. 30, 125; P.A. 85-413, S. 5, 8; P.A. 87-147; P.A. 90-274, S. 1; P.A. 92-178, S. 2, 3; P.A. 93-307, S. 33, 34; P.A. 94-188, S. 18, 30; P.A. 97-304, S. 19; P.A. 05-288, S. 63; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5, S. 22, 165; P.A. 22-40, S. 24.)
History: 1967 act raised license fee in Subsec. (c) from $15 to $30; 1969 act transferred duties of court and/or judge to boating commission, deleted provision re payment of entry fee in Subsec. (a) and added Subsec. (e) re suspension or revocation of license; 1971 acts amended Subsec. (a) to make licenses valid for one year rather than three years, to add reference to ports and to delete provision re notice of intention to apply for license and filing of qualifications, amended Subsec. (b) to include references to “port”, “pilot” and “undock”, inserted new Subsec. (d) re expiration and renewal of licenses and relettered former Subsecs. (d) and (e) as (e) and (f) and substituted commissioner of environmental protection for boating commission; 1972 act deleted Subsec. (b) re qualifications and relettered remaining subsecs. accordingly; P.A. 73-405 replaced commissioner of environmental protection with commissioner of transportation; P.A. 76-436 replaced court of common pleas with superior court and added reference to judicial districts in Subsec. (e), effective July 1, 1978; P.A. 77-337 substituted “shall” for “may” and included residents of other states in Subsec. (a) and added provision re license to operate canal boat, barge or tug boat; P.A. 77-603 replaced previous appeal provision in Subsec. (e) with requirement that appeals to be made in accordance with Sec. 4-183; P.A. 85-413 inserted fee increases effective on and after July 1, 1985; P.A. 87-147 specifically required an applicant for a pilot's license to procure a federal first class pilot's license of unlimited tonnage issued by the United States Coast Guard, required documentation of a minimum number of passages and added Subsec. (f), providing for inactive status; P.A. 90-274 added provision in Subsec. (a) requiring pilots to possess a federal masters license and clarified that the waters of the state include the waters of Long Island Sound, increased amount of bond in Subsec. (b) from $500 to $1,000, added provision in Subsec. (f) that an inactive pilot must complete refresher passages, and added new Subsec. (g) allowing the commissioner to issue limited pilot licenses and a new Subsec. (h) requiring the commissioner to adopt regulations; P.A. 92-178 amended Subsec. (a) re reciprocity with other states concerning the issuance of pilot's licenses, effective October 1, 1993; P.A. 93-307 changed effective date of Sec. 2 of P.A. 92-78 from October 1, 1993, to October 1, 1994, effective June 29, 1993; P.A. 94-188 changed effective date of Sec. 2 of P.A. 92-178 from October 1, 1994, to October 1, 1995; P.A. 97-304 amended Subsec. (e) to add Subdiv. designators before the grounds for suspension or revocation of license and added new ground in Subdiv. (4) for using a vessel owned or operated by a person who has not obtained a certificate of compliance under provisions of Sec. 15-15e for purpose of embarking or disembarking another vessel in open and unprotected waters; P.A. 05-288 made technical changes in Subsec. (c), effective July 13, 2005; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5 added new Subsec. (b) re extension of route, redesignated existing Subsecs. (b) to (h) as Subsecs. (c) to (i), and made technical and conforming changes, effective June 30, 2015, and replaced references to Commissioner of Transportation with references to Connecticut Port Authority, added new Subsec. (b) re extension of route, redesignated existing Subsecs. (b) to (h) as Subsecs. (c) to (i), replaced provision re adoption of regulations with provision re adoption of written procedures in redesignated Subsec. (i), and made technical and conforming changes, effective July 1, 2016; P.A. 22-40 amended Subsec. (b)(2) by adding Subpara. designator (A) and adding Subpara. (B) re pilot of record on American vessels under enrollment on which applicant is not a crew member and making technical changes, effective July 1, 2022.

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