May 18, 2026 — Wildlife agents and other law enforcement personnel will no longer be able to randomly stop and board boats in Louisiana waters without reasonable suspicion of a crime under legislation state lawmakers have approved.
House Bill 756, sponsored by Rep. Bryan Fontenot, R-Thibodaux, is on Gov. Jeff Landry’s desk after receiving unanimous approval from both chambers of the legislature and support from the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission. Proponents say the measure will bring state law in line with the U.S. Constitution.
It would replace a law adopted in 1984 that allowed state Wildlife and Fisheries agents to randomly stop and board boats in state waters to perform safety checks.
In a brief interview Wednesday, Fontenot said his bill is part of a growing movement in some states to rein in certain law enforcement practices that have annoyed some boaters. Alabama recently enacted a law similar to the measure Louisiana is on the cusp of adopting, and Florida approved its version last year.
More than 20 states don’t require probable cause, which is a step after reasonable suspicion, for law enforcement to board boats, but that number is trending downward according to tracking data from the U.S. Coast Guard.