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HB718 • 2026

LIABILITY/CIVIL: Provides a limitation of liability to a landowner who authorizes the free use of his private property for aeronautical activities at nonpublic use airports

LIABILITY/CIVIL: Provides a limitation of liability to a landowner who authorizes the free use of his private property for aeronautical activities at nonpublic use airports

Housing Land
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Ryan Bourriaque
Last action
2026-05-28
Official status
Signed by the President
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Limiting Liability for Landowners Allowing Free Aeronautical Activities

This bill limits the legal responsibility of landowners who allow free use of their private property for aeronautical activities at nonpublic airports.

What This Bill Does

  • Creates a new law that protects landowners from being sued if someone gets hurt while using their land for aeronautical activities, as long as it's not because the landowner was malicious or willfully negligent.
  • Defines 'aeronautical activities' to include flying and maintaining aircraft, building airports, and other related tasks.
  • Specifies that this protection does not apply to commercial recreational developments or facilities.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Landowners who allow free use of their property for aeronautical activities at nonpublic airports.
  • People who use private land for aeronautical activities without paying an admission fee.

Terms To Know

Aeronautical Activities
Activities related to flying and maintaining aircraft, building airports, and other aviation-related tasks.
Nonpublic Use Airport
An airport that is mainly used by the owner but can be accessed by others without paying a fee.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not protect landowners if they are malicious or willfully negligent.
  • It only applies to noncommercial recreational use of private property for aeronautical activities.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Plain English: The amendment changes the bill by defining key terms and limiting a landowner's liability for emergency aircraft landings on their property.

  • Defines 'nonpublic use airport' as an airport primarily used by the owner with access by others without charge.
  • Specifies that an owner of a nonpublic use airport is not liable for any loss or damage related to an emergency landing, except in cases of willful or malicious failure to warn against dangerous conditions.
  • Removes provisions about limiting liability for private landowners under certain circumstances and the application of these limits to lands owned by the owner.
  • The amendment text does not provide full details on all technical changes made, which may affect understanding.

Plain English: The amendment limits the legal responsibility of a landowner who allows free use of their private property for airplane activities at airports that are not open to the public.

  • Adds protection for landowners from lawsuits if someone gets hurt while using their property for airplane-related activities at nonpublic airports.
  • The amendment text does not specify all details about how this protection works or what kinds of injuries it covers, so some specifics are unclear.

Plain English: The amendment removes specific lines from the bill that deal with limitations on liability for landowners who allow free use of private property for aeronautical activities at nonpublic airports.

  • Removes lines 5 through 8 on page 3 of the bill.
  • The exact content and implications of the removed lines are not provided, so their specific impact is unclear.

Plain English: The amendment changes the bill to limit a landowner's liability when allowing free use of their property for aeronautical activities at nonpublic airports and clarifies definitions related to property control and individuals involved.

  • Adds language that allows landowners to permit others to use their private property without charging fees for aeronautical activities.
  • Expands the definition of who can authorize the use of private property to include tenants, lessees, occupants, or persons in control of the premises.
  • Removes liability for nonpublic airport owners if there is an emergency landing on their property.
  • The amendment text does not provide details about how this limitation of liability will be enforced or what constitutes an 'emergency landing'.

Plain English: The amendment changes the bill to limit a landowner's liability when allowing free use of their property for aeronautical activities at nonpublic airports and clarifies definitions related to property control and individuals involved.

  • Adds language that allows landowners to permit others to use their private property without charging fees for aeronautical activities.
  • Expands the definition of who can authorize the use of property to include tenants, lessees, occupants, or persons in control of the premises.
  • Removes liability for nonpublic airport owners if there is an emergency landing on their property.
  • The amendment text does not provide full details about all potential scenarios and implications, which may limit its clarity.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-28 S

    Signed by the President of the Senate.

  2. 2026-05-28 H

    Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.

  3. 2026-05-27 H

    Read by title, roll called, yeas 100, nays 0, Senate amendments concurred in.

  4. 2026-05-26 H

    Scheduled for concurrence on 05/27/2026.

  5. 2026-05-25 H

    Received from the Senate with amendments.

  6. 2026-05-21 S

    Rules suspended. Senate floor amendments read and adopted. Read by title, passed by a vote of 36 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

  7. 2026-05-14 S

    Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.

  8. 2026-05-13 S

    Committee amendments read and adopted. Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

  9. 2026-05-12 S

    Reported with amendments.

  10. 2026-04-08 S

    Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Judiciary A.

  11. 2026-04-07 S

    Received in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.

  12. 2026-04-07 H

    Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 101, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

  13. 2026-04-01 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 04/07/2026.

  14. 2026-03-31 H

    Read by title, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.

  15. 2026-03-30 H

    Reported favorably (5-0-1).

  16. 2026-03-09 H

    Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Civil Law and Procedure.

  17. 2026-02-27 H

    First appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/27/2026.

  18. 2026-02-27 H

    Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Civil Law and Procedure.

  19. 2026-02-27 H

    Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

LIABILITY/CIVIL: Provides a limitation of liability to a landowner who authorizes the free use of his private property for aeronautical activities at nonpublic use airports

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
ENROLLED
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 718
BY REPRESENTATIVE BOURRIAQUE
1 AN ACT
2 To enact R.S. 9:2791.2, relative to the limitation of liability applicable to aeronautical
3 activities at nonpublic use airports; to provide for a limitation of liability for private
4 landowners permitting the recreational use of private land for aeronautical activities
5 at nonpublic use airports; to establish exceptions to this limitation of liability; to
6 provide for definitions; and to provide for related matters.
7 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
8 Section 1. R.S. 9:2791.2 is hereby enacted to read as follows:
9 §2791.2. Limitation of liability for aeronautical activities at nonpublic use airports;
10 private landowners
11 A. As used in this Section:
12 (1) "Aeronautical activities" means the act or practice of the art and science
13 of transportation by aircraft and operations, construction, repair, or maintenance of
14 aircraft, airports, landing fields, landing strips, air navigation of, or flight in, or air
15 instruction.
Page 1 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 718 ENROLLED
1 (2) "Charge" means the admission price or fee required in return for
2 permission to use lands, but does not include the following:
3 (a) The sharing of game, fish, or other products of recreational use.
4 (b) Contributions in kind, services, or cash paid to reduce or offset costs and
5 eliminate losses from recreational use.
6 (c) Donations made during aeronautical activities at nonpublic use airports.
7 (3) "Land" means urban or rural land, roads, water, watercourses, airstrips,
8 private ways and buildings, structures, including machinery or equipment when
9 attached to immovable property.
10 (4) "Malicious" means an intentional act of misconduct that the actor knows
11 or should have known is likely to result in harm. The term shall not include
12 negligent or reckless conduct.
13 (5) "Nonpublic use airport" means an airport that is primarily used by the
14 owner with access by others without a charge as permitted by the owner.
15 (6) "Owner" means the possessor of a fee interest, a tenant, lessee, occupant,
16 or person in control of the premises.
17 (7) "Person" means individuals regardless of age.
18 (8) "Recreational purpose" includes aeronautical activities at nonpublic use
19 airports.
20 B. Except for willful or malicious failure to warn against a dangerous
21 condition, use, structure, or activity, an owner of a nonpublic use airport shall not be
22 liable for any loss or damage to any person on the owner's property when the loss or
23 damage is related to an emergency landing of an aircraft, except an owner of
24 commercial recreational developments or facilities, who permits with or without
25 charge any person to use his land for recreational purposes as defined in this
26 Subsection.
27 C. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, the provisions of Subsection B of this
28 Section shall be deemed applicable to the duties and liability of an owner of land
29 leased for recreational purposes to the federal government, including any state or
30 political subdivision thereof, or private persons.
Page 2 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 718 ENROLLED
1 D. Nothing in this Section shall be construed to relieve any person using the
2 land of another for recreational purposes from any obligation which he may have in
3 the absence of this Section to exercise care in his use of such land and in his
4 activities thereon, or from the legal consequences of failing to employ such care.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
Page 3 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.