Dock, pier and float rules in Del Mar, California
Del Mar's municipal code chapters we reviewed don't regulate private docks, piers or floats. The city's waterfront is open ocean beach and protected lagoon wetland, where the code bars structures in wetlands and allows only seawalls and other protective structures west of the beach's Shoreline Protection Area line.
| Dock-specific rules | None in the city code reviewed [1] |
| Lagoon wetlands | No construction or placement of structures [2] |
| Lagoon wetland buffer | 100 ft standard (passive paths, fencing, signs only) [3] |
| Beach Shoreline Protection Area | Only protective structures and public development [4] |
No local dock rules
Del Mar's zoning and coastal chapters don't contain a section on private docks, piers or floats. The only mention of docks is in the Coastal Development Permit chapter. It says the exemption for single-family home improvements doesn't cover significant detached structures such as docks in the CDP appeals area [1]. That area includes land between the sea and the first public road and within 100 ft of wetlands and streams.
Lagoons
The San Dieguito and Los Peñasquitos lagoon areas are in the Lagoon Overlay Zone. Uses in wetlands are limited to aquaculture, research and passive recreation, and wetland restoration, and only when they involve no grading, filling, construction or placement of structures [2]. New development next to wetlands must keep a buffer of at least 100 ft. Only passive paths, protective fencing and signs are allowed in the buffer [3]. A private dock into lagoon wetlands doesn't fit any of these allowed uses.
Ocean beach
West of the Shoreline Protection Area line on the beach, the only development allowed is permitted protective structures like seawalls and publicly owned development such as lifeguard facilities [4].
State and federal agencies
Work on tidelands, submerged lands or public trust lands falls under the Coastal Commission's original permit jurisdiction, not the city's. Any water structure would also involve state agencies such as the State Lands Commission and Department of Fish and Wildlife.
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Next steps
- Contact the Planning & Community Development Department (858-375-9516) to confirm whether any water-related structure is possible at your property.
- For anything on tidelands, submerged land or in the lagoons, contact the California Coastal Commission's San Diego Coast District office, which holds original permit jurisdiction there.
Common questions
- Can I build a private dock in Del Mar, California?
- Del Mar's municipal code chapters we reviewed don't regulate private docks, piers or floats.
- Can I build a structure in the lagoon in Del Mar, California?
- No. The code bars construction or placement of structures in lagoon wetlands, with a 100 ft standard wetland buffer allowing only passive paths, fencing and signs.
- What can be built on the beach in Del Mar, California?
- West of the beach's Shoreline Protection Area line, the code allows only seawalls and other protective structures and public development.
California state rules for docks and piers
A private dock or pier often needs several approvals beyond a city building permit.
- State Lands Commission lease: the Commission controls state-owned tidelands and submerged lands and the beds of navigable rivers, lakes and bays (Pub. Res. Code §6301). A private dock or pier on those lands generally needs a lease. The Commission must charge rent for private recreational piers on state lands, based on local fair rental values (§6503.5). In some harbors the Legislature has granted tidelands to a city, county or port district, which manages them instead.
- Coastal development permit: in the coastal zone a dock needs a CDP (§§30106, 30600). On tidelands, submerged lands or public trust lands, the Coastal Commission issues it, even where the city has a certified Local Coastal Program (§30519(b)).
- San Francisco Bay (BCDC): around the Bay you need a permit from the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission to place fill. Under the McAteer-Petris Act, "fill" includes pilings, structures on pilings, and floating docks moored for long periods (Gov. Code §66632). BCDC's jurisdiction covers the Bay and a 100-foot shoreline band (§66610). The Coastal Act's coastal zone does not include BCDC's area.
- Streams and lakes: work that changes the bed, bank or channel of a river, stream or lake requires notifying the Department of Fish and Wildlife (Fish & Game Code §1602).
- Federal: structures in navigable waters generally need a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit.
- Local: many harbors and marinas also require a city or harbor-district permit.
What the ordinance says
- Sec. 30.75.200(C)(5), Municipal Code Chapter 30.75 - Coastal Development Permits, p. 1
or where the proposed development in the Coastal Development Permit Appeals area would involve any significant non-attached structure such as garages, fences, shoreline protective works, or docks.
- Sec. 30.53.080(A), Municipal Code Chapter 30.53 - Lagoon Overlay Zone, p. 1
These uses shall be allowed only when they are designed and implemented in a manner that will not involve grading, filling, construction, or placement of structures within the boundaries of wetlands as determined pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter.
- Sec. 30.53.100(A), Municipal Code Chapter 30.53 - Lagoon Overlay Zone, p. 1
Unless otherwise specified herein, the wetland buffer shall be a minimum of 100 feet in width.
- Sec. 30.50.050, Municipal Code Chapter 30.50 - Beach Overlay Zone (and 30.51 Setback Seawall Permits), p. 1
No development shall occur within the shoreline area except such privately owned protective structures, publicly owned protective structures, and publicly owned development authorized, constructed, and maintained in accordance with the regulations set forth in the City Code.