Dock, pier and float rules in Hillsborough, California
Hillsborough's municipal code chapters we reviewed don't regulate docks, piers or floats. The town has no harbor, bay frontage or lake shoreline in its code, and no dock permit process.
No dock rules
None of the Hillsborough code chapters we reviewed (zoning, setbacks, outdoor fixtures, building and fire codes, floodplain management, animals) mention docks, piers, wharves or floats as something a homeowner can build. The only reference is in the floodplain chapter, which counts a wharf among the "obstructions" that can impede flood flows in a creek.
Structures in creeks
Any structure placed in or across a creek in a mapped flood hazard area would fall under the floodplain development permit and floodway rules (see Building Near the Water), and likely state and federal creek permits.
Waterfront elsewhere
State and regional agencies (State Lands Commission, BCDC for San Francisco Bay, the Coastal Commission) regulate docks on tidelands and navigable waters; see the state rules.
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Next steps
- No town dock permit exists; for any structure in or over a creek, contact Hillsborough Building and Planning, (650) 375-7411, and Public Works about floodplain rules.
Common questions
- Are docks or piers regulated in Hillsborough, California?
- Hillsborough's municipal code chapters we reviewed don't regulate docks, piers or floats. The town has no harbor, bay frontage or lake shoreline in its code.
- Do I need a dock permit in Hillsborough, California?
- No town dock permit exists. For any structure in or over a creek, contact Hillsborough Building and Planning and Public Works about floodplain rules.
- Can I build a structure over a creek in Hillsborough, California?
- It depends. The town has no dock process, but floodplain rules apply, so contact Building and Planning and Public Works before building in or over a creek.
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.