Dock, pier and float rules in Manhattan Beach, California
Manhattan Beach's code chapters we reviewed have no rules for private docks, piers or floats. The city fronts an open ocean beach with no harbor or bay frontage for homes, and its coastal permit rules only mention docks as one kind of structure that isn't exempt from a coastal development permit near the beach.
| Private dock rules | None found in the code reviewed [1] |
| Docks near the beach | Not exempt from a coastal development permit [1] |
| Tidelands and submerged lands | Outside the city's coastal permit jurisdiction [2] |
No dock rules
None of the Manhattan Beach code chapters we reviewed (zoning, the Local Coastal Program's permit procedures, tidelands, fire and short-term rental chapters) set standards for private docks, piers, wharves or floats. The shoreline is an open Pacific Ocean beach, and the tidelands and submerged lands offshore were granted to the city by the state in 1955 and are held in public trust.
Coastal permits
The Local Coastal Program lists a dock, along with garages, fences and shoreline protective works, as a significant detached structure that isn't exempt from a coastal development permit when built between the sea and the first public road or within 300 feet of the beach [1]. The city's coastal permit jurisdiction doesn't include tidelands, submerged lands or public trust lands, so any structure there would go to the Coastal Commission [2]. State agencies, including the State Lands Commission, also regulate structures on tidelands (see state rules).
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Next steps
- Contact the Community Development Department (1400 Highland Ave.) with any question about structures on or near the beach.
- For anything on tidelands or in the water, contact the California Coastal Commission's South Coast district office.
Common questions
- Can I build a private dock in Manhattan Beach, California?
- Manhattan Beach's code chapters we reviewed have no rules for private docks, piers or floats. The city fronts an open ocean beach with no harbor or bay frontage for homes.
- Do docks need a coastal permit in Manhattan Beach, California?
- The coastal permit rules mention docks only as one kind of structure that isn't exempt from a coastal development permit near the beach.
- Who regulates tidelands in Manhattan Beach, California?
- Tidelands and submerged lands are outside the city's coastal permit jurisdiction.
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
- LCP IP Sec. A.96.050(A)(3)(c), Local Coastal Program Implementation Plan Ch. A.96 Coastal Development Permit Procedures
The construction, placement or establishment of any significant detached structure such as a garage, fence, shoreline protective works or dock.
- LCP IP Sec. A.96.080(A)(1), Local Coastal Program Implementation Plan Ch. A.96 Coastal Development Permit Procedures
The City's jurisdiction over coastal development permits does not include tidelands, submerged lands, public trust lands as described in Section 30519 of the Public Resources Code.