Dock, pier and float rules in Rancho Palos Verdes, California
Rancho Palos Verdes's code chapters we reviewed have no rules for private docks, piers or floats. The city's coastline is mostly bluffs and rocky shore with no harbor, and its Natural Overlay rules bar projects that alter the shoreline at mean high tide or dredge, fill or drill the ocean floor.
| Private dock or pier rules | None found in the code reviewed [1] |
| Shoreline and intertidal area | Projects may not alter the shoreline at mean high tide or the intertidal environment [1] |
| Ocean floor | Projects may not dredge, fill or drill the ocean floor within city jurisdiction [2] |
| Coastal structure setback zone | No new permanent structures [3] |
No dock rules
None of the Rancho Palos Verdes code chapters we reviewed (zoning, coastal permits, overlay districts, building and fire codes) set standards or permits for private docks, piers, wharves or floats. The city fronts the open Pacific along the Palos Verdes Peninsula, mostly bluffs, coves and rocky shoreline, with no harbor or marina for homes.
Shoreline protections
The Natural Overlay Control District (OC-1) includes intertidal areas, tide pools, ocean beaches, bluffs and the ocean waters and bottom out to three miles offshore. Projects in that district must not alter, block or erode the shoreline at mean high tide or change the intertidal marine environment [1], and must not alter, dredge, fill or drill into the ocean floor within the city's jurisdiction [2]. On land, the coastal structure setback zone along the bluffs bans new permanent structures [3]. Together these make a private dock or pier from a residential lot impractical under city rules.
State agencies
Any structure on tidelands or in ocean waters would also involve state agencies such as the State Lands Commission and the California Coastal Commission (see state rules).
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Next steps
- Contact the Planning Division, (310) 544-5228, with any question about structures on the bluffs, beach or shoreline.
- For anything on tidelands or in the water, contact the California Coastal Commission's South Coast district office and the State Lands Commission.
Common questions
- Can I build a private dock in Rancho Palos Verdes, California?
- The city's code has no rules for private docks, piers or floats, and the coastline is mostly bluffs and rocky shore with no harbor. Its Natural Overlay rules bar projects that alter the shoreline at mean high tide or dredge, fill or drill the ocean floor, making a private dock impractical.
- Can I build on the bluff near the ocean in Rancho Palos Verdes, California?
- Not permanent structures in the coastal structure setback zone along the bluffs, where new permanent structures are banned. Contact the Planning Division with questions about structures on the bluffs, beach or shoreline.
- Who regulates structures in the ocean at Rancho Palos Verdes, California?
- Any structure on tidelands or in ocean waters would also involve state agencies such as the State Lands Commission and the California Coastal Commission.
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. 17.40.040(C)(13), Municipal Code Title 17 Ch. 17.38-17.48 Special Districts (17.38.060 Coastal Specific Plan District; 17.40 Overlay Control Districts; 17.46 Equestrian Overlay), p. 1
Alter, penetrate, block or create erosion on the shoreline measured at mean high tide or alter the characteristics of the intertidal marine environment;
- Sec. 17.40.040(C)(14), Municipal Code Title 17 Ch. 17.38-17.48 Special Districts (17.38.060 Coastal Specific Plan District; 17.40 Overlay Control Districts; 17.46 Equestrian Overlay), p. 1
Alter, dredge, fill or penetrate by drilling, the ocean floor within the jurisdiction of the city; or
- Sec. 17.72.040(B), Municipal Code Title 17 Ch. 17.72 Coastal Permits (Coastal Specific Plan District), p. 1
Any new permanent structures in this zone are prohibited, including, but not limited to, pools, spas, vertical support members and chimneys.