Dock, pier and float rules in Sierra Madre, California
Sierra Madre's municipal code chapters we reviewed don't regulate docks, piers or floats. Sierra Madre is an inland foothill city with no coastline, lake or navigable water.
No dock rules
Sierra Madre is an inland city at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains. None of the documents we reviewed mention docks, piers, wharves or floats. Those documents are the ADU, R-1, hillside, development standards, definitions, home occupation, animal, pool and fire chapters of the municipal code, plus the South Coast AQMD burning rule.
Building near creeks
The only water-related rule we found is in the Hillside Management (R-H) zone, which bars buildings and structures within 100 feet of natural, unaltered riparian areas (see Building Near the Water).
Waterfront elsewhere
State and federal agencies regulate docks on tidelands and navigable waters; see the state rules for details.
See how Sierra Madre compares with 8+ other California towns on docks, piers & floats →
Next steps
- We found no City dock permit process; contact Planning & Community Preservation at (626) 355-7138 about any structure near a creek or drainage on your lot.
Common questions
- Can I build a dock in Sierra Madre, California?
- Sierra Madre's municipal code chapters we reviewed don't regulate docks, piers or floats. Sierra Madre is an inland foothill city with no coastline, lake or navigable water.
- Are there rules for building near a creek in Sierra Madre, California?
- The only water-related rule we found is in the Hillside Management (R-H) zone, which bars buildings and structures within 100 feet of natural, unaltered riparian areas.
- Is there a City dock permit in Sierra Madre, California?
- No. We found no City dock permit process; state and federal agencies regulate docks on tidelands and navigable waters. For any structure near a creek or drainage on your lot, contact Planning & Community Preservation.
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.