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Docks, Piers & Floats in California: rules in 10 towns compared
Can I put in a dock, pier, or float? Here's how each town answers it. Click a town for the details and the exact ordinance text.
Last reviewed
This page is for California waterfront owners who want to build or repair a private dock, pier or float. A dock usually needs several approvals beyond a city building permit. The State Lands Commission controls state-owned tidelands, submerged lands and the beds of navigable waters (Pub. Res. Code §6301), and a private dock on those lands generally needs a lease, with rent charged for private recreational piers. In the coastal zone a dock needs a coastal development permit, issued by the Coastal Commission itself on tidelands and public trust lands. Around San Francisco Bay, BCDC treats pilings and floating docks as fill that needs a permit (Gov. Code §66632). Work that changes a stream or lake bed requires notifying the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and structures in navigable waters generally need a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit.
Most of the 10 cities we cover for this topic are inland or face open ocean, and only Tiburon has dock rules in its municipal code. There, piers, docks and boat lifts in the Marine zone need a local tidelands permit, larger projects go to the Planning Commission, and bay work is also subject to BCDC. Elsewhere, creek work falls under local creek and floodplain rules: Los Altos requires a written permit for any structure in a creek, and Los Gatos requires a floodplain development permit in mapped flood hazard areas. Del Mar bars structures in its lagoon wetlands. Pick your city below for the details and the municipal code text.
Town-by-town comparison
| Town | Verdict | Short answer |
|---|---|---|
| Los Altos | Not specifically regulated | Los Altos's ordinances we reviewed don't regulate docks, piers or floats; the city's waterways are creeks. Any structure built in a creek needs a written permit first under the city's watercourse protection rules. |
| Saratoga | Not specifically regulated | Saratoga's City Code we reviewed doesn't regulate private docks, piers or floats. Saratoga is an inland foothill city with creeks but no lake or bay frontage, so residential docks are essentially not a local issue; any structure in or over a creek would fall under the City's creek setback and floodplain rules and state streambed rules. |
| Los Gatos | Not specifically regulated | Los Gatos's ordinances we reviewed don't regulate docks, piers or floats; the town's waterways are creeks. Any structure in a mapped flood hazard area along a creek would need a floodplain development permit and any required state and federal permits. |
| Tiburon | Allowed with board review | Yes, with approvals. Piers, docks, boat lifts and mooring facilities in Tiburon's Marine (M) zone need a town tidelands permit, and bay work is also subject to BCDC. Floats for private pleasure craft are listed as a permitted use, but the town requires a tidelands permit for all construction in the M zone, so expect one for a float too. The code sets no specific dock size limits; projects that aren't minor go to the Planning Commission with a conditional use permit. |
| Piedmont | Not specifically regulated | Piedmont's code chapters we reviewed don't regulate docks, piers or floats. Piedmont is an inland city with no harbor, lake frontage or navigable water. |
| Lafayette | Not specifically regulated | Lafayette's municipal code chapters we reviewed don't regulate docks, piers or floats. Lafayette is an inland city with creeks but no harbor or navigable shoreline. |
| Manhattan Beach | Not specifically regulated | 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. |
| Pasadena | Not specifically regulated | Pasadena's ordinances we reviewed don't regulate docks, piers or floats; the city is inland with no harbor or lake frontage in its code. Any structure near the Arroyo Seco slope bank needs a Hillside Development Permit, and structures can't extend over the slope bank's top edge. |
| Del Mar | Not specifically regulated | 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. |
| Hillsborough | Not specifically regulated | 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. |
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.
Common questions about docks & piers in California
- Do I need a permit to build a dock in California?
- Yes, usually several. Depending on the location you may need a State Lands Commission lease, a coastal development permit, a BCDC permit around San Francisco Bay, a Fish and Wildlife streambed notification, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit and a city or harbor permit. Which ones apply depends on the water body and your city.
- Who owns the land under a dock in California?
- Often the state. The State Lands Commission controls state-owned tidelands, submerged lands and the beds of navigable rivers, lakes and bays, and a private dock on those lands generally needs a lease. In some harbors the Legislature has granted the tidelands to a city, county or port district, which manages them instead.
- Do I have to pay rent for a private pier in California?
- Yes, if it sits on state lands. State law requires the State Lands Commission to charge rent for private recreational piers on state-owned lands, based on local fair rental values (Pub. Res. Code §6503.5). Where tidelands were granted to a local agency, that agency manages them instead.
- Do I need a BCDC permit for a dock on San Francisco Bay?
- Yes. Under the McAteer-Petris Act, fill includes pilings, structures on pilings and floating docks moored for long periods, and placing fill in the Bay needs a BCDC permit. BCDC's jurisdiction covers the Bay and a 100-foot shoreline band. In Tiburon, piers and docks also need a local tidelands permit.
- Can I build a dock or structure in a creek in California?
- It depends, and it takes approvals. Work that changes the bed, bank or channel of a stream requires notifying the Department of Fish and Wildlife (Fish & Game Code §1602). Cities add their own rules: Los Altos requires a written permit for any structure in a creek, and Los Gatos requires a floodplain development permit in mapped flood hazard areas.
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