Dock, pier and float rules in Woodside, California
Woodside's municipal code doesn't regulate docks, piers or floats. Woodside is an inland town with creeks but no bay, lake or ocean frontage. Any structure along a creek is barred within the stream corridor.
| Structures in stream corridors | Not allowed, including fences (cross fencing by Town Engineer permit) [1] |
| Stream corridor width | 50 ft from each side of center line or 25 ft from top of bank, whichever is greater [2] |
No dock rules
We reviewed Woodside's zoning, site development, subdivision and building codes and found no provisions for docks, piers, wharves or floats. Woodside is an inland, hillside town. Its waterways are creeks, not navigable water where a dock would be built.
Creeks
The closest rules are the stream corridor protections. No structure, including a fence, can be built within a stream corridor. Cross fencing needs a Town Engineer permit [1]. A corridor runs at least 50 ft from each side of the stream's center line, or 25 ft from the top of the bank, whichever is greater [2]. Any other work in a corridor needs Planning Commission approval. A platform or footbridge over a creek would fall under these rules, and so would any state Fish and Wildlife streambed notification. See the Building Near the Water page for details.
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Next steps
- For any structure or crossing near a creek, ask the Woodside Planning Department (650-851-6790) whether your creek is a designated stream corridor.
- Contact the California Department of Fish and Wildlife before any work in a creek bed or bank.
Common questions
- Does Woodside, California regulate docks or piers?
- No. Woodside's municipal code doesn't regulate docks, piers or floats. Woodside is an inland town with creeks but no bay, lake or ocean frontage.
- Can I build a deck or platform over a creek in Woodside, California?
- Generally no. No structure, including a fence, can be built within a Woodside stream corridor, and any other work in a corridor needs Planning Commission approval. Contact the California Department of Fish and Wildlife before any work in a creek bed or bank.
- How wide is a stream corridor in Woodside, California?
- A stream corridor runs at least 50 ft from each side of the stream's center line, or 25 ft from the top of the bank, whichever is greater. Ask the Planning Department whether your creek is a designated stream corridor.
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. 153.445(F), Municipal Code §§153.440-153.44x Stream Corridor Protection
No structure , including a fence , shall be permitted within the stream corridor . The cross fencing of the stream corridor shall be permitted subject to the issuance of a permit from the Town Engineer .
- Sec. 153.442, Municipal Code §§153.440-153.44x Stream Corridor Protection
For the purposes of this chapter, a stream or creek bank is defined as the point at which the break in slope occurs, and a stream corridor is defined as a horizontal distance of 50 feet, measured from each side of the center line of the stream, or a horizontal distance of 25 feet, measured from the top of the stream or creek bank , whichever is greater.