Building near the coast or a creek in Woodside, California
Woodside protects its creeks with stream corridors, which run at least 50 feet from each side of the stream's center line, or 25 feet from the top of the bank, whichever is greater. No structure (including a fence) can be built in a corridor, riparian vegetation can't be removed, and any other work in the corridor needs Planning Commission approval. Woodside is inland, so coastal-zone rules don't come into play.
| Stream corridor width | 50 ft from each side of center line or 25 ft from top of bank, whichever is greater [1] |
| Structures in corridor | None allowed, including fences [2] |
| Cross fencing | Allowed with Town Engineer permit [2] |
| Riparian vegetation | No removal except for permitted/conditional uses [3] |
| Filling and dumping | Prohibited [4] |
| Other work in corridor | Planning Commission approval [5] |
| Permitted uses | Trails; emergency flood control (Town Engineer approval) [6] |
Which areas are covered
The stream corridor rules apply to streams shown as stream corridors on the General Plan diagram, plus any other creeks the Planning Commission designates. A corridor is 50 ft from each side of the stream's center line or 25 ft from the top of the creek bank, whichever is greater. The Commission can set wider corridors for specific streams [1]. Woodside is an inland town, and none of the documents we reviewed place it in the coastal zone or a Local Coastal Program, so these are inland creek protections. We didn't have the General Plan stream corridor map, so ask the Town whether your creek is a designated corridor.
What you can't do
- Build any structure in the corridor, including a fence. Cross fencing across a corridor needs a Town Engineer permit [2]. (The fence section separately allows a fence in a corridor if the Town Engineer and Planning Director make findings on drainage and wildlife passage, so confirm with the Town.)
- Remove riparian vegetation, except as needed for a permitted or conditional use [3].
- Fill the corridor or dump slash, debris, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or other waste into it [4]. Manure and other agricultural wastes must be kept out.
- Channelize or dam a creek, unless the Planning Commission requires or allows it.
Approvals
Trails and emergency flood control measures (with Town Engineer approval) are the only uses permitted outright [6]. Crop and tree farming, nurseries, bridges and roads, utility lines and pastures need a use permit from the Planning Commission. Any other alteration of or work in the corridor also needs Planning Commission approval. Removing material that blocks the stream's normal flow is the exception [5]. Setback exceptions don't excuse a project from riparian setbacks required by the Town or an outside agency. State law also requires notice to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife before work that alters a stream bed or bank.
Nonconforming structures
The stream corridor sections don't separately address expanding an existing structure already in a corridor. The Town's general nonconforming-structure rules apply, so ask the Planning Department.
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Next steps
- Ask the Woodside Planning Department (650-851-6790) whether a creek on or near your lot is a designated stream corridor and how wide it is.
- Show the stream center line, top of bank and corridor line on your site plan for any project near a creek.
- Apply to the Planning Commission for any work, crossing or use permit inside the corridor; get a Town Engineer permit for cross fencing.
- Contact the California Department of Fish and Wildlife about a Lake or Streambed Alteration Agreement before any work in or along the creek.
Common questions
- How far do I have to build from a creek in Woodside, California?
- Woodside stream corridors run 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, and the Planning Commission can set wider corridors. No structure, including a fence, can be built in a corridor.
- Can I remove vegetation along a creek in Woodside, California?
- No. Riparian vegetation in a Woodside stream corridor can't be removed except as needed for a permitted or conditional use. Filling the corridor or dumping debris, fertilizers, pesticides or other waste into it is prohibited.
- What approval do I need for work near a creek in Woodside, California?
- Any work in a stream corridor needs Planning Commission approval, and bridges, roads, utility lines and similar uses need a use permit. Trails and emergency flood control (with Town Engineer approval) are permitted outright. Cross fencing needs a Town Engineer permit.
- Is Woodside, California in the coastal zone?
- No. Woodside is an inland town, and none of the documents reviewed place it in the coastal zone, so its creek protections are inland stream corridor rules.
California rules for building near the coast and creeks
California has no statewide shoreland setback. Near water, two state laws matter most.
The coastal zone (Coastal Act, Pub. Res. Code §30000 et seq.):
- Almost any development in the coastal zone needs a coastal development permit (CDP) (§30600). "Development" is broad: buildings, additions, grading, lot splits, removing major vegetation, and changes in intensity of use (§30106).
- The zone generally runs about 1,000 yards inland from mean high tide (up to 5 miles in some habitat areas, less in some cities). San Francisco Bay is excluded; BCDC regulates it (§30103).
- Where a city or county has a Local Coastal Program (LCP) certified by the Coastal Commission, it issues the CDP (§30519). Otherwise the Commission does.
- Local approvals can be appealed to the Coastal Commission for projects between the sea and the first public road, within 300 ft of a beach or the mean high tide line, within 100 ft of a wetland, estuary or stream, or within 300 ft of a coastal bluff (§30603).
- Some improvements to existing homes and repairs are exempt (§30610), with exceptions set by regulation.
Creeks, streams and lakes statewide: you must notify the Department of Fish and Wildlife before work that diverts or blocks a stream, changes its bed, channel or bank, or puts material into it (Fish & Game Code §1602), even for streams that are dry part of the year. CDFW may require a Lake or Streambed Alteration Agreement.
Cities and counties often add their own creek setbacks or riparian buffers.
What the ordinance says
- 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.
- 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. 153.445(A), Municipal Code §§153.440-153.44x Stream Corridor Protection
No removal of riparian vegetation shall be permitted under this chapter within the stream corridor , except that required for the Permitted and conditional uses .
- Sec. 153.445(B), Municipal Code §§153.440-153.44x Stream Corridor Protection
No filling of the natural stream corridors or dumping of slash, debris, residue from parking or recreation areas, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or liquid or solid waste shall be permitted.
- Sec. 153.445(E), Municipal Code §§153.440-153.44x Stream Corridor Protection
Any alteration of, or work in, the stream corridor shall be subject to the approval of the Planning Commission except the work set forth in division (A) of this section or the removal of material which obstructs the normal flow of water within the stream channel.
- Sec. 153.443, Municipal Code §§153.440-153.44x Stream Corridor Protection
Trails; and (B) Emergency flood control measures, subject to the approval of the Town Engineer .