CHAPTER 3. Powers and Duties Generally [6201. - 6225.]

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC 3.
in effect

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6201. Section 6201.

The commission may periodically classify any or all state land for its different possible uses, and, when it is deemed advisable, may require the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Department of Conservation, the Department of Food and Agriculture, or any other officer, organization, agency, or institution of the state government to make that classification. It is the duty of any such officer, organization, agency, or institution to make that classification and to submit a report thereon upon the application of the commission.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6202. Section 6202.

The commission may make surveys and subdivisions of lands belonging to the state to be sold, leased, or to have the boundary established, and the county recorder shall file maps thereof, made by the commission, without cost to the state. Such maps shall be the official maps of the surveys and subdivisions, and all patents, leases, or boundary line agreements issued for the lands shall refer to the maps so filed. Such maps of state lands shall be legibly drawn, printed or reproduced by a process guaranteeing a permanent record in black on tracing cloth or polyester base film. If ink is used on a polyester base film, the ink surface shall be coated with a suitable substance to insure permanent legibility. The size of each sheet shall be 18 by 26 inches. A marginal line shall be drawn completely around each sheet, leaving an entire blank margin of one inch. The scale of the map shall be large enough to show all details clearly and enough sheets shall be used to accomplish this end. The particular number of the sheets and the total number of sheets comprising the map shall be stated on each of the sheets and its relationship to each adjoining sheet shall be clearly shown.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6203. Section 6203.

On or before the first Monday in March in each year, the commission shall make out and transmit to the assessor of each county where lands or lots lie that have been sold by the State, for which certificates of purchase, patents, or deeds have issued, during the year preceding, certified lists of such lands or lots, giving a description of the lands or lots, the names of the purchasers, and the amount of principal unpaid, if any, on the first Monday in March.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6206.5. Section 6206.5.

The commission is hereby empowered to apply to the United States Department of the Interior for patents to the numbered school sections in place and to accept patents, in accordance with an act of Congress approved June 21, 1934 (Public No. 440-73d Congress) entitled “An Act Authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to issue patents to the numbered school sections in place, granted to the States by the act approved February 22, 1889, by the act approved January 25, 1927 (44 Stat. 1026), and by any other act of Congress.”

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6207. Section 6207.

The commission shall keep separate accounts and records in relation to each class of lands to which the State is entitled, which shall show: (a) The number of the survey or location, and the date of the approval. (b) The name of the locator, the description of the lands by legal subdivisions, the price per acre at which they are sold, the amount paid, the date of payment, and the number and date of the certificate of purchase. (c) The date of the patent, when it has been issued.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6210.1. Section 6210.1.

When the commission desires to take testimony under the provisions of the act of Congress to quiet land titles in California, passed July 23, 1866, or any act amendatory or supplementary thereof, it shall request the United States Supervisor of Surveys to fix a place, convenient of access by the witnesses, and the time for taking such testimony. It may require the Attorney General to attend and represent the State at the taking of such testimony. Not more than one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) shall be allowed in any one year for traveling expenses pursuant to this section.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6210.2. Section 6210.2.

The commission may withdraw from sale any of the public lands belonging to the State and may restore any or all public lands so withdrawn, or other public lands, for sale.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6210.3. Section 6210.3.

The commission may grant easements and rights-of-way to the Department of Transportation to or over any of the public lands of the state for the purposes of rights-of-way for highways and for use in protecting highways from damage or destruction by natural forces.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6210.4. Section 6210.4.

No lands owned by the State which lands front upon or are near to any lake, navigable stream or other body of navigable water, convenient access to which is not provided by public road or roads, or otherwise, shall ever be sold, leased or rented, without reserving to the people of the State an easement across the lands for convenient access to such waters.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6210.4a. Section 6210.4a.

All conveyances by the State of the sixteenth and thirty-sixth sections, or lands acquired in lieu thereof, or of swamp and overflowed lands shall be made subject to any existing easements or rights-of-way issued by the State prior to the time of conveyance.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6210.5. Section 6210.5.

No lands owned by the State, which lands provide the only convenient means of access to other lands owned by the State, shall ever be sold, leased or rented without reserving therefrom to the State and its successors in interest in the other lands, an easement for convenient access to the other lands.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6210.6. Section 6210.6.

Notwithstanding Section 6210.5, the commission is not required to reserve an easement on school lands if it determines that selling the school lands without the easement is in the best interests of the state.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6210.8. Section 6210.8.

Whenever a navigable river or slough becomes abandoned and is no longer useful for navigation, the commission may sell, for cash, or exchange for lands having equal or greater value, such abandoned river or slough channel to the abutting property owners or to anyone having an equitable interest therein. A patent for the land sold shall be issued in the name of the applicant. The commission shall send the patent to the Governor, together with a certificate stating that the laws in relation thereto have been complied with, that payment in full has been made, and that the person named in the prepared patent is entitled to it. The patent so issued shall inure to the benefit of the assigns, grantees, or successors in interest of said original applicant.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6210.9. Section 6210.9.

If the commission has public land, including school land, tide or submerged lands, and lands subject to the public trust for commerce, navigation, and fisheries, to which there is no access available, it may, in the name of the state, acquire by purchase, lease, gift, exchange, or, if all negotiations fail, by condemnation, a right-of-way or easement across privately owned land or other land that it deems necessary to provide access to such public land.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6211. Section 6211.

(a) Whenever a parcel of timbered land under the jurisdiction of the commission is totally surrounded by, or is contiguous to, a national forest or a state forest, the commission may, if it is in the best interests of the state to do so, and after 10 days’ prior notice to the Secretary of the Resources Agency for the receipt of comments, provide for the harvesting of timber from that land at the same time as the orderly harvesting of the surrounding or adjacent federal-owned or state-owned timber is conducted. In carrying out this section, the commission may enter into agreements with the United States or the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for the inclusion of timbered lands under the jurisdiction of the commission within a total parcel to be offered for timber harvesting contracts. (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, timber from lands under the jurisdiction of the commission shall not be sold to any California division of a primary manufacturer, or to any person for resale to a primary manufacturer, who does either of the following: (1) Uses that timber at any plant not located within the United States, unless it is sawn on four sides to dimensions not greater than 4 inches by 12 inches. (2) Within one year prior to the bid date and one year after the termination of the contract, sells unprocessed timber which is harvested from private timberlands and is exported into foreign commerce. For the purposes of this section, “unprocessed timber” has the same meaning as set forth in subdivision (d) of Section 4650.1. (c) Any purchaser of timber from lands under the jurisdiction of the commission who makes use of the timber in violation of paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) is prohibited from making any further purchases of timber from any such lands for a period of five years. (d) The commission may adopt appropriate regulations to prevent the substitution of timber from lands under its jurisdiction for timber exported from private timberlands.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6212. Section 6212.

(a) Upon appropriation of moneys by the Legislature for the purposes of this section, the commission shall, within two years, administer a coastal hazard and legacy oil and gas well removal and remediation program to do all of the following: (1) Complete an assessment of legacy oil and gas wells and other coastal hazards along the California coastline, including conducting aerial surveys and dives, and determining high-priority hazards and legacy oil and gas wells to remediate. (2) Survey, study, and monitor oil seepage in state waters and tidelands under its jurisdiction to determine oil seepage locations, rates, and environmental impacts, and partner with experts to facilitate innovative solutions. (3) In cooperation with the Geologic Energy Management Division, begin the process of remediating improperly abandoned legacy oil and gas wells that have a high risk of leaking oil and are hazardous to public health and safety and the environment. (b) Notwithstanding Section 11005 of the Government Code and any other law requiring approval by a state officer of gifts, bequests, devises, or donations, the commission may seek and accept on behalf of the state any gift, bequest, devise, or donation whenever the gift and the terms and conditions thereof will aid in actions undertaken pursuant to subdivision (a). (c) (1) On or before January 1 of each year, until January 1, 2026, the commission shall submit a report to the Legislature, in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code, on the activities and accomplishments of the program for the prior year. The commission may include this information in the annual report it submits pursuant to Section 8618. (2) (A) On or before January 1, 2027, the commission shall submit a report to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees in the Legislature, including, at minimum, all of the following: (i) The Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water. (ii) The Senate Committee on Environmental Quality. (iii) The Senate Committee on Appropriations. (iv) The Senate Budget Subcommittee 2 on Resources, Environmental Protection, Energy and Transportation. (v) The Assembly Committee on Natural Resources. (vi) The Assembly Committee on Appropriations. (vii) The Assembly Budget Subcommittee 3 on Resources and Transportation. (B) The report submitted pursuant to this paragraph shall cover the life of the program and shall include information necessary to aid the Legislature in determining the effectiveness of the coastal hazard and legacy oil and gas well removal and remediation program and the extent to which funding for the program should be reauthorized. At minimum, the report shall include the following information: (i) Activities and accomplishments of the program. (ii) Implementation challenges and, to the extent available, potential solutions to these challenges. (iii) Program expenditures. (iv) The amount of any gift, bequest, devise, or donation accepted by the commission on behalf of the state pursuant to subdivision (b), and the name, location, and organization type of the donor. The commission may provide aggregate information for some or all of the donations, if appropriate, as determined by the commission. (v) Recommendations on whether the program should be reauthorized, any changes that should be included in the reauthorizing legislation, and activities and priorities for the program after July 1, 2028, if the program is reauthorized. (d) The commission shall prioritize its activities under this section based on available resources. (e) For purposes of this section the following definitions apply: (1) “Coastal hazards” are legacy oil and gas wells and human-made structures that have been orphaned, including piers, jetties, groins, seawalls, and facilities associated with past oil extraction and other operations, that pose a hazard to public health and safety. Coastal hazards may include, but are not limited to, wood or steel piles or piling, sheet metal pilings, H piles and H beams, well casings, well caissons, railroad irons, cables, angle bars, pipes, pipelines, rip rap, and wood beams and structures. (2) “Legacy oil and gas wells” are wells drilled before current abandonment standards, where there is little or no information on the well’s abandonment procedure and there is no viable company with the responsibility to reabandon the well should it start leaking or pose a threat to the environment or to public health and safety. (f) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2028, and, as of January 1, 2029, is repealed.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6212.2. Section 6212.2.

The commission may, under such rules and regulations as it may prescribe, issue permits for the taking of cores or other samples by means of drilling operations or other methods on or under any lands under the jurisdiction of the commission for the purpose of obtaining geological information to be used in assessing the nature and extent of any mineral interest reserved to the state, preparing environmental documents, locating nuclear or other energy-related plant sites, making soil surveys, conducting foundation exploration and oceanographic research, and making studies of geological hazards, flood control, harbor works, and other similar matters not involving an activity of commercial exploration or exploitation.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6212.3. Section 6212.3.

(a) The commission may authorize, by permit, the conduct of geophysical surveys on state lands under its jurisdiction, including granted and ungranted tidelands and submerged lands and the beds of navigable waterways, subject to terms and conditions as the commission shall specify to ensure public safety and protection of the environment. (b) No permit shall be required by the commission for any geophysical survey performed in support of dredging to maintain or increase the depth of navigation channels, anchorages, or berthing areas. (c) The commission shall adopt regulations to aid in the implementation of subdivision (a). The regulations shall include conditions that address and minimize the potential impacts to aquatic life or to the marine and coastal environment that might arise from geophysical surveys performed on state lands under its jurisdiction, including granted and ungranted tidelands and submerged lands and the beds of navigable waterways. (d) The commission may promote compliance with the permit requirements through appropriate actions, including any of the following: (1) Providing educational outreach to increase awareness of permitting regulations and enforcement actions. (2) Making a toll-free telephone number available to the public to report permit violators. (3) Issuing cease and desist orders to permit violators.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6213. Section 6213.

Whenever it appears by final decree of any court of competent jurisdiction that title to any land subject to sale by the State was obtained, or sought to be obtained, by fraudulent means, or in any manner contrary to the laws of this State relating to the acquisition of its public domain, all payments made in the interest of the fraudulent title shall revert to the State without suit. The commission shall thereupon cancel all evidence of title to any such land and shall restore the land to public entry.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6213.5. Section 6213.5.

(a) (1) The commission shall consult, and enter into any necessary negotiations, with the owners of the property known as Martins Beach, consisting of two parcels of land, APN: 066-330-230 and APN: 066-330-240, in the unincorporated area of the County of San Mateo, to acquire a right-of-way or easement, pursuant to Section 6210.9, for the creation of a public access route to and along the shoreline, including the sandy beach, at Martins Beach at the South Cabrillo Highway. (2) This section does not prohibit the owners of the property from voluntarily providing public access to and along the shoreline at Martins Beach upon terms acceptable to the commission. (b) If the commission is unable to reach an agreement to acquire a right-of-way or easement or the owners do not voluntarily provide public access pursuant to subdivision (a) by January 1, 2016, the commission may acquire a right-of-way or easement, pursuant to Section 6210.9, for the creation of a public access route to and along the shoreline, including the sandy beach, at Martins Beach at the South Cabrillo Highway, in accordance with the procedures set forth in Title 7 (commencing with Section 1230.010) of Part 3 of the Code of Civil Procedure. (c) The commission shall consult and enter into negotiations with local stakeholders, including, but not limited to, nonprofit entities and local and regional governments and governmental entities, to address the ongoing management and operation of any property acquired pursuant to this section.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6214. Section 6214.

Fees shall be charged and collected by the commission pursuant to its rules and regulations for the following: (a) Certificates of purchase or duplicates thereof, (b) Patents and certified copies of records thereof, (c) For certifying a contested case to superior court, (d) For certifying copies of papers, (e) Such other fees as are allowed by law.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6215. Section 6215.

As to lands heretofore sold by this State with a reservation to the State of a one-sixteenth interest in the oil and gas or other minerals therein, pursuant to Chapter 303 of the Statutes of 1921, and where it appears that there are or may be deposits of oil and gas in such lands the commission may enter into agreements with respect thereto in the manner provided by Section 6815 of this code with respect to lands owned by the State, or the commission may consent to the inclusion of such lands with the lands of other persons under a cooperative or unit plan of development or operation of a pool or field if it appears that the purpose of such plan is the conserving of the natural resources of any single oil or gas pool or field and if it is determined by the commission to be necessary or advisable in the public interest.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6216. Section 6216.

This section is enacted for the purpose of declaring the scope and extent of the powers, duties, purposes, responsibilities and jurisdiction of the State Lands Commission, but nothing herein shall be construed as limiting any power, duty, purpose, responsibility or jurisdiction heretofore or by this code vested in or conferred upon the commission. (a) Upon the enacting of the State Lands Act of 1938 the Legislature intended to and did vest in the commission all those powers, duties, purposes, responsibilities and jurisdiction of the Department of Finance as set forth in Section 6102 of this code, and of the Chief of the Division of State Lands, and the Division of State Lands, including the full authority, as provided by law, to administer, sell, lease or dispose of the public lands owned by this state or under its control, including not only school lands but tidelands, submerged lands, swamp and overflowed lands, and beds of navigable rivers and lakes. The commission was further authorized to provide for the extraction of minerals and oil and gas from any or all of such lands, but its authority and jurisdiction over such lands was not and is not now limited thereto. (b) The provisions of Section 48 of the State Lands Act of 1938, added thereto by Chapter 646 of the Statutes of 1939, as codified in Section 6301 of this code, shall hereafter supersede and control over any other provisions of law, whether general or special, relating to any tidelands or submerged lands or the beds of navigable rivers, streams, lakes, bays, estuaries, inlets or straits, without regard to whether any of such lands contain or may contain oil, gas or other minerals, and any such other provisions of law in conflict therewith are repealed. (c) Any and all acts of the State Lands Commission heretofore performed by it in pursuance of Section 48 of the State Lands Act of 1938 are hereby confirmed, ratified and validated, without regard to whether the lands affected thereby contain or might contain oil, gas or other minerals.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6216.1. Section 6216.1.

The commission may remove or cause to be removed any artificial structures or obstructions from ungranted lands under its jurisdiction if the commission determines that the removal is appropriate and the Attorney General advises that there is no legal recourse to compel other responsible parties to effect that removal.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6216.5. Section 6216.5.

The commission may prescribe such rules and regulations for the noncommercial hobby collection of minerals from state lands as are in the best interests of the state. Nothing in this section shall prevent other state agencies from setting more definitive limits on hobby collecting on lands over which they have a proprietary interest.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6217. Section 6217.

With the exception of revenue derived from state school lands and from sources described in Sections 6217.6, 6301.5, 6301.6, 6855, and Sections 8551 to 8558, inclusive, and Section 6404 (insofar as the proceeds are from property that has been distributed or escheated to the state in connection with unclaimed estates of deceased persons), the commission shall deposit all revenue, money, and remittances received by the commission under this division, and under Chapter 138 of the Statutes of 1964, First Extraordinary Session, in the General Fund. Out of those funds deposited in the General Fund, sufficient moneys shall be made available each fiscal year for the following purposes: (a) Payment of refunds, authorized by the commission, out of appropriations made for that purpose. (b) Payment of expenditures of the commission as provided in the annual Budget Act. (c) Payments to cities and counties of the amounts specified in Section 6817 for the purposes specified in that section, out of appropriations made for that purpose. (d) Payments to cities and counties of the amounts agreed to pursuant to Section 6875, out of appropriations made for that purpose. (e) (1) For the 2018–19 fiscal year, the sum of two million dollars ($2,000,000) shall be transferred to the Land Bank Fund and, notwithstanding Section 8610, shall be available, upon appropriation in the annual Budget Act, for the purpose of implementing the commission’s coastal hazard and legacy oil and gas well removal and remediation program provided in Section 6212. (2) For each fiscal year from the 2019–20 fiscal year to the 2027–28 fiscal year, inclusive, an amount sufficient to bring the unencumbered balance of the Land Bank Fund available for the purpose of implementing the commission’s coastal hazard and legacy oil and gas well removal and remediation program provided in Section 6212 to two million dollars ($2,000,000) shall be transferred to the Land Bank Fund and, notwithstanding Section 8610, shall be available, upon appropriation in the annual Budget Act, for the purpose of implementing the commission’s coastal hazard and legacy oil and gas well removal and remediation program provided in Section 6212.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6217.1. Section 6217.1.

(a) This section and the process described in this section governs the expenditure of any funds received by the State of California from the federal government for the purposes of salmon and steelhead trout conservation and restoration, the expenditure of funds authorized for the Coastal Watershed Salmon Habitat Program pursuant to Article 7 (commencing with Section 79104.200) of Chapter 6 of Division 26 of the Water Code, and the expenditure of funds appropriated to the Department of Fish and Game for salmon and steelhead trout conservation and restoration from the California Clean Water, Clean Air, Safe Neighborhood Parks, and Coastal Protection Fund pursuant to Article 5 (commencing with Section 5096.650) of Chapter 1.696 of Division 5 of the Public Resources Code. (b) For purposes of this section, “project” means an activity that improves fish habitat in coastal waters utilized by salmon and anadromous trout species. (c) (1) The Department of Fish and Game shall grant funds from the Salmon and Steelhead Trout Restoration Account in the Resources Trust Fund, as follows: (A) At least 87.5 percent of the funds shall be allocated as project grants through the existing grant program operated by the fisheries management program of the Department of Fish and Game. (B) Not more than 12.5 percent of the funds may also be used for project contract administration activities and biological support staff. (2) (A) A project shall require the consent of a willing landowner, and emphasize the development of coordinated watershed improvement activities. (B) Projects that restore habitat for salmon and anadromous trout species that are eligible for protection as listed or candidate species under state or federal endangered species acts shall be given top funding priority. (C) Projects shall be cost-effective and treat causes and not symptoms of fish habitat degradation. Projects may implement instream, riparian, water quality, water quantity, and watershed prescriptions and shall be designed to restore the structure and function of fish habitat. (3) Any grant funds allocated to a project that exceed the actual cost of completing the project shall be returned to the Salmon and Steelhead Trout Restoration Account. (d) (1) A citizen’s advisory committee shall be appointed by the Director of Fish and Game to give advice on the grant program. (2) The advisory committee shall consist of seven representatives recommended by the California Advisory Committee on Salmon and Steelhead Trout, one representative from the agriculture industry, one representative from the timber industry, one representative of public water agency interests, one academic or research scientist with expertise in anadromous fisheries restoration, and three county supervisors from coastal counties in which anadromous trout exist. The county supervisor members shall be recommended by the California State Association of Counties. (3) The advisory committee shall provide oversight of, and recommend priorities for, grant funding under this section. In making funding decisions, the Department of Fish and Game shall consider the project selection priorities established by the advisory committee. (4) Members of any advisory committee established for these purposes shall be reimbursed for travel and incidental expenses related to the performance of their duties under this section. Reimbursement for the advisory committee created pursuant to this section shall be made from the funds designated in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c). Reimbursement for other Department of Fish and Game salmon and steelhead trout advisory committees shall be funded by appropriate sources. (5) If a member of the advisory committee, or a member of his or her immediate family, is employed by a grant applicant, the employer of a grant applicant, or a consultant or independent contractor employed by a grant applicant, the advisory committee member shall make that disclosure to the other members of the committee, and shall not participate in reviewing or making recommendations on the grant application of that applicant. (e) Except as provided in subdivision (f), the money in the Salmon and Steelhead Trout Restoration Account shall be allocated as follows: (1) Not less than 65 percent of the money shall be used for salmon habitat protection and restoration projects. Of that amount, at least 75 percent shall be used for watershed (upslope) and riparian area protection and restoration activities. These activities may include, but are not limited to, grants to acquire and install fish screens to protect juvenile and adult salmon and steelhead trout from entrapment in water diversions, and grants to remove substandard culverts, stream crossings, and bridges that constitute barriers to spawning of salmon and steelhead trout and passage of fish. These funds may also be used for the acquisition, from willing sellers, of conservation easements for riparian buffer strips along coastal rivers and streams to protect salmon and steelhead trout habitat or for projects that protect and improve water quality and quantity. (2) Up to 35 percent of the money shall be allocated for any of the uses listed in this paragraph. (A) Watershed evaluation, assessment, and planning necessary to develop a site-specific and clearly prioritized plan to implement watershed improvements. (B) Multiyear grants for watershed planning and project monitoring and evaluations. (C) Watershed organization support and assistance. (D) Project maintenance and monitoring after the project implementations are complete. (E) Public school watershed and fishery conservation education projects. (F) Private sector technical training and education project grants, including teaching private landowners about practical means of improving land and water management practices that, if implemented, will contribute to the protection and restoration of salmon stream habitat; scholarship funding for workshops and conferences that teach restoration techniques; operation of nonprofit restoration technical schools; and production of restoration training and education workshops and conferences. (G) Fish and wildlife habitat improvements, as defined by Section 4793, and authorized under the California Forestry Incentive Program (CFIP). (H) The salmon restoration project of the California Conservation Corps. (I) The state’s share of the federal Watershed Stewards Program. (J) Monitoring projects that utilize protocols approved by the Department of Fish and Game and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to provide baseline or trend data, or both, for anadromous fish populations or the physical and biological factors known to be limiting recovery. (K) Artificial propagation programs designed to restore depleted stocks of salmonids that comply with the directives of the joint Department of Fish and Game and NMFS Hatchery Operations Review Committee. (f) The advisory committee, in any fiscal year, may make a recommendation to the Department of Fish and Game to allocate money from the Salmon and Steelhead Trout Restoration Account for the purposes stated in subdivision (e), but in different percentage requirements than the 65/35 split stated in paragraphs (1) and (2) of that subdivision. Following that recommendation, the Director of Fish and Game may suspend the percentage requirements stated in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (e) for that fiscal year only.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6217.2. Section 6217.2.

Notwithstanding Section 16304.1 of the Government Code, a disbursement in liquidation of an encumbrance for a project funded pursuant to the Coastal Watershed Salmon Habitat Program, as identified in Section 6217.1, may be made before or during the four years following the last day an appropriation is available for encumbrance.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6217.3. Section 6217.3.

(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (1) The Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2006, an initiative approved by the voters at the November 7, 2006, statewide general election, makes available the sum of one hundred eighty million dollars ($180,000,000) in bond funds for bay-delta and coastal fishery restoration projects. (2) Of the funds made available, up to forty-five million dollars ($45,000,000) is available for coastal salmon and steelhead fishery restoration projects that support the development and implementation of species recovery plans and strategies for salmonid species listed as threatened or endangered under state or federal law. (b) From the forty-five million dollars ($45,000,000) available for coastal salmon and steelhead fishery restoration projects pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 75050, five million two hundred ninety-three thousand dollars ($5,293,000) is appropriated to the Department of Fish and Game for the purposes of coastal salmon and steelhead fishery restoration projects, including the Coastal Salmonid Monitoring Plan. The Department of Fish and Game shall not allocate more than two million five hundred twenty thousand dollars ($2,520,000) of these funds for the Coastal Salmonid Monitoring Plan. (c) (1) Except for the funds annually appropriated for the Coastal Salmonid Monitoring Plan, and as provided in paragraph (3), the process governing the expenditure of funds described in Section 6217.1 shall be applied to the expenditure of funds available for coastal salmon and steelhead fishery restoration projects pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 75050 that are allocated by the Department of Fish and Game pursuant to subdivision (b). (2) The funds annually allocated to the Coastal Salmonid Monitoring Plan are exempt from the requirements of Section 6217.1. (3) If there is a conflict between a provision of this section and a provision of Division 43 (commencing with Section 75001), the provision of Division 43 shall govern.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6217.5. Section 6217.5.

Except for the revenues distributed pursuant to Section 3826, all net revenues, moneys, and remittances from the use of school lands and lieu lands shall be deposited in the State Treasury to the credit of the Teachers’ Retirement Fund and shall be expended pursuant to Section 24412 of the Education Code.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6217.6. Section 6217.6.

All rental income received for surface uses, including, but not limited to, surface drilling rights, upon lands under the jurisdiction of the State Lands Commission shall be deposited in the State Treasury to the credit of the General Fund, except as follows: (a) Income from state school lands, as provided in Section 6217.5. (b) Royalties received from extraction of minerals on the surface of those lands, as provided in Section 6217. (c) (1) All rental income from surface uses for lands at Lake Tahoe. (2) The rental income specified in paragraph (1) shall be deposited into the Lake Tahoe Science and Lake Improvement Account, for expenditure upon appropriation by the Legislature pursuant to Section 6217.6.1.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6217.6.1. Section 6217.6.1.

(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings: (1) “Account” means the Lake Tahoe Science and Lake Improvement Account created pursuant to this section. (2) “Compact” means the Tahoe Regional Planning Compact. (3) “Resources agency” means the Natural Resources Agency. (4) “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency. (b) The Lake Tahoe Science and Lake Improvement Account is hereby created in the General Fund. The moneys in the account may be expended by the agency, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the purposes of this section, with appropriate disclosure pursuant to subdivision (d). The secretary shall administer the account. (c) Notwithstanding Section 6217, the funds in the account shall be expended as follows: (1) The costs associated with establishing the bistate science-based advisory council established pursuant to subdivision (e). (2) For near-shore environmental improvement program activities and projects that include, but are not limited to, all of the following: (A) (i) Near-shore aquatic invasive species projects and projects to improve public access to sovereign land in Lake Tahoe, including planning and site improvement or reconstruction projects on public land, and land acquisitions from willing sellers, subject to clause (ii). (ii) Near-shore aquatic invasive species projects and projects to improve public access to sovereign land in Lake Tahoe may be funded only if matching funds for this purpose are provided by the California Tahoe Conservancy or by another public entity. The conservancy shall coordinate the selection of projects to be funded through a collaborative process that includes the participation of other public agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private landowners, including those persons or organizations that pay the rental income described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 6217.6. (B) (i) Near-shore water quality monitoring, subject to clause (ii). (ii) Near-shore water quality monitoring may be funded only if matching funds for this purpose are provided from the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board or by another public entity. (d) The agency, or another agency designated by it, shall, on a publicly accessible Internet Web site, annually make available information regarding any activity funded pursuant to this section. The information shall include, at a minimum, all of the following: (1) The name of the agency, or agencies, to which funding was allocated. (2) A summary of the activities and projects funded by the account. (3) The amount allocated for the activity. (4) An anticipated timeline and total cost for completion of the activity. (e) The secretary may enter into a memorandum of agreement with the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to establish and operate a bistate science-based advisory council in the Tahoe basin whose purpose is to promote and enhance the use of the best available scientific information on matters of interest to both states. The organization shall be nonregulatory, and shall focus on activities that will advance attainment of environmental thresholds, as provided in the compact. A majority of the governing body of that organization shall be comprised of scientists with expertise in disciplines pertinent to achieving and maintaining the goals of the compact.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6217.7. Section 6217.7.

All net revenues, moneys, and remittances from the sale of school lands and lieu lands shall be deposited in the State Treasury to the credit of the School Land Bank Fund.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6217.8. Section 6217.8.

(a) For purposes of this section, “fund” means the Oil Trust Fund established pursuant to subdivision (b). (b) The Oil Trust Fund is hereby established in the State Treasury, and the moneys in the fund are hereby appropriated to the commission in accordance with this section. (c) (1) On or before March 1, 2006, the City of Long Beach shall pay to the commission all money, including both principal and interest, in the abandonment reserve fund that the city created in 1999 and that was the subject of the litigation in State of California ex rel. California State Lands Commission v. City of Long Beach (2005) 125 Cal.App.4th 767. (2) The Controller shall deposit in the fund any funds paid to the commission pursuant to paragraph (1). (3) On the last day of each month beginning January 31, 2025, the Controller shall transfer to the fund the amount of five million dollars ($5,000,000) or 50 percent of remaining oil revenue, as described in subdivision (d) of Section 4 of Chapter 138 of the Statutes of 1964, First Extraordinary Session, whichever is greater. (d) (1) All interest earned on the money in the abandonment reserve fund specified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) shall be transferred to the fund. (2) The commission shall expend the money from the fund solely to finance the costs of well abandonment, pipeline removal, facility removal, remediation, and other costs associated with removal of oil and gas facilities from the Long Beach tidelands that are not the responsibility of other parties. (3) All money remaining in the fund after completion of all activities described in paragraph (2) shall be transferred to the General Fund. (e) The moneys deposited in the fund are hereby appropriated to the commission commencing when all of the following conditions are met: (1) The City of Long Beach adopts a resolution declaring that the oil revenue described in subdivision (d) of Section 4 of Chapter 138 of the Statutes of 1964, First Extraordinary Session, is insufficient to fund the costs of activities described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (d) of this section. (2) The City of Long Beach transmits to the commission a copy of the resolution and all necessary accompanying documentation, including a plan for expenditures for the activities described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (d). (3) The commission reviews the material provided in paragraph (2) and notifies the Controller within 60 calendar days of receiving the material specified in paragraph (2) that expenditure from the fund may be made so that activities described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (d) can begin. The commission shall provide a schedule for expenditures for disbursement of moneys from the fund to the City of Long Beach. The commission shall submit a copy of the schedule to the Department of Finance and to the fiscal and appropriate policy committees of the Legislature.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6218. Section 6218.

The commission may charge and collect reasonable fees for services performed by it, not exceeding the actual cost to the state of such services. In any case where the commission, either pursuant to law or rule of the commission, requires the publication of advertisements for bids or the publication of any notice in connection with the sale or leasing of state lands, the commission may, by rule, require that the cost of such publication be advanced by any applicant or bidder and be paid by the successful applicant or bidder.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6219. Section 6219.

The commission may, if it determines it is in the best interests of the state, accept on behalf of the state any gift, devise, grant, quitclaim, or other conveyance of title to, or interest in, real property. Such land, when acquired, shall be examined for significant environmental values as defined pursuant to Section 6370.1, and classified and administered according to the rules and regulations of the commission.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6220. Section 6220.

Whenever authority is not vested in another officer, agency or commission to accept quitclaim deeds on behalf of the State, the authority is vested in the State Lands Commission.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6221. Section 6221.

Any instrumentality, district, agency, or political subdivision of the state occupying or using, pursuant to law, lands owned by the state and under the jurisdiction of the commission shall comply with the provisions of this division, and the commission shall issue a permit for occupancy of such land upon application. The commission shall prescribe, by rule or regulation, a reasonable filing fee which shall accompany the application, but such fee may not exceed the average of the commission’s actual costs of receiving applications and making the initial title review for such permits. The application shall include: (a) A description of the state lands involved, giving sufficient details or a survey tied to a record survey or monument in order to locate it accurately. (b) The public use to be made of the land. (c) Completed environmental documents prepared pursuant to the commission’s rules and regulations.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6222. Section 6222.

No county, city, district, political subdivision, agency or officer of the State shall request or make application to have any lands owned or controlled by the United States withdrawn or reserved from settlement, location, sale, entry or other forms of disposal under federal law until 30 days after written notice of such proposed application or request has been filed with the State Lands Commission.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6223. Section 6223.

Applications for purchase, or lease of state lands shall be given the priority of time of filing; except that applications filed by any county, city, or officer of the State shall have priority over all other applications regardless of time of filing. Priorities between cities, counties, or officers of the State shall be established by the time of filing of their respective applications.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6224. Section 6224.

The commission may adopt rules and regulations which provide for the payment of either a penalty or interest, or both, by any person who fails to pay the commission any sum when it is due under a lease or agreement. The rules and regulations may provide for the assessment, nonassessment, or waiver by the commission of the penalty or interest, or both. Penalties assessed by the commission shall not exceed 5 percent of the principal sum due and the rate of interest shall not exceed 1 1 2 percent per month from the date on which the sum became due and payable until the date of payment. Penalties and interest assessed pursuant to this section shall be payable to the commission.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6224.1. Section 6224.1.

Any person who trespasses upon any lands owned or controlled by the state and under the jurisdiction of the commission, including, but not limited to, tidelands, submerged lands, the beds of navigable rivers, streams, lakes, bays, estuaries, inlets, or straits, or any school lands, lieu lands, or swamp and overflowed lands, without lawful authority, is liable to the state for the amount of damages which may be assessed therefor, in any civil action, in any court having jurisdiction.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6224.2. Section 6224.2.

(a) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (b), any person who appropriates or converts any mineral deposits reserved to, or owned by, the state and under the jurisdiction of the commission, including, but not limited to, oil and gas, other gases (including, but not limited to, nonhydrocarbon and geothermal gases), oil shale, coal, phosphate, sodium, gold, silver, alumina, silica, uranium, trona, fossils of all geological ages, metals and their compounds, alkali, alkali earth, sand, clay, gravel, salts, mineral waters, or any geothermal resources, without lawful authority, is liable to the state for treble the amount of damages which may be assessed therefor, in any civil action, in any court having jurisdiction. (b) If the appropriation or conversion of any such mineral deposit was involuntary, or if the defendant in any action brought under this section had probable cause to believe that the land on which the appropriation or conversion was committed was his own or the land of the person in whose service or by whose direction such act was done, the measure of damages shall be the sum as would compensate for the actual damages. (c) Damages awarded pursuant to this section shall be limited to those determined to have occurred within the five-year period immediately preceding the date of commencement of the action.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6224.3. Section 6224.3.

(a) A person shall not construct, place, maintain, own, use, or possess a structure or facility on land that is under the commission’s jurisdiction and that is owned by the state without first obtaining all necessary easements, leases, or permits from the commission that authorize the construction, placement, maintenance, ownership, use, or possession of the structure or facility. (b) Except as provided in subdivisions (a), (b), and (c) of Section 6224.5, and except for facilities owned by an electrical corporation, as defined in Section 218 of the Public Utilities Code or a gas corporation as defined in Section 222 of the Public Utilities Code, that were installed on lands pursuant to a property interest or a claim of right before the lands became state lands, a person, other than a telegraph or telephone corporation acting pursuant to Section 7901 of the Public Utilities Code or a franchised cable television corporation, as defined in Section 216.4 of the Public Utilities Code, and limited to their usage of poles, conduits, cables, wires, and associated appurtenances under either their ownership or the ownership of an electrical corporation, who violates subdivision (a) shall be liable for a penalty of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) a day or an amount that is not more than 60 percent higher than the full fair market rental for each month that a violation occurs. If the violation occurs during only part of a calendar month, the commission may prorate the penalty. (c) In determining the appropriate penalty described in subdivision (b), the commission shall consider all of the following factors: (1) The physical extent of the violation on the land under the commission’s jurisdiction, and that is owned by the state. (2) The degree of culpability of the violator. (3) The degree of cooperation of the violator and whether the structure or facility is susceptible to removal or the violation is susceptible to resolution. (4) Any prior history of violations of statutes or leases pertaining to lands under the commission’s jurisdiction, and that are owned by the state, including the past history of the violator in taking all feasible steps or procedures necessary or appropriate to correct a violation. (5) The extent to which the violation causes environmental harm or impairs lawful public access to lands under the commission’s jurisdiction, and that are owned by the state. (6) Any factor determined by the commission to be relevant to a fair and just result, and in the best interest of the state. (d) The penalty described in this section shall be imposed from the first day the commission issues an order to the day when the violation is cured. (e) The commission may enjoin a person who violates subdivision (a) from continuing that violation. (f) The commission may require a person who violates subdivision (a) to remove the structure or facility from lands that are owned by the state at the person’s own expense. If the violator refuses to remove the structure or facility, or if the violator cannot be located, the commission may, at its own expense, remove the structure or facility from the land under the commission’s jurisdiction, and that is owned by the state. The commission may pursue whatever legal remedies are available to recover the removal costs from the violator. (g) For the purposes of this section, a structure or facility shall include, but is not limited to, buildings, boat houses, docks, piers, revetments, fill, pilings, pipelines, groins, jetties, seawalls, breakwaters, and bulkheads. (h) If the Attorney General prevails in a civil action necessary to enforce an order of the commission issued pursuant to this section, the Attorney General shall be awarded attorney’s fees and costs. (i) The remedies provided by this section are in addition to and not in lieu of any other penalty or sanction provided by law.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6224.4. Section 6224.4.

(a) Before the commission considers whether to pursue a remedy provided under Section 6224.3, the commission shall first provide a written notice to the person against whom the commission seeks to impose the penalty. The notice shall include an opportunity for a hearing before the commission at a properly noticed public meeting. The commission shall send the notice not less than 30 days before the date set for conducting a hearing pursuant to this section. A notice shall include all of the following: (1) The date, time, and location of the commission hearing where the person may appear and be heard. (2) A statement of the authority and jurisdiction under which the hearing is to be held. (3) A reference to the particular sections of the statutes and rules involved. (4) A short and plain statement of the matters asserted or charged, including a description of the violation complained of with reasonable certainty as to its character and location. (5) A statement indicating whether and under what circumstances an order by default may be entered. (b) In lieu of personal service, service of notice may be made by registered mail and by posting a copy of the notice on the structure or facility that is in violation of subdivision (a) of Section 6224.3. (c) If the person fails to appear at the noticed hearing, the commission may issue an order. (d) A hearing shall be scheduled as a regular calendar item at a properly noticed commission meeting. A commission member shall serve as a presiding officer at a hearing held pursuant to this section and conduct the hearing in accordance with Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 11400) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, including Article 10 (commencing with Section 11445.10) of that chapter. (e) A person against whom the commission has issued an order imposing a remedy provided in Section 6224.3 may seek review of the order pursuant to Section 1094.5 of the Code of Civil Procedure by filing a petition for writ of mandate within 60 days after the commission’s action has become final.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6224.5. Section 6224.5.

(a) If, as of January 1, 2013, a person is in violation of subdivision (a) of Section 6224.3, that person shall not be subject to a penalty pursuant to that section, if the person, on or before July 1, 2013, remedies the violation or submits to the commission a completed lease application, including the payment of all fees and costs. The remedy may include, but is not limited to, entering into an appropriate lease with the commission or adequately removing the structure or facility. (b) A person shall not be subject to a penalty or order pursuant to Section 6224.3, if the person submits a notice to the commission that a structure or facility owned by that person is potentially in violation of subdivision (a) of Section 6224.3 and the person, within six months from the date the notice is received by the commission, remedies the violation or submits to the commission a completed lease application, including the payment of all fees and costs. This subdivision shall apply only if the potential violator submits a notice to the commission before the commission otherwise receives notice or information regarding the potential violation, or takes action against the violator. (c) If any pole, conduit, cable, wire, pipeline, or associated appurtenance that is owned by an electrical corporation, as defined in Section 218 of the Public Utilities Code, or a gas corporation, as defined in Section 222 of the Public Utilities Code, violates subdivision (a) of Section 6224.3, and the electrical or gas corporation can demonstrate that it has not received actual notice that it does not have adequate existing land rights for its structure or facility located on land under the commission’s jurisdiction, the electrical or gas corporation shall not be subject to a penalty or order pursuant to Section 6224.3 if the electrical or gas corporation remedies the violation or submits to the commission a completed lease application, including the payment of all fees and costs, or files with a court of competent jurisdiction a motion to perfect a prescriptive easement within six months from the date the violation is reported or the mistake is discovered. (d) The commission may adopt regulations necessary or useful to carry out this section and Sections 6224.3 and 6224.4.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 6225. Section 6225.

(a) The commission shall conduct research, investigations, and title searches on the real property in this state of the beaches of Lake Tahoe which is dedicated for public use and make a report of its findings which shall be open for public inspection. For the purpose of this section the commission may contract upon such terms and conditions as will be in the best interest of the people of the state with one or more private persons, firms, associations, organizations, partnerships, corporations, companies, or public agencies to conduct such research, investigations, and title searches. (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, whenever it appears by final decree of any court of competent jurisdiction that title to any beach property of Lake Tahoe, for which the commission in cooperation with the county has conducted a title search, is vested in a county, the county shall dedicate such beach property to the state. (c) The state shall be under no obligation to operate and maintain the beach property so dedicated to the state. The county or a public agency in which the beach property is situated may, subject to approval of the commission, operate, maintain, or make improvements on such beach property.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026

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