ARTICLE 2. Territorial Jurisdiction [110. - 127.]

Cal. Government Code - GOV 2.

in effect

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 110. Section 110.

The sovereignty and jurisdiction of this State extends to all places within its boundaries as established by the constitution. The extent of such jurisdiction over places that have been or may be ceded to, purchased, or condemned by the United States is qualified by the terms of the cession or the laws under which the purchase or condemnation is made.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 111. Section 111.

The jurisdiction of the State over certain lands designated in the following statutes is subject to the cession of jurisdiction granted the United States by such statutes: (a) Statutes of 1854, Chapter 43, concerning Mare Island. (b) Statutes of 1859, Chapter 305, concerning Lime Point Bluff. (c) Statutes of 1861, Chapter 255, concerning land in the Counties of Marin, Mendocino, Humboldt, and Klamath. (d) Statutes of 1867–8, Chapter 76, concerning the site of the United States Mint in San Francisco. (e) Statutes of 1891, Chapter 106, concerning certain park and forest reservations. (f) Statutes of 1906 (Extraordinary Session), Chapter 58, concerning land in San Diego County. (g) Statutes of 1911, Chapter 675, concerning land in Riverside County. (h) Statutes of 1919, Chapter 51, concerning Yosemite National Park, Sequoia National Park, and General Grant National Park. (i) Statutes of 1927, Chapter 207, concerning Lassen Volcanic National Park. (j) Statutes of 1933, Chapter 845, concerning land in Lassen County. (k) Statutes of 1935, Chapter 328, concerning land particularly described therein. ( l ) Statutes of 1935, Chapter 340, concerning land in Solano County, adjacent to Benicia Arsenal Reservation. (m) Statutes of 1935, Chapter 580, concerning Benicia Arsenal Reservation, and adjacent land. (n) Statutes of 1941, Chapter 308, concerning an easement for lighthouse purposes in Ventura County. (o) Statutes of 1942 (Second Extraordinary Session), Chapter 3, concerning Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 112. Section 112.

The State has accepted the retrocession of jurisdiction over certain lands by the following statutes: (a) Statutes of 1935, Chapter 828, concerning the Presidio in the City and County of San Francisco and Fort Baker in Marin County. (b) Statutes of 1941, Chapter 226, concerning the Presidio in the City and County of San Francisco.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 113. Section 113.

The Legislature, acting through the State Lands Commission, hereby consents to the retrocession of jurisdiction by the United States over land within this state upon and subject to each and all of the following express conditions: (a) The United States must in writing have requested state acceptance of the retrocession, and unless there is an officer of the United States empowered by a United States statute to retrocede jurisdiction, the request shall be by the act of Congress. The retrocession may return all jurisdiction to the state or may provide for concurrent jurisdiction. (b) The proposed retrocession is in the best interest of the state. (c) A notice of the proposed retrocession has been given to the clerk for the board of supervisors of each county in which the federal lands are located at least 15 days before the proposed retrocession is considered by the State Lands Commission. (d) The United States has agreed to bear all costs and expenses incurred by the State Lands Commission in making the retrocession. (e) The acceptance of the retrocession shall be made at a publicly noticed meeting of the State Lands Commission. The determination of the State Lands Commission shall be final and the retrocession of jurisdiction accepted shall become effective when certified copies of its orders or resolutions have been recorded in the office of the county recorder of each county in which any part of the land is situated. The State Lands Commission shall keep copies of its orders or resolutions and make them available to the public upon request.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 115. Section 115.

All jurisdiction ceded to the United States by this article is limited by the terms of any retrocession of jurisdiction heretofore or hereafter granted by the United States and accepted by the State.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 118. Section 118.

The State consents to the use by the United States of the territorial waters of the State adjacent to any land on the coast of the State now or hereafter owned by or under the control of the United States, and occupied for military purposes, in connection with conducting target practice operations of any type on the land. Before any of the waters are used in connection with conducting target practice operations of any type the United States shall take all appropriate measures and shall make and publish necessary regulations for the protection of the person and property of all persons using the waters. The use herein consented to shall not be so exercised as to interfere unreasonably with the public use of the waters. This section shall not be construed to impose any liability whatsoever upon the State in connection with the use of the waters as herein set forth.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 119. Section 119.

Exclusive jurisdiction shall be and the same is hereby ceded to the United States over and within all of the territory which is now or may hereafter be included in those several tracts of land in the State of California set aside and dedicated for park purposes by the United States as “Kings Canyon National Park”; saving however to the State of California the right to serve civil or criminal process within the limits of the aforesaid park in suits or prosecutions for or on account of rights acquired, obligations incurred, or crimes committed in said State outside of said park; and saving further to the said State the right to tax persons and corporations, their franchises and property on the lands included in said park, and the right to fix and collect license fees for fishing in said park; and saving also to the persons residing in said park now or hereafter the right to vote at all elections held within the county or counties in which said park is situate. The jurisdiction granted by this section shall not vest until the United States through the proper officer notifies the State of California that it assumes police jurisdiction over said park.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 126. Section 126.

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, general or special, the Legislature of California, acting through the State Lands Commission, hereby cedes concurrent criminal jurisdiction to the United States within lands identified and held by the United States upon and subject to each and all of the following express limitations, conditions, and reservations, in addition to any other limitations, conditions, or reservations prescribed by law: (1) Before making a cession, the State Lands Commission shall make the following findings: (A) The United States has requested in writing the state to cede concurrent criminal jurisdiction within the identified lands. (B) The lands are held by the United States for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dockyards, and other needful buildings within the purview of clause 17 of Section 8 of Article I of the United States Constitution, or for any other federal purposes. For purposes of this section, lands held by the United States are defined as: (i) lands acquired in fee by purchase or condemnation, (ii) lands owned by the United States that are included in the military reservation by presidential proclamation or act of Congress, (iii) any other lands owned by the United States, including, but not limited to, public domain lands that are held for a public purpose, and (iv) leaseholds acquired by the United States over private lands or state-owned lands that are held for a public purpose. (C) The cession is made pursuant to and in compliance with the laws of the United States. (D) A notice of the proposed cession has been given to the clerk for the board of supervisors of the county in which the federal lands are located at least 15 days before the proposed cession. (E) The proposed cession is in the best interests of the State of California. (F) The United States has agreed to bear all costs and expenses incurred by the State Lands Commission in making the cession. (2) The cession shall continue only so long as the lands are owned by the United States and used for the purposes for which jurisdiction is ceded or for 10 years, whichever period is less. (3) The cession shall be made at a publicly noticed meeting of the State Lands Commission. The cession shall vest when the State Lands Commission has received notice of the United States’ acceptance of the cession and certified copies of the State Lands Commission’s orders or resolutions making the findings described in paragraph (1) have been recorded in the office of the county recorder of each county in which any part of the land is situated. The State Lands Commission shall keep copies of its orders or resolutions in its records and make them available to the public upon request. (b) In ceding concurrent criminal jurisdiction, the Legislature and the state reserve jurisdiction over the land, water, and use of water with full power to control and regulate the acquisition, use, control, and distribution of water with respect to the land affected by the cession.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 127. Section 127.

In addition to other records maintained by the State Lands Commission, the commission shall prepare and maintain an adequate index or record of documents with description of the lands over which the United States acquired jurisdiction pursuant to Section 126 of this code or pursuant to any prior state law. Said index shall record the degree of jurisdiction obtained by the United States for each acquisition.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026