Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 500. Section 500.
As used in this chapter, “department” means the Department of Parks and Recreation and “director” means the Director of Parks and Recreation.
ARTICLE 1. Organization and General Powers [500. - 514.]
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC 1.
in effectCal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 501. Section 501.
There is in the Resources Agency, the Department of Parks and Recreation. The department shall be conducted under the control of an executive officer known as the Director of Parks and Recreation. The director shall be appointed by and hold office at the pleasure of the Governor and shall receive an annual salary as provided in Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 11550) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code. The appointment of the director shall be subject to confirmation by the Senate.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 503. Section 503.
The department succeeds to and is vested with all of the duties, powers, purposes, responsibilities, and jurisdiction vested in the Department of Natural Resources or the Director of Natural Resources and exercised by the following divisions of the Department of Natural Resources: Beaches and Parks and Recreation.
Wherever any reference is made to the Department of Natural Resources or to the Director of Natural Resources pertaining to a duty, power, purpose, responsibility or jurisdiction transferred to the Department of Parks and Recreation by this section, it shall be deemed to be a reference to, and to mean, the Department of Parks and Recreation or to the Director of Parks and Recreation, as the case may be.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 504. Section 504.
The department may expend the money in any appropriation or in any special fund in the State Treasury made available by law for the administration of the statutes the administration of which is committed to the department, or for the use, support, or maintenance of any board, bureau, commission, department, office or officer whose duties, powers, and functions have been transferred to and conferred upon the department. Such expenditures by the department shall be made in accordance with law in carrying out the purposes for which the appropriations were made or the special funds created.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 505. Section 505.
The department shall have possession and control of all records, books, papers, offices, equipment, supplies, moneys, funds, appropriations, land and other property, real or personal, held for the benefit or use of all bodies, offices, and officers whose duties, powers, and functions have been transferred to and conferred upon the department.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 506. Section 506.
The provisions of Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 11150), Part 1, Division 3, Title 2 of the Government Code apply to the director. The director may appoint, in accordance with civil service, such deputies, officers, and other employees as may be necessary.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 507. Section 507.
There shall be one Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation who shall be a civil executive officer and shall be appointed by the Governor and serve at the pleasure of the Governor. The compensation of the deputy director shall be fixed by the director pursuant to law. The deputy director shall have such duties as shall be assigned, from time to time, by the director, and he shall be responsible to the director for the performance thereof.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 507.1. Section 507.1.
For the purpose of administration, the director shall organize the department with the approval of the Governor in the manner he deems necessary to segregate and conduct the work of the department properly. With the approval of the Governor, the director may create such divisions and subdivisions as may be necessary and change or abolish them from time to time. The Division of Beaches and Parks and the Division of Recreation are hereby abolished and whenever any reference in any code or statute is made to the Division of Beaches and Parks or the Division of Recreation pertaining to a duty, power, purpose, responsibility or jurisdiction of the Division of Beaches and Parks or the Division of Recreation it shall be deemed to be a reference to and to mean the Department of Parks and Recreation.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 508. Section 508.
The director, with approval of the Director of Finance, may accept on behalf of the department federal grants for the purposes for which the department is established. Such grants shall be deposited in the Special Deposit Fund in the State Treasury provided for by Section 16370 of the Government Code, and may be expended under such terms and conditions as may be required by the federal government.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 508.5. Section 508.5.
Notwithstanding Section 14, or any other provision of law, the City and County of San Francisco shall be considered both a city and a county by the Department of Parks and Recreation for purposes of the allocation of funds pursuant to any provision of this code.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 509. Section 509.
Whenever the department has received and deposited any money in the State Treasury to the credit of the General Fund in an excessive amount or in error, or whenever a refund of all or a portion of such money is due any person, firm, or corporation because of the termination of an agreement or other lawful reason, payment of such refund shall be made upon the filing of a claim by the director with the State Controller. The State Controller shall draw his warrant for payment of the refund from any appropriation made for that purpose.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 510. Section 510.
The department may adopt, alter, change or amend any state master plan of shoreline development.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 511. Section 511.
The department, with the approval of the Department of General Services, may procure insurance on vessels owned or operated by the department against the usual hazards in addition to the special hazards occasioned by the existence of a state of war.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 512. Section 512.
For the purpose of disseminating information relating to its activities, powers, duties, or functions, the department may issue publications, construct and maintain exhibits, and perform such acts and carry on such functions as in the opinion of the director will best tend to disseminate such information.
Such publications may be distributed free of charge to public libraries and to other state departments and state officers. The department may exchange copies with contemporary publications.
All money received by the department from the sale of publications shall be paid into the State Treasury to the credit of the General Fund.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 513. Section 513.
(a)
The department, as a means of furthering the interpretive and educational functions of the state park system, may enter into an agreement to act cooperatively with a nonprofit cooperating association engaged in educational or interpretive work in a state park system unit, as the director may designate, whereby the cooperating association would furnish educational and interpretive materials, or educational and interpretive services, or educational and interpretative materials and services, for sale to the public.
(b)
Pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 5080.02) of Chapter 1.2 of Division 5, a concession may provide materials and
services that are intended to add to the convenience, enjoyment, and safety of state park system visitors. A concession may also provide, pursuant to this section, educational and interpretive materials and services, as described in paragraphs (2) and (3) of subdivision (d), with the approval of the department.
(c)
A cooperating association may provide, pursuant to this section, noneducational and noninterpretive materials and services, as described in paragraph (4) of subdivision (d), or other materials or services that would enhance the visitor experience, as part of its cooperating association program with the approval of the department, if the department is unable to obtain, through a good faith effort, a concessionaire to provide those materials and services.
(d)
For purposes
of this section, the following definitions apply:
(1)
“Cooperating association” means a corporation that meets all of the following criteria:
(A)
The corporation is a nonprofit public benefit corporation, organized pursuant to Part 2 (commencing with Section 5110) of Division 2 of Title 1 of the Corporations Code.
(B)
The articles of incorporation of the corporation state that the specific purpose of the corporation is to provide support for educational and interpretive programs of the state park system, or portions of the programs.
(C)
The corporation has a cooperating association program contract with the department.
(D)
The corporation is in compliance with the department’s policies and guidelines regarding cooperating associations and has obtained the department’s approval for its educational and interpretive materials and services.
(2)
“Educational and interpretive materials” include items that promote visitor appreciation, understanding, and knowledge of natural, cultural, and historic resources of the state park system, including educational and interpretive gifts and souvenirs.
(3)
“Educational and interpretive services” include those activities and programs that focus on natural, cultural, and historic resources of the state park system and are not generally offered by the department.
(4)
“Educational and
interpretive materials and services” do not include lodging, food service, horse and equipment rentals, camping supplies, gifts and souvenirs, other than those described in paragraph (2), transportation, except for equipment owned by the department, recreational lessons, and the operation of specialized facilities within a state park unit such as the theater at Hearst San Simeon State Historic Monument and Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, golf courses, and marinas.
(e)
The department, at its discretion, may provide the services of department personnel and shall provide space, if available, for the sale of cooperating association materials, services, or both, within a state park unit.
(f)
Subject to rules and regulations that the director shall adopt, all moneys collected by the
cooperating association or received by the department from the sale of cooperating association materials, services, or both, provided by a cooperating association shall be retained by or returned to the cooperating association for use in the programs of the state park system unit that the cooperating association has been designated to serve.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 513.1. Section 513.1.
The department may provide space and facilities for schools to use for environmental education purposes within units of the state park system.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 514. Section 514.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this code or of law and except as provided in the State Building Standards Law, Part 2.5 (commencing with Section 18901) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code, on and after January 1, 1980, the department or the director shall not adopt nor publish a building standard as defined in Section 18909 of the Health and Safety Code unless the provisions of Sections 18930, 18933, 18938, 18940, 18943, 18944, and 18945 of the Health and Safety Code are expressly excepted in the statute under which the authority to adopt rules, regulations, or orders is delegated. Any building standard adopted in violation of this section shall have no force or effect. Any building standard adopted before January 1, 1980, pursuant to this code and not expressly excepted by statute from such provisions of the State Building Standards Law shall remain in effect only until January 1, 1985, or until adopted, amended, or superseded by provisions published in the State Building Standards Code, whichever occurs sooner.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026