CHAPTER 1. Private Wharves and Piers [4000. - 4017.]

Cal. Harbors and Navigation Code - HNC 1.

in effect

Cal. Harbors and Navigation Code - HNC § 4000. Section 4000.

The board of supervisors of any county may, upon approval of the Public Utilities Commission, grant authority to any person to construct a wharf, chute, or pier, on any lands bordering on any navigable bay, lake, inlet, creek, slough, or arm of the sea, situated in or bounding the county, with a license to take tolls for its use for the term of 20 years.

Cal. Harbors and Navigation Code - HNC § 4001. Section 4001.

The board of supervisors of each county may upon approval of the Department of Finance through the Chief of the Division of State Lands, grant authority to any city, county or person, to construct a wharf for recreational, pleasure or boating purposes, on any lands bordering the seashore other than lands referred to in section 4000, situated in or bounding the county, with a license to take tolls for its use for a term of twenty years.

Cal. Harbors and Navigation Code - HNC § 4002. Section 4002.

Application for such authority is made by publishing notice as required in the next section, and by filing a petition in writing, containing: (a) The name and residence of the applicant; and if a corporation, a certified copy of the articles of incorporation. (b) A map of the waters, and the name and location thereof, and of the adjoining lands. (c) A plan of the wharf or chute proposed to be constructed, and of the land within three hundred feet thereof. (d) The names of the owners of the lands, and the quantity sought to be used, and whether the right to use it has been or is to be acquired by the applicant. (e) The distance it is proposed to extend the wharf or chute into the waters. (f) The estimated cost of the construction of the wharf or chute. (g) The time when the application will be made.

Cal. Harbors and Navigation Code - HNC § 4003. Section 4003.

Each applicant shall publish a notice in at least one newspaper in each county which the wharf or chute touches, and in which it is located or which it will touch or in which it will be located. If there is no newspaper located in the county, then publication shall be made in a newspaper published in an adjoining county and notices shall be posted in three public places in the proper counties for four successive weeks. The notices shall specify the proposed location of the wharf or chute and shall also state the time and place at which the application will be made.

Cal. Harbors and Navigation Code - HNC § 4004. Section 4004.

When any lands sought to be appropriated and used for a wharf or chute are not owned by the applicant or if a right of way and use has not been obtained by agreement, these facts and the particular description of the land shall be set forth in the petition of the applicant, and a copy of the notice of application shall be served on the owner by the sheriff of the county, at least ten days prior to the day set for the hearing. The sheriff’s official return is conclusive evidence of service.

Cal. Harbors and Navigation Code - HNC § 4005. Section 4005.

If the owner of the land is a nonresident of the county, the sheriff may make service by leaving a copy of the notice of application with the occupant, or agent of the owner. If there is no occupant, or agent of the owner, the sheriff may place a copy in the post office addressed to the owner 30 days prior to the day set for the hearing. If the owner is a minor, has a mental health disorder, lacks mental capacity, or is a decedent, notice shall be served on the owner’s guardian, administrator, or other legal representative.

Cal. Harbors and Navigation Code - HNC § 4006. Section 4006.

On the day named in the notice, or to which the hearing is adjourned, the board shall hear proof of the publication and service of notice. If the proof is satisfactory, the board shall hear the allegations of the petition and any objections to the granting of the application, and proofs in support of each. If from the proofs it appears that the public good or convenience will be promoted thereby, the board may grant to the applicant the right to erect or construct a wharf or chute as prayed for, and to take tolls for its use for the term of twenty years.

Cal. Harbors and Navigation Code - HNC § 4007. Section 4007.

The grant conveys to the grantee or applicant the right of way and all necessary use, for the purposes of the wharf or chute, of any of the overflowed, submerged, or tidelands belonging to the State, and a right of way over any swamp, overflowed, marsh, or tidelands lying between the wharf or chute and high or dry land, fifty feet in width, for twenty years. The grant shall particularly describe the extent of the property subject to the right of way.

Cal. Harbors and Navigation Code - HNC § 4008. Section 4008.

The grant carries with it the right to have unencumbered and unobstructed the land and water on each side of the wharf or chute from high-water mark to navigable water, for a distance of one hundred and fifty feet, for the convenience of landing, loading, and unloading vessels, but for no other purpose.

Cal. Harbors and Navigation Code - HNC § 4009. Section 4009.

After authority to construct a wharf or chute has been granted, until the grantee has procured from the owner the right-of-way and other necessary incidental uses of any lands necessary for the wharf or chute, there is no authority to construct a wharf or chute or to take tolls thereon.

Cal. Harbors and Navigation Code - HNC § 4010. Section 4010.

The wharf or chute shall not be of a greater width than seventy-five feet, and it may extend to navigable water. A wharf constructed upon any of the navigable rivers, straits, sloughs, and inlets in this State may extend along the shores for a distance not exceeding one thousand feet if it does not obstruct the free navigation of the water on which it is situated. This section does not apply to the water fronts of incorporated cities or towns.

Cal. Harbors and Navigation Code - HNC § 4011. Section 4011.

The orders granting authority, and agreements, contracts, deeds, and decrees of courts granting the right of way and other use of lands, shall be filed and recorded in the office of the recorder of the county in which the wharf or chute is situated, and constitutes the franchise of the applicant. The fees of the recorder, as also the fees of the clerk, sheriff, and other officers, for services rendered, shall be paid by the applicant.

Cal. Harbors and Navigation Code - HNC § 4012. Section 4012.

The board shall annually fix the rate of tolls or wharfage for the use of the wharf or chute, to produce an income of not less than fifteen nor more than twenty-five per cent per annum on the fair cash value of the wharf or chute, and on the cost of its repair and maintenance, exclusive of the amount paid for the license required by this chapter. The value, and the cost of repair and maintenance shall be fixed by the board when fixing the rates of tolls or wharfage, by hearing evidence and examining the assessment rolls of the county. When fixed, the rates shall be furnished the owner, and a printed or written copy conspicuously posted on the wharf or chute.

Cal. Harbors and Navigation Code - HNC § 4013. Section 4013.

When the wharf or chute is completed and the tolls or wharfage fixed, the owner is entitled to a license to take tolls for the term of one year. The license shall be issued by the county auditor on the payment of such license tax as the board may fix, which tax, except for the first year, shall not be more than ten per cent of the gross receipts for tolls or wharfage for the previous year. The fee shall be paid to the county treasury for general road purposes.

Cal. Harbors and Navigation Code - HNC § 4014. Section 4014.

An owner or keeper of a wharf or chute who takes toll or wharfage for its use forfeits the sum of twenty-five dollars, and is liable for all damage occasioned, if he fails to keep it in good repair, or if it is unsafe or dangerous. The penalty may be recovered by order of the board which granted the authority, for the use of the general road fund of the county.

Cal. Harbors and Navigation Code - HNC § 4015. Section 4015.

Authority shall not be granted under this chapter which will interfere with vested rights, or interfere with or infringe grants made by State authority. Authority to construct a wharf or chute does not continue for a longer period than two years, unless it is completed within that time.

Cal. Harbors and Navigation Code - HNC § 4016. Section 4016.

The lands of the State situated in the city of San Francisco, and those otherwise disposed of or situated within the limits of any incorporated town or city of this State, are excluded from the provisions of this chapter. The municipal authorities of any incorporated city or town other than San Francisco may grant authority to construct wharves or chutes as is herein provided for the boards of supervisors.

Cal. Harbors and Navigation Code - HNC § 4017. Section 4017.

A board of supervisors of a county may grant any railroad corporation authority to construct a wharf on or in front of any lands owned by it bordering on any navigable bay, inlet, lake, creek, slough or arm of the sea situated in or bounding the county, with a license to take tolls for its use for the term of the corporate existence of the railroad corporation, not exceeding fifty years, whenever the board finds the use of the wharf or pier is necessary to the exercise of the franchise of the railroad corporation for terminal purposes. The authority may be granted without offering it for sale. Nothing contained in this chapter shall be construed to limit the powers of a board to grant the right to railroad corporations to build and construct for terminal purposes on and in front of any land owned by it a wharf of the width necessary for the carrying on of the business of such railroad at such terminal. The wharf may extend to the length that may be desirable, not exceeding one thousand feet, if it does not prevent navigation. There is excluded from the operation of this section any and all territory and property under the jurisdiction or control of any incorporated city or town or any board of State harbor commissioners. All of the provisions of this chapter not in conflict with anything in this section contained are applicable to all proceedings under this section.

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