Alameda, CA Environmental Rules: Boat Dock Permits (2026)

Article XII of Chapter XIII, "Floating Homes and Floating Home Moorages," governs dock and moorage construction for the City's floating home communities. 9 requires a building permit from the Building Official for the construction, alteration, repair, improvement or demolition of any floating home moorage structure or facility, expressly including flotation devices, ramps, floats or docks, and a separate permit for moving or relocating a floating home. 10 layers on additional permits from the Building Official or Superintendent of the Electrical Department for plumbing, drainage, sewer connection, heating, ventilating and electrical work tied to those same dock and moorage facilities.

13: floating homes must be berthed in a marina, harbor or similar facility on privately owned or privately controlled property, and moorages cannot sit in any waterway, fairway, or the public waters of a street or street end. 14 requires the owner to submit three copies of a scaled, fully dimensioned site plan showing the moorage boundaries, abutting public waterways, private waterway and land access, individual home sites, off-street parking, walkways, water service, fire protection, electrical service and the sewage system; the Building Official routes the plan to the Fire Chief, Health Officer and City Engineer for review, and no change to an approved plan is allowed without their combined sign-off.

15(m) requires ten feet of clearance between floating homes and between a floating home and any dock, building or other moorage structure, with only a two-foot eave or roof-deck encroachment allowed.