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

Under Monterey City Code § 17-44(a), berthing a dinghy or other vessel on the City's owned and operated docks is by permit only, issued by the Harbormaster, with storage fees set by City Council resolution. Eligibility is restricted: only licensees (holders of a Harbor berth or mooring license) or their authorized sub-licensees may get a dinghy storage permit, and the dinghy itself must be owned by that licensee or sub-licensee and used to reach their moored vessel, not stored for unrelated purposes. The Harbormaster retains discretion to issue special use permits for other dinghy uses outside that framework.

Transient vessels anchored outside the Harbor can request short-term dinghy space under § 17-44(b), but it is granted only if space is available and only after advance Harbormaster approval and a space assignment; there is no automatic right to a slot. Section 17-44(c) folds in state law: every dinghy kept under a City permit must also comply with California Boating Law registration and safety equipment requirements, so the local permit does not substitute for state vessel registration. Ending the arrangement is not automatic either. Under § 17-44(d), a dinghy permittee must give the Harbormaster 10 days' prior written notice to terminate storage, and City storage charges keep accruing and remain due until that notice is actually received, not from whenever the dinghy was last used.

This dock-permit scheme sits inside Chapter 17's broader Harbor licensing system: dinghy permits are an adjunct to a berth or mooring license, not a freestanding way to secure dock space, and the landfill-area public dock nearby (§ 17-48) is governed by its own separate 30-minute loading limit rather than this permit process.