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

Section 7-223 of the Oxnard Code requires a valid docking permit from the city manager before any vessel is docked adjacent to a vacant lot within the inland waterway. To qualify, no vessel over 50 feet in length is eligible, and the permit is only issued to the owner of the vacant lot or to someone with the owner's written permission to dock there. The permit is personal to the permittee: it is not a covenant running with the land and confers no benefit to heirs, successors or assigns.

Subsection (D) bars a list of activities once a permit is issued, including performing major repairs or engine work on the docked vessel, creating excessive noise, storing engine parts or other paraphernalia on the dock, modifying the dock or lot, parking vehicles or storing anything on the adjacent vacant lot, using the lot in any way not authorized by the zoning ordinance, or creating a nuisance through noise, lights, vibrations, smoke, odor, glare, dust, electrical interference, or pedestrian or vehicular traffic beyond what is customary in a residential area.

Fees for the permit are set by city council resolution rather than fixed in the code (Sec. 7-233). Any violation of the chapter is grounds for the city manager to revoke the permit, but only after the permittee has an opportunity for a hearing (Sec. 7-224). A permittee who wants that hearing must file a request with the city clerk, who refers it to a hearing officer; the hearing officer must mail notice at least ten days ahead, conduct an open, informal hearing, and issue a written decision within 14 days that exhausts administrative remedies (Sec. 7-225 to 7-227). From there, judicial review is available under Cal. 6 (Sec. 7-228).