Los Angeles County, CA Environmental Rules: Boat Dock Permits (2026)

Section 22.16.030 governs land use in five zones: A-1 (Light Agricultural), A-2 (Heavy Agricultural), O-S (Open Space), R-R (Resort and Recreation), and W (Watershed). Table 22.16.030-A defines the permit codes the table uses: P for permitted, SPR for Ministerial Site Plan Review under Chapter 22.186, MCUP for a Minor Conditional Use Permit under Chapter 22.160, CUP for a Conditional Use Permit under Chapter 22.158, and a dash for not permitted.

In Table 22.16.030-B, the Recreational Uses category carries one row for marinas, small boat harbors, docks, piers, boat launches, and similar recreational facilities. That row reads not permitted in A-1, not permitted in A-2, CUP in O-S, not permitted in R-R, and not permitted in W. The row carries no footnote and no Additional Regulations reference, so the CUP in Zone O-S is the only path in this table. The Resort and Recreation Zone is described in Section 22.16.010 as providing for outdoor recreation, yet marinas and piers are still not permitted there.

Compare the neighboring row: boat rentals are not permitted in A-1, A-2, O-S, or W, and are allowed by Ministerial Site Plan Review only in R-R, subject to Note 4, a one-acre minimum lot size. A rental operation therefore clears a lighter hurdle than building the water-facing structures themselves.

In Zone O-S, Section 22.16.060.A keeps premises essentially unimproved and prohibits buildings, structures, grading, excavation, fill, or other alterations except for the uses the table lists as permitted or conditionally permitted. Buildings and structures cannot exceed two stories or 35 feet, whichever is less. Inside a significant ecological area, those uses also require a Minor Conditional Use Permit, the site plan goes to SEATAC for review, and the Hearing Officer can approve only after findings that the use is accessory and subordinate to Zone O-S purposes and will not harm the resources that earned the ecological designation. In any discretionary O-S approval, the Commission or Hearing Officer can add conditions such as safety measures, conservation easements, or a delayed start for scientific studies. Section 22.16.040 also ties every lot in these zones to the Division 6 development standards. The section's history line ends with Ord. 2024-0054, enacted in 2024, so the printed text is in force.