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

Section 6407-2 of the Ventura County Ordinance Code is written about as broadly as a construction rule can be. It prohibits building or extending any float, bulkhead, seawall, or structure of any kind whatsoever within the Harbor or Outer Harbor, so the permit requirement reaches a modest addition to an existing dock just as it reaches new construction, and the catch-all phrasing closes off arguments that some particular structure type is exempt. The section also covers dredging and excavating, and it extends to anyone who causes dredging or excavating to be done, which means a waterfront owner who hires a contractor is covered by the prohibition along with the contractor doing the digging.

Two things must happen before any work commences. Plans of the proposed work must be submitted, and a construction permit must be obtained from the necessary outside agencies and from the Director. Because the section names outside agencies alongside the Harbor Director, the Director's approval by itself is not enough where another agency has jurisdiction over the project; the permit trail has to run through every agency the work implicates. The rule is specific to Channel Islands Harbor, the county's only harbor facility, so it does not govern private waterfront elsewhere in unincorporated Ventura County.