Hesperia, CA Environmental Rules: Coastal Development (2026)

The California Coastal Act (Cal. Public Resources Code §30000 et seq.) created the California Coastal Commission and established the coastal zone — a strip generally extending inland 1,000 yards from the mean high tide line (with larger inland extents in significant coastal estuarine, habitat, and recreational areas) and seaward to the state's three-mile limit (Cal. Pub. Res. Code §30103). The coastal zone definition expressly excludes urbanized inland areas and is mapped along California's Pacific shoreline. Hesperia sits in the Mojave Desert, approximately 85 miles inland from Newport Beach and the nearest coastal jurisdictions, at an elevation around 3,200 feet — entirely outside the coastal zone. Coastal Development Permits (Cal. Pub. Res. Code §30600) and Local Coastal Programs (§30500) are therefore inapplicable. Inland development in Hesperia is instead governed by HMC Title 16 (Development Code/Zoning) and standard CEQA review (Cal. Pub. Res. Code §21000 et seq.) for discretionary projects. The closest coastal jurisdictions to Hesperia are along the Orange County and Los Angeles County coasts.