Rialto, CA Environmental Rules: Coastal Development (2026)

The California Coastal Act, codified at Cal. Public Resources Code §30000 et seq., establishes the Coastal Zone — a strip generally extending from the mean high tide line inland approximately 1,000 yards (and up to 5 miles in some areas) — within which the California Coastal Commission and certified Local Coastal Programs (LCPs) regulate development through Coastal Development Permits (CDPs). The Coastal Zone boundary is defined in PRC §30103 and mapped by the Commission. Rialto sits in the Inland Empire of southern California, approximately 60 air miles inland from the nearest Pacific coastline (Orange County), and lies entirely outside the Coastal Zone. Consequently, no Coastal Development Permit is ever required for development in Rialto, and the city has not adopted (and cannot adopt) a Local Coastal Program — the LCP framework is reserved for cities and counties with Coastal Zone territory. Environmental review of Rialto projects is governed instead by CEQA (PRC §21000 et seq.) and by the city's general plan, zoning code (Title 18), and grading/floodplain rules (Title 15), not the Coastal Act. Wetlands, riparian, and habitat protections inland from the Coastal Zone are handled through CEQA, the federal Clean Water Act §404 (US Army Corps), and California Fish & Game Code §1602 streambed alteration agreements.