Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30100. Section 30100.
Unless the context otherwise requires, the definitions in this chapter govern the interpretation of this division.
CHAPTER 2. Definitions [30100. - 30122.]
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC 2.
in effectCal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30100.2. Section 30100.2.
“Aquaculture” means a form of agriculture as defined in Section 17 of the Fish and Game Code. Aquaculture products are agricultural products, and aquaculture facilities and land uses shall be treated as agricultural facilities and land uses in all planning and permit-issuing decisions governed by this division.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30100.5. Section 30100.5.
“Coastal county” means a county or city and county which lies, in whole or in part, within the coastal zone.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30101. Section 30101.
“Coastal-dependent development or use” means any development or use which requires a site on, or adjacent to, the sea to be able to function at all.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30101.3. Section 30101.3.
“Coastal-related development” means any use that is dependent on a coastal-dependent development or use.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30101.5. Section 30101.5.
“Coastal development permit” means a permit for any development within the coastal zone that is required pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 30600.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30102. Section 30102.
“Coastal plan” means the California Coastal Zone Conservation Plan prepared and adopted by the California Coastal Zone Conservation Commission and submitted to the Governor and the Legislature on December 1, 1975, pursuant to the California Coastal Zone Conservation Act of 1972 (commencing with Section 27000).
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30103. Section 30103.
(a)
“Coastal zone” means that land and water area of the State of California from the Oregon border to the border of the Republic of Mexico, specified on the maps identified and set forth in Section 17 of Chapter 1330 of the Statutes of 1976, extending seaward to the state’s outer limit of jurisdiction, including all offshore islands, and extending inland generally 1,000 yards from the mean high tide line of the sea. In significant coastal estuarine, habitat, and recreational areas it extends inland to the first major ridgeline paralleling the sea or five miles from the mean high tide line of the sea, whichever is less, and in developed urban areas the zone generally extends inland less than 1,000 yards. The coastal zone does not include the area
of jurisdiction of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, established pursuant to Title 7.2 (commencing with Section 66600) of the Government Code, nor any area contiguous thereto, including any river, stream, tributary, creek, or flood control or drainage channel flowing into such area.
(b)
The commission shall, within 60 days after its first meeting, prepare and adopt a detailed map, on a scale of one inch equals 24,000 inches for the coastal zone and shall file a copy of the map with the county clerk of each coastal county. The purpose of this provision is to provide greater detail than is provided by the maps identified in Section 17 of Chapter 1330 of the Statutes of 1976. The commission may adjust the inland boundary of the coastal zone the minimum landward distance necessary up to a maximum of 100 yards except as otherwise provided in this subdivision, or the minimum distance seaward necessary up to a maximum of
200 yards, to avoid bisecting any single lot or parcel or to conform it to readily identifiable natural or manmade features. Where a landward adjustment is requested by the local government and agreed to by the property owner, the maximum distance shall be 200 yards.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30105. Section 30105.
(a)
“Commission” means the California Coastal Commission. Whenever the term California Coastal Zone Conservation Commission appears in any law, it means the California Coastal Commission.
(b)
“Regional commission” means any regional coastal commission. Whenever the term regional coastal zone conservation commission appears in any law, it means the regional coastal commission.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30105.5. Section 30105.5.
“Cumulatively” or “cumulative effect” means the incremental effects of an individual project shall be reviewed in connection with the effects of past projects, the effects of other current projects, and the effects of probable future projects.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30106. Section 30106.
“Development” means, on land, in or under water, the placement or erection of any solid material or structure; discharge or disposal of any dredged material or of any gaseous, liquid, solid, or thermal waste; grading, removing, dredging, mining, or extraction of any materials; change in the density or intensity of use of land, including, but not limited to, subdivision pursuant to the Subdivision Map Act (commencing with Section 66410 of the Government Code), and any other division of land, including lot splits, except where the land division is brought about in connection with the purchase of such land by a public agency for public recreational use; change in the intensity of use of water, or of access thereto; construction, reconstruction, demolition, or alteration of the size of any structure, including any facility of any private, public, or municipal utility; and the removal or harvesting of major vegetation other than for agricultural purposes, kelp harvesting, and timber operations which are in accordance with a timber harvesting plan submitted pursuant to the provisions of the Z'berg-Nejedly Forest Practice Act of 1973 (commencing with Section 4511).
As used in this section, “structure” includes, but is not limited to, any building, road, pipe, flume, conduit, siphon, aqueduct, telephone line, and electrical power transmission and distribution line.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30107. Section 30107.
“Energy facility” means any public or private processing, producing, generating, storing, transmitting, or recovering facility for electricity, natural gas, petroleum, coal, or other source of energy.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30107.3. Section 30107.3.
(a)
“Environmental justice” means the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of people of all races, cultures, incomes, and national origins, with respect to the development, adoption, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.
(b)
“Environmental justice” includes, but is not limited to, all of the following:
(1)
The availability of a healthy environment for all people.
(2)
The deterrence, reduction, and elimination of pollution burdens for populations and communities experiencing the adverse effects of that pollution, so that the effects of the pollution are not disproportionately borne by those populations and communities.
(3)
Governmental entities engaging and providing technical assistance to populations and communities most impacted by pollution to promote their meaningful participation in all phases of the environmental and land use decisionmaking process.
(4)
At a minimum, the meaningful consideration of recommendations from populations and communities most
impacted by pollution into environmental and land use decisions.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30107.5. Section 30107.5.
“Environmentally sensitive area” means any area in which plant or animal life or their habitats are either rare or especially valuable because of their special nature or role in an ecosystem and which could be easily disturbed or degraded by human activities and developments.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30108. Section 30108.
“Feasible” means capable of being accomplished in a successful manner within a reasonable period of time, taking into account economic, environmental, social, and technological factors.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30108.2. Section 30108.2.
“Fill” means earth or any other substance or material, including pilings placed for the purposes of erecting structures thereon, placed in a submerged area.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30108.4. Section 30108.4.
“Implementing actions” means the ordinances, regulations, or programs which implement either the provisions of the certified local coastal program or the policies of this division and which are submitted pursuant to Section 30502.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30108.5. Section 30108.5.
“Land use plan” means the relevant portions of a local government’s general plan, or local coastal element which are sufficiently detailed to indicate the kinds, location, and intensity of land uses, the applicable resource protection and development policies and, where necessary, a listing of implementing actions.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30108.6. Section 30108.6.
“Local coastal program” means a local government’s (a) land use plans, (b) zoning ordinances, (c) zoning district maps, and (d) within sensitive coastal resources areas, other implementing actions, which, when taken together, meet the requirements of, and implement the provisions and policies of, this division at the local level.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30108.55. Section 30108.55.
“Local coastal element” is that portion of a general plan applicable to the coastal zone which may be prepared by local government pursuant to this division, or any additional elements of the local government’s general plan prepared pursuant to Section 65303 of the Government Code, as the local government deems appropriate.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30109. Section 30109.
“Local government” means any chartered or general law city, chartered or general law county, or any city and county.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30110. Section 30110.
“Permit” means any license, certificate, approval, or other entitlement for use granted or denied by any public agency which is subject to the provisions of this division.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30111. Section 30111.
“Person” means any individual, organization, partnership, limited liability company, or other business association or corporation, including any utility, and any federal, state, local government, or special district or an agency thereof.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30112. Section 30112.
“Port governing body” means the Board of Harbor Commissioners or Board of Port Commissioners which has authority over the Ports of Hueneme, Long Beach, Los Angeles, and San Diego Unified Port District.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30113. Section 30113.
“Prime agricultural land” means those lands defined in paragraph (1), (2), (3), or (4) of subdivision (c) of Section 51201 of the Government Code.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30114. Section 30114.
“Public works” means the following:
(a)
All production, storage, transmission, and recovery facilities for water, sewerage, telephone, and other similar utilities owned or operated by any public agency or by any utility subject to the jurisdiction of the Public Utilities Commission, except for energy facilities.
(b)
All public transportation facilities, including streets, roads, highways, public parking lots and structures, ports, harbors, airports, railroads, and mass transit facilities and stations, bridges, trolley wires, and other related facilities. For purposes of this division, neither the Ports of Hueneme, Long Beach, Los Angeles, nor San Diego Unified Port District nor any of the developments within these ports shall be considered public works.
(c)
All publicly financed recreational facilities, all projects of the State Coastal Conservancy, and any development by a special district.
(d)
All community college facilities.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30114.5. Section 30114.5.
“Residential development project” means a multifamily housing project that consists exclusively of residential uses and includes four or more units.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30115. Section 30115.
“Sea” means the Pacific Ocean and all harbors, bays, channels, estuaries, salt marshes, sloughs, and other areas subject to tidal action through any connection with the Pacific Ocean, excluding nonestuarine rivers, streams, tributaries, creeks, and flood control and drainage channels. “Sea” does not include the area of jurisdiction of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, established pursuant to Title 7.2 (commencing with Section 66600) of the Government Code, including any river, stream, tributary, creek, or flood control or drainage channel flowing directly or indirectly into such area.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30116. Section 30116.
“Sensitive coastal resource areas” means those identifiable and geographically bounded land and water areas within the coastal zone of vital interest and sensitivity. “Sensitive coastal resource areas” include the following:
(a)
Special marine and land habitat areas, wetlands, lagoons, and estuaries as mapped and designated in Part 4 of the coastal plan.
(b)
Areas possessing significant recreational value.
(c)
Highly scenic areas.
(d)
Archaeological sites referenced in the California Coastline and Recreation Plan or as designated by the State Historic Preservation Officer.
(e)
Special communities or neighborhoods which are significant visitor destination areas.
(f)
Areas that provide existing coastal housing or recreational opportunities for low- and moderate-income persons.
(g)
Areas where divisions of land could substantially impair or restrict coastal access.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30118. Section 30118.
“Special district” means any public agency, other than a local government as defined in this chapter, formed pursuant to general law or special act for the local performance of governmental or proprietary functions within limited boundaries. “Special district” includes, but is not limited to, a county service area, a maintenance district or area, an improvement district or improvement zone, or any other zone or area, formed for the purpose of designating an area within which a property tax rate will be levied to pay for a service or improvement benefiting that area.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30118.5. Section 30118.5.
“Special treatment area” means an identifiable and geographically bounded forested area within the coastal zone that constitutes a significant habitat area, area of special scenic significance, and any land where logging activities could adversely affect a public recreation area or the biological productivity of any wetland, estuary, or stream especially valuable because of its role in a coastal ecosystem.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30119. Section 30119.
“State university” means the University of California and the California State University.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30120. Section 30120.
“Treatment works” shall have the same meaning as set forth in the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251, et seq.) and any other federal act which amends or supplements the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30121. Section 30121.
“Wetland” means lands within the coastal zone which may be covered periodically or permanently with shallow water and include saltwater marshes, freshwater marshes, open or closed brackish water marshes, swamps, mudflats, and fens.
Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 30122. Section 30122.
“Zoning ordinance” means an ordinance authorized by Section 65850 of the Government Code or, in the case of a charter city, a similar ordinance enacted pursuant to the authority of its charter.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026