Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a law that makes it easier for beachgoers to assert their right to access all of 1,100 miles of California’s coast. Under the California Constitution, all of California’s beaches are “owned” by the public.¹CA Const., art X, sec 4:”tidal lands” means up to the average high tide This means that nobody may deny access to this area, although many beachfront property owners have done so illegally for years.

The new law gives the agency responsible for enforcing this access, the California Coastal Commission, the right to impose fines on those who block the public’s access to the beaches.  The fines may be up to $11,250 per day, but those cited have 30 days may avoid paying the fines by correcting violations within 30 days.

You can report violations to the commission by calling:

South Central Coast
For Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties,
and the Malibu portion of Los Angeles County
(805) 585-1800

South Coast
For Los Angeles (except Malibu) and Orange Counties
(562) 590-5071

For more on this story, see the related LA Times article.

For more key laws related to beach activities, see our Beachgoers page.