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Local Restrictions on Personal Watercraft and/or Two-Stroke Engines
State law allows local public agencies to regulate boating in certain categories: Three of those apply here and are listed below:
- Speed Zone
- Special-use Areas
- Sanitation and Pollution Control
A special-use area is all or a portion of a waterway that is set aside for specified activities to the exclusion of other incompatible uses or activities. Below is a list of waterways with local personal watercraft (PWC) or two-stroke bans or restrictions: NOTE: Many of these restrictions were passed because of conflicts between PWC and other boating activities, before the advent of the environmental issues with two-stroke engines. In addition, there are many other lakes (not listed here) where boating of one type or another has never been allowed.
| Agency/Waterway | Type | Effective Date |
|---|---|---|
| Anderson and Calero Reservoirs, Santa Clara Valley Water District - Allow PWCs that meet CA Air Resources Board 2001 standards. May implement further restrictions if any gas-related chemical contamination detected in periodic water sampling. | 3 | July 2004 |
| Anderson Reservoir -170 watercraft per day allowed. Calero Reservoir - 60 to 70 watercraft per day allowed. Coyote Reservoir -1 watercraft per six surface acres (Santa Clara Valley Water District Reservoirs) | 3 | Aug. 2004 |
| Bass Lake, County of Madera – Area set aside for PWC. | 1, 2 | June 1995 |
| Canyon Lake, County of Riverside – No PWC. | 2 | June 1991 |
| City of Carlsbad – PWC restricted on part of Agua Hedionda Lagoon. | 1, 2 | May 1994 |
| City of Los Angeles – Pier 300 shallow water habitat. No PWC. | 2 | April 1993 |
| City of Pacifica – No PWC on specified ocean beaches. | 2 | April 1990 |
| City and County of San Francisco – No PWC within 1,200 ft. from shoreline (with exceptions). | 2 | Oct. 1998 |
| City of Sausalito – No PWC launching or retrieving. | 2 | April 1994 |
| Collins Lake Recreation Area, Collins Lake (private) – No PWC. | 2 | May 1991 |
| County of Marin, All Waterways – No PWC. | 2 | Nov. 1999 |
| County of Santa Cruz – PWC prohibited within 300 yds. of shore, except to launch or land. | 2 | June 1990 |
| Coyote Lake – Max. 35 PWC per day. From May 1-June 1, powerboats allowed with receipt issued within past 2 days from any of 5 area stations selling non-MTBE gas. | 3 | May 2000 |
| Diamond Valley Lake and Lake Skinner - No PWC. Only engines that are 4-stroke, 2-stroke equipped with direct fuel-injection or 2-stroke engines that comply with 2001 or later CA Air Resources Board emissions standards and use MTBE-free fuel. ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS | 3 | June 2003 |
| Donner Lake, Town of Truckee –- Prohibition of high emission two-stroke engines only if water fails to meet State drinking water standards. | 3 | July 1999 |
| Farallones National Marine Sanctuary – No PWC off Sonoma and Marin County coasts, from Bodega Head to Rocky Pt., near Stinson Beach. | Federal | Oct. 2001 |
| Lakes Tahoe, Cascade, Fallen Leaf, and Echo - Dept. of Boating and Waterways and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency – Motorboats must meet 2001 CA Air Resources Board emissions standard. (Carbureted and NON-direct fuel injection engines prohibited) | 2 | June 1999 |
| Los Vaqueros Reservoir, Contra Costa Water District – All motorboats are prohibited. | 3 | Aug. 1998 |
| Mission Bay, City of San Diego – Area set aside for PWC. | 2 | July 1988 |
| Modesto Reservoir, County of Stanislaus – Two-stroke vessels allowed only with MTBE-free fuel. | 3 | Mar. 2000 |
| Monterey Marine Sanctuary – Restricted Use of PWC | Federal | July 1996 |
| Pine Crest Lake, County of Tuolumne – No PWC. | 2 | Mar 1990 |
| Point Reyes National Seashore and Golden Gate National Recreation Area, National Park Service – No PWC. | Federal | April 2000 |
| Scotts Flat Lake, County of Nevada – No PWC. | 2 | Sept. 2004 |
| Seal Slough (Marina Lagoon), City of San Mateo – No PWC. | 2 | July 1988 |
| San Pablo Reservoir, East Bay Municipal Utilities District – (a) Only four-strokes or equivalent emission level allowed. | 3 | Jan. 2000 |
| Whiskeytown Lake, National Park Service -No PWC | Federal | April 2002 |