2026 marks 50 years since the California Coastal Act took effect — see what's happening
California Coastal Act · Est. 1976
50 years of protecting the coast that belongs to everyone
The California Coastal Act is the state law that keeps California's shoreline public, healthy, and open for everyone, not just for the people who live at the beach. Here's where it came from, how it works today, and how you can help defend it.
History
How Californians voted to save their own coast
By the late 1960s, unchecked development, oil drilling, and private gatekeeping were closing off California's beaches and damaging coastal habitat. The response of voters back then is what allows us to go to the beach now.
1969
The Santa Barbara oil spill spills roughly three million gallons of crude into the Santa Barbara Channel, galvanizing a statewide movement to protect the coast from unregulated industrial and residential development.
1972
Citizens organize the "Save Our Coast" campaign and place Proposition 20, the Coastal Zone Conservation Act initiative, on the November ballot. Voters approve it, creating a temporary state Coastal Commission and six regional commissions charged with writing a long-term coastal management plan.
1976
The California Legislature enacts the California Coastal Act of 1976 (Public Resources Code Division 20, beginning at § 30000), making the Coastal Commission and its coastal-protection mandate permanent. The Act sets out the state's coastal management policies and remains the primary law governing development in the coastal zone today.
1976–present
The Coastal Act has been amended by the Legislature many times since 1976 (for example, the Legislature added the state's Local Coastal Program certification framework and later provisions addressing sea-level rise and environmental justice), but its core findings and permitting structure remain in place.
2026
The Coastal Act turns 50. The Coastal Commission, legislators, and coastal advocacy groups — including Surfrider — are marking the anniversary and pushing to defend and expand what the law protects. More below.
What the law actually says
The Legislature's own findings, still codified at Public Resources Code § 30001, describe the coastal zone as "a distinct and valuable natural resource of vital and enduring interest to all the people" and declare that its permanent protection "is a paramount concern to present and future residents of the state."
How It Applies Today
What the Coastal Act actually does
The Act is the operating rulebook for nearly every project built along the California coast, from a seawall to a subdivision.
The coastal zone
The Act governs a defined "coastal zone" running roughly three miles out to sea and inland anywhere from a few blocks in urban areas to about five miles in some rural areas, covering about 1.5 million acres and roughly 1,100 miles of mainland and island shoreline.
Coastal Development Permits
Most new construction, demolition, or major land-use change within the coastal zone needs a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) before work can begin. A CDP review checks a project against the Act's standards for public access, habitat, water quality, and coastal views.
Local Coastal Programs
Cities and counties can write their own Local Coastal Program (LCP), a coastal land-use plan that must be certified by the Coastal Commission as consistent with the Act. Once certified, most day-to-day permitting shifts to the local government, with the Commission retaining appeal authority.
What the Act protects
Chapter 3 of the Act (Pub. Res. Code §§ 30200–30265.5) lays out specific policies for: public access to and along the shoreline; recreation; environmentally sensitive habitat such as wetlands; water quality; agricultural land; scenic and visual resources; coastal-dependent development and ports; and geologic hazards, including bluff and beach erosion.
The Act in the news
In May 2026, the U.S. Department of Commerce directed NOAA to open a formal review of California's Coastal Management Program under the Coastal Zone Management Act (16 U.S.C. § 1458) — the same "federal consistency" authority that lets the Coastal Commission object to federal projects in the coastal zone, including offshore drilling leases and military or commercial rocket launches. The review follows the Commission's rejection of a proposed expansion of SpaceX launches at Vandenberg Space Force Base and a subsequent federal directive to examine California's coastal review authority. NOAA has been accepting public comment, with a written-comment deadline of August 22, 2026, 11:59 p.m. PT; a negative finding could put federal funding tied to the state's coastal program at risk.
50th Anniversary · 2026
Half a century of coastal protection, by the numbers
2,500+
public accessways and easements created statewide
Source: Calif. Coastal Commission, 2026 fact sheet
875 mi.
of the California Coastal Trail opened to the public
Source: Calif. Coastal Commission, 2026 fact sheet
100,000+
acres of coastal habitat restored
Source: Calif. Coastal Commission, 2026 fact sheet
$2B+
invested in coastal conservation, restoration & climate resilience
Source: Calif. Coastal Commission, 2026 fact sheet
26M lbs.
of trash removed by ~2 million Coastal Cleanup Day volunteers
Source: Calif. Coastal Commission, 2026 fact sheet
$51B
estimated value of California's ocean-based economy
Source: Calif. Coastal Commission, 2026 fact sheet
Get Involved
The Coast needs you to show up
The California Coastal Commission meets roughly monthly and votes on around 1,000 coastal development items a year, ranging from small home remodels to large-scale developments with statewide implications. Commission decisions are made by twelve appointed and elected commissioners, in public, with public comment. Showing up, whether in person, online, or just by tracking the vote, is one of the most direct ways to defend what the Act protects.
Follow the Commission's monthly hearings
The Coastal Commission publishes its meeting calendar and agendas online. Meetings rotate around the state and include dedicated public comment periods on both agenda items and matters not on the agenda.
Track votes through ActCoastal
ActCoastal is a coalition project — Surfrider is a founding partner — that has tracked and published Coastal Commissioners' votes on high-stakes projects since 2002. Its monthly vote charts and annual Commissioner report cards make it possible to see, at a glance, who is voting to protect the coast.
Three ways to plug in this month
Sign up for alerts
Subscribe to ActCoastal's newsletter and blog for advance notice of high-priority items coming before the Commission, plus the member-group social channels tracking the most current coastal issues.
Comment on an item
Written public comment can be submitted on specific agenda items before a hearing; public speaker requests can be submitted in advance for the day of the hearing, and speaker slips are available on-site.
Show up and speak
Bring two or three concise points and a short personal story about how you use the coast. Introduce yourself and your hometown, be respectful of Commission etiquette, and keep it brief — commissioners hear from dozens of speakers per meeting.
Help keep the next 50 years on track
The Coastal Act protects the coast because Californians keep showing up for it. Join Surfrider California, follow ActCoastal, and make your voice part of the record.