Internal prototype — noindexed, not linked from public navigation yet.

Cal. GOV § 171

This is the official text of Cal. GOV § 171, part of California’s Government Code — covers the structure and operation of state and local government, including public employment and public records.

Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

Official statutory text

All waters between the mainland and the outermost of the islands, reefs and rocks along and adjacent to the coast of the State of California from which the boundary of the State is measured, and all waters between the islands, reefs and rocks themselves, are declared to be and to have been in the past inland waters of the State. Similarly, all waters within the lines around harbors and across bays, from which the boundary of the State is measured, are declared to be and to have been in the past inland waters of the State. These waters are “waters thereof” within the meaning of that phrase in Section 25 of Article I of the Constitution.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

Need a lawyer in California?

Find a California lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.