33 U.S.C. § 59h (2024)

This is the official text of 33 U.S.C. § 59h (2024), part of Federal (US Code)’s United States Code — the codified general and permanent federal statutes of the United States, organized into more than 50 numbered titles by subject.

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San Francisco, California, Waterfront Area

Official statutory text

(a) Area to be declared nonnavigable

The following area is declared to be nonnavigable waters of the United States: All of that portion of the City and County of San Francisco, California, lying shoreward of a line beginning at the intersection of the southerly right of way line of Earl Street prolongation with the Pierhead United States Government Pierhead line, the Pierhead line as defined in the State of California Harbor and Navigation Code Section 1770, as amended in 1961; thence northerly along said Pierhead line to its intersection with a line parallel with and distant 10 feet easterly from, the existing easterly boundary line of Pier 30–32; thence northerly along said parallel line and its northerly prolongation, to a point of intersection with a line parallel with, and distant 10 feet northerly from, the existing northerly boundary of Pier 30–32; thence westerly along last said parallel line to its intersection with said Pierhead line; thence northerly along said Pierhead line, to the intersection of the easterly right of way line of Van Ness Avenue, formerly Marlette Street, prolongation to the Pierhead line.

(b) Requirement that area be improved

The declaration of nonnavigability under subsection (a) applies only to those parts of the area described in subsection (a) that are or will be bulkheaded, filled, or otherwise occupied or covered by permanent structures and does not affect the applicability of any Federal statute or regulation that relates to filling of navigable waters or to other regulated activities within the area described in subsection (a), including sections 401 and 403 of this title, section 1344 of this title, and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 [42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.].
otherwise occupied or covered by permanent structures and does not affect the applicability of any Federal statute or regulation that relates to filling of navigable waters or to other regulated activities within the area described in subsection (a), including sections 401 and 403 of this title, section 1344 of this title, and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 [42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.].

(c) Inclusion of Embarcadero Historic District

Congress finds and declares that the area described in subsection (a) contains the seawall, piers, and wharves that comprise the Embarcadero Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 12, 2006.

(Pub. L. 90–483, title I, §114, Aug. 13, 1968, 82 Stat. 736; Pub. L. 116–260, div. AA, title III, §316(a), Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 2706.)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, referred to in subsec. (b), is Pub. L. 91–190, Jan. 1, 1970, 83 Stat. 852, which is classified generally to chapter 55 (§4321 et seq.) of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 4321 of Title 42 and Tables.

Amendments

2020—Pub. L. 116–260 amended section generally. Prior to amendment, section related to Northern Embarcadero area, San Francisco, California.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

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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.