SECTIONS 160-172 - California Statutes

GOVERNMENT CODE

SECTION 160-172

160. The line run and marked by the United States Government under
the Act of June 10, 1872, 17 Stat. 358 (1872) from the southern
boundary of the State of Oregon to the 39th degree of north latitude
and the line established and marked by the United States coast and
geodetic survey, as completed in 1900, extending southeastward from
the intersection of the 39th degree of north latitude with the 120th
degree of longitude west from Greenwich to the Colorado River
comprise the legal eastern boundary line of the state from the Oregon
boundary to the Colorado River, and shall be so considered by the
courts of the state.

170. To give greater precision to the boundary of the State of
California as defined in Article XXI of the Constitution, it is
hereby declared that the part of the boundary which is described as
"running in a northwesterly direction and following the direction of
the Pacific Coast to the forty-second degree of north latitude," and
as "including all the islands, harbors, and bays along and adjacent
to the coast," runs and has in the past run three English nautical
miles oceanward of lines drawn along the outer sides of the outermost
of the islands, reefs and rocks along and adjacent to the mainland
and across intervening waters; and where there are harbors, but no
such outlying islands, reefs and rocks, it runs and in the past has
run three English nautical miles oceanward of lines drawn in front of
the harbors along the outermost works and installations thereof,
and, in the case of all bays (including inlets and estuaries) three
English nautical miles from lines drawn from headland to headland
across the mouth of each bay, inlet and estuary, regardless of the
length of the lines.
Where there are no outlying islands, reefs or rocks and no harbors
or bays or inlets or estuaries, the boundary runs and has in the
past run three English nautical miles oceanward of the lowest
low-water mark on the shore.

171. 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.

172. The reference in Section 1 of Article XV of the Constitution
to "the navigable waters of this State," the reference in Section 2
of the same article to "a harbor, bay, inlet, estuary, or other
navigable water in this State," and the reference in Section 3 of the
same article to "the waters of any harbor, estuary, bay or inlet
used for the purposes of navigation," are declared to include and to
have included in the past all of the waters within lines drawn from
headland to headland across the mouth of each of the bays, inlets and
estuaries along the coast of the mainland and along the coast of and
across the waters between the islands of the State, regardless of
the length of such lines, such waters being inland waters of the
State.