Butte County Municipal Code § 7-7 Dumping debris in water

For the purposes of this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them by this section:

"Aquaplane" shall mean any device including skis used for the transportation of one (1) or more persons upon the surface of the water and which is pulled or towed by any boat, vehicle or other motive power by means of a rope, chain, cable, wire or other connection.

"Boat" shall mean any vessel or watercraft, including, but not confined to any boat, raft, barge, canoe, skiff, dinghy, rowboat, sailboat, sailing vessel, yacht, motorboat, motor vessel, commercial boat, launch and ship.

"Motorboat" shall mean any boat propelled in whole or in part by a motor, engine or mechanical device of any kind except oars or sails, including boats temporarily equipped with detachable outboard motors.

(Ord. No. 643, § 2; Ord. No. 774, § 2; Ord. No. 3941, § 2, 10-24-06)

This chapter shall be applicable to and shall govern all public waters including lakes and rivers or portions thereof situated within the boundaries of the county over which the county has police power jurisdiction, either exclusively or concurrently with the United States or the state, or both, insofar as the provisions of this chapter do not conflict with applicable statutes or regulations of the United States or the state.

(Ord. No. 643, § 1; Ord. No. 774, § 1)

No provision of this chapter except section 7-15 prohibiting the operation of a boat while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or narcotic drugs shall be construed to prohibit or restrict the operation of any boat actually competing in a race or regatta over a marked racing course which is previously authorized in writing and actively supervised by the public agency having jurisdiction over the waters of such racing course or its duly authorized agent for such purpose, nor to conflict with any of the rules adopted by the agency or its agent supervising such race governing the type, size, construction, equipment of the boats, the navigation regulations and other rules governing the conduct of such races.

(Ord. No. 643, § 4; Ord. No. 774, § 4)

No provisions of this chapter shall be construed to prohibit or restrict the operation of any boat, aquaplane or water skier actually participating in a water show which is previously authorized in writing and actively supervised by the public agency having jurisdiction over the waters on which the water show is conducted or its duly authorized agent for such purpose.

(Ord. No. 643, § 5; Ord. No. 774, § 5)

The board of supervisors by resolution as to waters under its jurisdiction and the authorized representative of any other public agency as to water under its jurisdiction may designate and cause to be appropriately marked boat launching areas, areas designated exclusively for swimming, areas where swimming is prohibited, areas where boats are prohibited, areas of restricted speed or slow areas and other boating and personnel control signs and devices and change same from time to time as the public safety and welfare may require, and when so marked it shall be unlawful for any person to fail to comply with such designations.

(Ord. No. 643, § 6; Ord. No. 774, § 6)

Every vessel which uses any place in the county as a home port or habitual place of anchorage or mooring or storage when not in service shall be registered with the division of small craft harbors of the state, who shall assign to it a distinguishing number and shall issue to each owner a certificate of registration which shall contain the name of the owner and the number assigned to the vessel, and such other matters as the division may prescribe. Such number, appearing on such certificate of registration, shall be kept painted or attached to each bow so that the number reads from left to right.

The number shall be in block characters of good proportion, not less than three (3) inches in height and parallel with the waterline as near the forward end of the bow as legibility of the entire number for surface and serial identification permits. The number shall be located as high above the waterline as practicable, but in no case less than three (3) inches from the bottom of the numbers to the waterline.

The numbers shall be a color which will contrast with the color of the hull so as to be distinctly visible and legible: i.e., if the hull is light, the color of the numbers shall be dark, or if the hull is dark, the color of the numbers shall be light.

(Ord. No. 539, § 1; Ord. No. 643, § 7; Ord. No. 774, § 7)

It shall be unlawful for any person to dump or place in any public water any garbage, trash, gasoline, oil, sawdust or any floating debris whether from a boat, the shore or any other place.

(Ord. No. 643, § 3; Ord. No. 774, § 3)

It shall be unlawful for any person to possess, deposit, or cause to be deposited any glass beverage container on, or in, the waters of any portion of Butte Creek or the adjacent banks of such waters within the limits of the county.

(Ord. No. 3791, § 1, 12-18-2001)

It shall be unlawful for any person to shoot any firearms or gun operated by compressed gases or a spring from any boat or across or over any portion of the waters of any lake or reservoir; provided, however, that nothing in this section shall prohibit the shooting of a shotgun from a boat or across lake or reservoir waters during the lawful waterfowl hunting season for the purpose of killing waterfowl.

(Ord. No. 643, § 3; Ord. No. 774, § 3)

It shall be unlawful for any person to swim in any area designated as a no swimming area or more than two hundred (200) feet from the shore or outside the boundaries of a marked swimming area or to swim in a location or in such a manner as to create a hazardous or dangerous condition to the swimmer or any other person, object or objects.

(Ord. No. 643, § 3; Ord. No. 774, § 3)