Sierra County Municipal Code Ch. 9.04 Water Ways

“Boat” means any boat, raft, canoe, rowboat, inboard or outboard motor boat, sailboat, and any other device in or upon which persons or property may be transported, conveyed or carried upon or over the surface of public waters of the county. (Ord. 201, eff. 2/2/55; Prior code § 46100)

It is unlawful to operate any motor-driven boat, inboard or outboard, on the following waterways: Lake Delahunty, Hawley Lake, Lower Salmon Lake, Packer Lake and Sand Pond. (Ord. 680, eff. 6/5/84; Ord. 218, eff. 8/31/57; Ord. 201, eff. 2/2/55; Prior code § 46101)

It is unlawful to operate any internal combustion motor-driven boat, inboard or outboard, on any water in Sierra County, with the exception of the following: Deer Lake, Gold Lake, Goose Lake, Independence Lake, Jackson Meadow Reservoir, Milton Reservoir, Upper Salmon Lake, Lower Sardine Lake, Upper Sardine Lake, Snag Lake, Stampede Reservoir, and Webber Lake. (Ord. 680, eff. 6/5/84)

It is unlawful to operate any motor-driven boat, inboard or outboard, at a speed in excess of five miles per hour on any waterway in Sierra County, with the exception of the following: Gold Lake, Independence Lake, Jackson Meadow Reservoir, and Stampede Reservoir. (Ord. 680, eff. 6/5/84; Ord. 614, eff. 11/3/81; Ord. 327, eff. 12/4/68; Prior code § 46101)

It is unlawful to operate any motor-driven boat, inboard or outboard, within those areas on Jackson Meadow Reservoir designated, buoyed, and posted as swimming areas by the U.S. Forest Service. (Ord. 680, eff. 6/5/84)

It is unlawful to dump any human wastes, motor oil, garbage, trash or other debris from a boat or from the shoreline into any public waters. (Ord. 201, eff. 2/2/55; Prior code § 46102)

It is unlawful for any person to tow, pull, or use any drag line or heavy motorized equipment to excavate, fill or drag the bottom bed or bank of any public waters or waterways, disturbing the flora or fauna growing therein without first having secured a special use permit from the Planning Commission. (Ord. 525, eff. 4/6/78; Ord. 201, eff. 2/2/55; Prior code § 9.04.050)

No person, partnership, corporation or other entity shall use or operate any device requiring or involving the operation of an internal combustion engine for the purpose of mining, exploring for minerals or other natural resources, nor shall any person demonstrate the use or operation of such device, upon or in the following described waters (including the waterways and waterway beds up to the high water mark): All those rivers, streams, creeks, and other waterways lying within the NW 1/4 of Section 35 and the E 1/2 of the SW 1/4, the E 1/2 of the SW 1/4 of the NE 1/4, the N 1/2 of the NW 1/4 of the SE 1/4 and the W 1/2 of the SW 1/4 of the NW 1/4 of the SE 1/4 of Section 26 and Pauley Creek northerly of a point one-fourth mile north of Downieville Public Utility District water intake all in Township 20 North, Range 10 E, Mt. Diablo Base and Meridian, and the SW 1/4 of Section 5, Township 19 North, Range 10 East, Mt. Diablo Base and Meridian. (Ord. 526, eff. 4/20/78; Prior code § 46200)

Those portions of all sloughs, rivers, or streams lying within the county which do not lie within or run through cultivated lands and are stocked or supplied in whole or in part with fish by the state of California or the county are declared to be public highways for the purpose of fishing therein. (Ord. 204, eff. 8/10/55; Prior code § 46200)

SCC 9.04.060 is not intended to abrogate the rights of property owners riparian to such sloughs, rivers, and streams declared to be open highways to ownership in their property and is not intended that such private property be used as a means of ingress or egress to such open highways. Persons committing a trespass will be prosecuted under the laws of the state of California. (Ord. 406, eff. 3/22/73; Prior code § 46200)

It is unlawful for any person to conduct any mining operations on those certain lots owned by Sierra County, located in the Downieville Townsite and designated as lots 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 111, 112, and 113, other than gold panning, sniping and operation of portable, motorless, single unit, hand-carried sluice boxes on those portions of the aforesaid lots located below the mean high water mark of the river on said lots. For the purpose this section and SCC 9.04.090, mining operations include but are not limited to operations of dredges, drag lines, sluice boxes which are not portable, motorless, single unit and capable of being hand carried by a single individual, and activities which involve the use of tools other than handheld, human powered, motorless tools capable of being carried by a single individual. Violation of this section shall constitute an infraction. Each day during which a violation of this section occurs shall constitute a separate offense. (Ord. 681, eff. 6/5/84)

It is unlawful for any person to swim, float, or wade above the knees in Lower Sardine Lake located in the SW 1/4 of the NW 1/4 of Section 10, Township 20 N, Range 12E, M.D.B.&M., Sierra County, California. Violation of this section shall constitute an infraction punishable by a fine not to exceed $50.00. (Ord. 753, eff. 10/5/89)