Plans
BCDC’s plans set out policies to protect San Francisco Bay, the Suisun Marsh, and related resources.
San Francisco Bay Plan
The San Francisco Bay Plan is BCDC’s comprehensive plan for the Bay and its shoreline.
Where are Bay Plan priority use areas?
The priority use areas on the Bay Plan maps establish certain areas of the shoreline for particular water-oriented land uses. The Commission adopted Resolution 16 (updated April 20, 2023) to more specifically define the boundaries of the priority use areas within the shoreline band.
A mapped version of this information is also available on BCDC's open data portal.
Special area plans
Special area plans apply Bay Plan policies in greater detail to specific areas of the shoreline. There are currently four special area plans:
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San Francisco Waterfront Special Area Plan, which applies to the San Francisco shoreline from the east side of the Hyde Street Pier to the south side of India Basin.
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Benicia Waterfront Special Area Plan, which applies to the Benicia shoreline from West Second Street to the Benicia-Martinez Bridge.
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South Richmond Shoreline Special Area Plan, which applies to the Richmond shoreline from the west side of Shipyard Three to the southeastern City boundary.
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Richardson Bay Special Area Plan, which applies to Richardson Bay from a line drawn between Cavallo Point in Marin County near the Golden Gate Bridge and Point Tiburon in Tiburon.
White Slough Specific Area Plan
The White Slough Specific Area Plan was prepared by Solano County and the City of Vallejo, and approved by BCDC.
San Francisco Bay Area Seaport Plan
The Seaport Plan is part of the San Francisco Bay Plan (Bay Plan) and is used by BCDC to help guide its regulatory decisions on permit applications, consistency determinations, and related matters.
Suisun Marsh Protection Plan
The Suisun Marsh Protection Plan applies to areas in and surrounding the Suisun Marsh. The plans objectives are to:
- Preserve and enhance the quality and diversity of the Suisun Marsh aquatic and wildlife habitats
- Assure retention of upland areas adjacent to the Suisun Marsh in uses compatible with its protection
Suisun Marsh Local Protection Programs
Long-Term Management Strategy (LTMS) for Placement of Dredged Material in the San Francisco Bay Region
The Long-Term Management Strategy (LTMS) for Placement of Dredged Material in the San Francisco Bay Region was prepared by:
- BCDC
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)
- San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (SFBRWQCB)
The goals for LTMS are to:
- Maintain in an economically and environmentally sound manner navigation channels in San Francisco Bay
- Conduct dredged material disposal in the most environmentally sound manner
- Maximize the use of dredged material as a resource
- Maintain the cooperative permitting framework for dredging and disposal of dredged sediment
Coastal Management Program for San Francisco Bay
BCDC is the state agency responsible for administering the federal Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) within San Francisco Bay.
- For other parts of the California coast, the California Coastal Commission administers the CZMA.
- To see the status of proposed and recent updates to BCDC’s Coastal Management Program, visit NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management Coastal Zone Management Act Program Change Portal and use the filters to view changes proposed by BCDC.