The California Coastal Act of 1976 requires the planning and regulation of development, under a coastal development permit process, within the coastal zone, as defined, to be based on various coastal resources planning and management policies set forth in the act. Existing law allows the construction of revetments, breakwaters, groins, harbor channels, seawalls, cliff retaining walls, and other construction that alters natural shoreline processes when required to serve coastal-dependent uses or to protect existing structures or public beaches in danger from erosion and when designed to eliminate or mitigate adverse impacts on local shoreline sand supply.

This bill would additionally allow construction of those structures when designed to account for sea level rise.