Title FGC — California Fish & Game Code

(a) Except as provided in Section 4005, nongame mammals and black-tailed jackrabbits, muskrats, subspecies of red fox that are not the native Sierra Nevada red fox (Vulpes vulpes necator), and red fox squirrels that are found to be injuring growing crops or other property may be …

(a) The department may enter into cooperative agreements with any agency of the state or the United States for the purpose of controlling harmful nongame mammals. (b) The department may take any mammal that, in its opinion, is unduly preying upon any bird, mammal, or fish. (c) Th…

(a) The department may enter into cooperative contracts with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in the Department of the Interior for the purpose of controlling or eradicating any nongame mammal, and may expend any money made available to the department for that purpose.…

(a) Beginning January 1, 2014, it shall be unlawful to trap a bobcat, or attempt to do so, or to sell or export a bobcat taken in the area surrounding Joshua Tree National Park, defined as follows: East and South of State Highway 62 from the intersection of Interstate 10 to the i…

(a) Except as provided in Section 4157 and notwithstanding any other law, it is unlawful for a person to hunt, trap, or otherwise take a bobcat. (b) The prohibitions of this section shall not apply to any of the following: (1) The take of a bobcat by a law enforcement officer or …

(a) Upon appropriation of funds by the Legislature for purposes of this section, commencing January 1, 2025, the commission may open a bobcat hunting season in any area determined by the commission to require a hunt. (b) Before opening a bobcat hunting season in any area, the com…

(a) Before opening a bobcat hunting season pursuant to Section 4157, the department, in consultation with other relevant state agencies, local governments, federal agencies, nongovernmental organizations, landowners, and scientific entities, shall develop, upon appropriation by t…

(a) Except as provided for in Section 4005, fur-bearing mammals that are injuring property may be taken at any time and in any manner in accordance with this code or regulations made pursuant to this code. Raw furs, as defined in Section 4005, that are taken under this section, s…

(a) It is unlawful to do either of the following to an immature depredator mammal while it is in its den: (1) Use a snare, hook, or barbed wire to remove the mammal. (2) Use fire to kill the mammal. (b) Nothing in this section shall prohibit the use of fire-ignited gas cartridges…

As used in this article, “wild pigs” has the meaning set forth in Section 4650.

(a) Except as provided in Section 4181.1, any owner or tenant of land or property that is being damaged or destroyed or is in danger of being damaged or destroyed by elk, bear, bobcat, beaver, wild pig, wild turkeys, or gray squirrels may apply to the department for a permit to k…

(a) Any bear that is encountered while in the act of inflicting injury to, molesting, or killing, livestock may be taken immediately by the owner of the livestock or the owner’s employee if the taking is reported no later than the next working day to the department and the carcas…

For the purposes of this article relating to damage caused by wild pigs, “damage” means loss or harm resulting from injury to person or property. The department shall develop statewide guidelines to aid in determining the damage caused by wild pigs. The guidelines shall consider …

(a) Any owner or tenant of land or property that is being damaged or destroyed or is in immediate danger of being damaged or destroyed by deer may apply to the department for a permit to kill those deer. The department, upon satisfactory evidence of actual or immediately threaten…

In any district or part of a district within San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, bears may be taken at any time with traps within a good and substantial fence, as such fence is described in Section 17121 of the Food and Agricultural Code, surrounding beehives, if no part of th…

Nothing in this code prohibits the owner or tenant of land, or any person authorized in writing by that owner or tenant, from taking cottontail or brush rabbits during any time of the year when damage to crops or forage is being experienced on that land. Any person other than the…

(a) If a landowner or tenant applies for a permit under Section 4181 to take wild pigs or wild turkeys, or under Section 4181.5 to take deer, the department shall notify the applicant about available options for allowing access by licensed hunters, including, but not limited to, …

The department shall tag, brand, or otherwise identify in a persistent and distinctive manner any large depredatory mammal relocated by, or relocated with the approval of, the department for game management purposes.

As used in this chapter: (a) “Dam” includes all artificial obstructions. (b) “Conduit” includes pipe, millrace, ditch, flume, siphon, tunnel, canal, and any other conduit or diversion used for the purpose of taking or receiving water from any river, creek, stream, or lake. (c) “O…

Except as otherwise provided in this code, it is unlawful to construct or maintain in any stream in Districts 1, 13/8, 11/2, 2, 21/4, 21/2, 3, 31/2, 4, 41/8, 41/2, 43/4, 11, 12, 13, 23, and 25, any device or contrivance that prevents, impedes, or tends to prevent or impede, the p…

In including the United States within the scope of this chapter the Legislature declares that it understands that the law and policy of the United States with respect to the development of water resources, the reclamation of land from flood and overflow, and in all other respects…

The United States shall file with the commission pursuant to this chapter a separate application for each dam it proposes to construct or enlarge if an owner other than the United States would be required to file an application pursuant to Division 3 of the Water Code in order to…

The application of the United States shall give the following information: (a) The name and address of the owner. (b) The location, type, size, and height of the proposed dam and appurtenant works. (c) The storage capacity of the reservoir. (d) Such other pertinent information as…

The department shall, from time to time, examine all dams in all rivers and streams in this State naturally frequented by fish. (Enacted by Stats. 1957, Ch. 456.)

If, in the opinion of the commission, there is not free passage for fish over or around any dam, the department shall cause plans to be furnished for a suitable fishway, and order in writing the owner of the dam to provide the dam, within a specified time, with a durable and effi…

When all of the provisions of this article have been complied with, if in the opinion of the commission changed conditions make additional structures desirable for the free passage of fish, the department may make such additional structures and may expend such sums of money as it…

Whenever an application for approval of plans and specifications for a new dam in any stream in this State, or for the enlargement of any dam in any such stream, is filed with the Department of Water Resources, pursuant to Part 1 (commencing with Section 6000) of Division 3 of th…

The commission or any party may, in any hearing, cause the deposition of witnesses to be taken in the manner prescribed by law for depositions in civil actions in the superior courts of this state under Title 4 (commencing with Section 2016.010) of Part 4 of the Code of Civil Pro…

The owner of any dam upon which a fishway has been provided shall keep the fishway in repair and open and free from obstructions to the passage of fish at all times. (Enacted by Stats. 1957, Ch. 456.)

It is unlawful to wilfully destroy, injure, or obstruct any fishway. (Enacted by Stats. 1957, Ch. 456.)

The owner of any dam shall allow sufficient water at all times to pass through a fishway, or in the absence of a fishway, allow sufficient water to pass over, around or through the dam, to keep in good condition any fish that may be planted or exist below the dam. During the mini…

Whenever in the opinion of the commission it is impracticable, because of the height of any dam, or other conditions, to construct a fishway over or around the dam, the commission may, in lieu of the fishway, order the owner of the dam completely to equip, within a specified time…

The hatchery, traps, and other equipment necessary to operate a hatchery station shall not be of a size greater than necessary to supply the stream or river with a reasonable number of fish. The owner of the dam shall permit the department to locate the hatchery, dwellings, traps…

If the owner of the dam generates electricity at the place of the dam, he shall furnish sufficient light, without charge, for the use of the hatchery. (Enacted by Stats. 1957, Ch. 456.)

The owner shall permit the use of water, without charge, to operate the hatchery. (Enacted by Stats. 1957, Ch. 456.)

The commission may, in lieu of a fishway, hatchery, dwelling, traps or other equipment necessary to operate a hatchery station, order the owner of the dam to plant, under the supervision of the department, the young of such fish as naturally frequent the waters of the stream or r…

(a) The owner of a dam shall accord to the public for the purpose of fishing, the right of access to the waters impounded by the dam during the open season for the taking of fish in the stream or river, subject to the regulations of the commission. (b) Subdivision (a) does not ap…

The owner of a dam is not liable in damages to any person exercising the right to fish, who suffers any injury through coming in contact with, or tampering with, any of the property of the owner of the dam. (Enacted by Stats. 1957, Ch. 456.)

The department may sell, at cost, to the owner of a dam, young fish ordered to be planted. (Enacted by Stats. 1957, Ch. 456.)

(a) The provisions of Section 5938 shall not be applicable to dams constructed in District 41/2 after September 9, 1953. (b) No permit or license to appropriate water in District 41/2 shall be issued by the State Water Resources Control Board after September 9, 1953, unless condi…

It is unlawful for the owner of a dam in District 41/2 to release water from the dam, or any facilities for the generation of hydroelectric energy operated in connection therewith, in varying flows in such a manner as to destroy fish life below such release. (Enacted by Stats. 19…

No person shall cause or having caused, permit to exist any log jam or debris accumulation or any other artificial barrier, except a dam for the storage or diversion of water, public bridges and approaches thereto, groins, jetties, seawalls, breakwaters, bulkheads, wharves and pi…

This article shall apply only to conduits described in Section 5987, and conduits with a maximum flow capacity over 250 cubic feet per second of water. In classifying conduits it is recognized that those involving the passage of water through power devices and those of large size…

(a) The department shall examine all conduits. If, in the opinion of the department, a screen is necessary to prevent fish from passing into the conduit, the department shall order the owner of the conduit to install a screen. (b) Except as provided in Sections 5987, 5988, and 59…

An order to install a screen shall be in writing, and shall specify the type, size, mesh, material and location of the screen, the time within which the screen shall be installed, and an estimate of the expense of installing the screen. (Enacted by Stats. 1957, Ch. 456.)

When an order is made to install a screen, the department shall pay the owner of the conduit upon whom the order is served one-half of the estimated expense of the construction or installation of the screen. (Enacted by Stats. 1957, Ch. 456.)

If the expense of constructing or installing a screen exceeds the estimated expense the department shall, upon written notification by the owner of the conduit, inspect the screen, and pay to the owner one-half of the amount estimated to be necessary to complete the construction …

The owner of the conduit shall, within 10 days after completing the installation of the screen, return to the department any surplus money advanced by the department pursuant to this article. (Enacted by Stats. 1957, Ch. 456.)

All money paid by the department to the owner of a conduit pursuant to this article shall be paid out of the Fish and Game Preservation Fund. (Enacted by Stats. 1957, Ch. 456.)

The department shall not pay one-half of the expense of the construction and installation of any screen as provided in Sections 5981, 5983, and 5984 to any person engaged in producing, generating, transmitting, delivering, or furnishing electricity for light, heat or power. If th…