Public Resources Code section 6873
(a)
Each well drilled pursuant to the terms of the lease may be drilled or slant-drilled to and into the subsurface of the tide or submerged lands or beds of navigable rivers or lakes, covered by the lease from upland, riparian or littoral drill sites owned or controlled by the state or owned by or available, at any time, to the lessee, or from drill sites located upon any filled lands heretofore or hereafter filled, whether contiguous or noncontiguous to the riparian or littoral lands or uplands, or from any pier heretofore or hereafter constructed owned by or available to the lessee and available for such purpose, or from platforms or other fixed or floating structure in, on or over the tide or submerged lands or beds of navigable rivers or lakes, covered by the lease or otherwise available to the lessee.(b)
Such lease shall prohibit the pollution or contamination of the ocean, tidelands, or navigable rivers or lakes, and shall prohibit the impairment of and interference with bathing, fishing, or navigation in the waters of the ocean, any bay or inlet thereof, or any navigable river or lake, and shall prohibit the impairment of and interference with developed shoreline recreational or residential areas. In addition, no oil, tar, residuary product of oil, or any refuse of any kind from any well or works shall be permitted to be deposited on or pass into the waters of the ocean, any bay or inlet thereof, or any navigable river or lake.(c)
If the lessee, as disclosed by information submitted with his bid, proposes to drill one or more wells from filled lands, whether contiguous or noncontiguous to the riparian or littoral lands or uplands, or from any pier or from platforms or other fixed or floating structures to be constructed for such purpose, and if permission from any federal or state agency is legally required in order to construct any such filled land or structures, the lessee shall be allowed a reasonable time following the execution of the lease within which to secure the necessary permission from such federal and state agencies as shall be legally required, and, upon the securing of such permission, a further reasonable time, determined with regard to the nature of the filled lands or structure or structures to be constructed, within which to commence operations for the drilling of such well or wells. The drilling term of the lease shall be extended by the commission by a period equal to such reasonable time to secure such permission, and, if necessary, to the date to which the time to commence operations for the drilling of such well or wells has been extended.(d)
Any offshore filled lands or structure or structures constructed for the purpose of drilling pursuant to this section shall conform to the rules and regulations of the commission in effect at the time of invitation for bids in pursuance of which the lease is awarded. Drilling, whether from upland, riparian, littoral or offshore locations, shall be conducted in conformance with such rules and regulations in effect at the time of invitation for bids in pursuance of which the lease is awarded.
Source:
Section 6873, https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PRC§ionNum=6873. (accessed May 4, 2025).