Water Code section 6003

(a)

Any barrier that is or will be not in excess of six feet in height, regardless of storage capacity, or that has or will have a storage capacity not in excess of 15 acre-feet, regardless of height, shall not be considered a dam.

(b)

(1)Any barrier that does not impound water above the top of a levee where maximum storage behind the barrier has a minimum of three feet of freeboard on the levee and is a weir shall not be considered a dam.

(2)

This subdivision shall apply only to Peoples Weir, Reynolds Weir, Last Chance Weir, Lemoore Diversion Weir, Island Weir, Crescent Weir, Stinson Weir, Empire Weir No. 1, and Empire Weir No. 2.

(c)

For purposes of this section, a “weir” is defined as an agricultural water delivery structure with either mechanically or manually removable flashboards or gates that serves to regulate the flow of water in a stream and that functions as part of a federal flood control system as defined by Part 208 (commencing with Section 208.10) of Chapter II of Title 33 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

Source: Section 6003, https://leginfo.­legislature.­ca.­gov/faces/codes_displaySection.­xhtml?lawCode=WAT§ionNum=6003.­ (updated Jan. 1, 2026; accessed Dec. 22, 2025).

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Verified:
Dec. 22, 2025

§ 6003's source at ca​.gov