California Code, Water Code - WAT § 12899.1

(a) Except as provided by Section 12899.8, no person shall make any alteration, improvement, encroachment, or excavation within the right-of-way acquired for the State Water Resources Development System, without first obtaining the written permission of the department.

(b) Any person proposing to make an alteration, improvement, encroachment, or excavation within the right-of-way acquired for the State Water Resources Development System shall submit an application to the department on a form prescribed by the department, along with other reports, studies, and analyses as required by the department.

(c) The department may issue a written permit, in accordance with this chapter, authorizing the permittee to do any act that is not inconsistent with the functioning, operation, maintenance, enlargement, and rehabilitation of any portion of the facilities of the State Water Resources Development System.

(d) By issuing the permits, the department is not responsible for the competence or reliability of the permittee or the encroachment.

(e) The department shall approve or deny an application for an encroachment permit not later than 60 days from the date of receipt of the complete application, as determined by the department.  An application for a permit is complete when all application requirements and other statutory requirements, including, but not limited to, the California Environmental Quality Act (Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000) of the Public Resources Code), have been met.  Not later than 30 days from the date on which the application is received, the department shall determine whether an application is complete.  The department shall not unreasonably deny an application for a permit.  If the department denies an application for a permit, it shall provide an explanation of the reason for the denial at the time of notifying the applicant of the denial.

(f) Except as provided by Section 12899.8, any person who makes an alteration, improvement, encroachment, or excavation within the right-of-way acquired for the State Water Resources Development System, without a permit, is guilty of a misdemeanor.