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HomeHarbors and Navigation CodeDiv. 5Ch. 5§ 1190 Bar Pilotage Rates

§ 1190 Bar Pilotage Rates

Harbors and Navigation Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 1190 Bar Pilotage Rates

This law tells how much a ship has to pay for a pilot to guide it through the Golden Gate, using the ship’s depth and size, with a set minimum fee that gets higher each year.

Key Takeaways

  • •Pilot fees are based on how deep the ship sits in the water and how heavy it is.
  • •Each year there is a set minimum fee that can be higher than the calculated amount.
  • •The rates only apply to trips that go through the Golden Gate between the Union Pacific Bridge and Hunter’s Point; other trips need extra fees.
  • •The minimum fee rose to $3,000 starting Jan 1 2024.

Example

A cargo ship with a deepest draft of 30.5 feet and a high gross registered tonnage of 10,000 wants to go from the open ocean into a dock in 2023.

The ship’s fee is calculated by multiplying its draft by $10.26 and its tonnage by $0.09243, then adding those amounts together. Because the total is less than the 2023 minimum of $2,600, the ship must pay the $2,600 minimum.

How to Calculate

Fee = (10.26 × Draft (feet)) + (0.09243 × High Gross Registered Tons)

  1. Find the vessel’s deepest draft in feet.
  2. Multiply the draft by $10.26.
  3. Find the vessel’s high gross registered tonnage.
  4. Multiply the tonnage by $0.09243 (since 92.43 mills = $0.09243).
  5. Add the two results together.
  6. Compare the sum to the minimum charge for the year; if it’s lower, use the minimum instead.

Cargo ship in 2023 with 30.5‑foot draft and 10,000 tons.

Result: Draft charge: 30.5 × $10.26 = $312.93; Tonage charge: 10,000 × $0.09243 = $924.30; Total = $1,237.23. Minimum for 2023 is $2,600, so the ship pays $2,600.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 1190 Bar Pilotage Rates

(a) Every vessel spoken inward or outward bound shall pay the following rate of bar pilotage through the Golden Gate and into or out of the Bays of San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun: (1) Ten dollars and twenty-six cents ($10.26) per draft foot of the vessel’s deepest draft and fractions of a foot pro rata, and an additional charge of 92.43 mills per high gross registered ton. (2) (A) A minimum charge for bar pilotage shall be six hundred sixty-two dollars ($662) for each vessel piloted. (B) On and after January 1, 2022, a minimum charge for bar pilotage shall be one thousand eight hundred seventy-five dollars ($1,875) for each vessel piloted. (C) On and after January 1, 2023, a minimum charge for bar pilotage shall be two thousand six hundred dollars ($2,600) for each vessel piloted. (D) On and after January 1, 2024, a minimum charge for bar pilotage shall be three thousand dollars ($3,000) for each vessel piloted. (3) The vessel’s deepest draft shall be the maximum draft attained, on a stillwater basis, at any part of the vessel during the course of that transit inward or outward. (b) The rate specified in subdivision (a) shall apply only to a pilotage that passes through the Golden Gate to or from the high seas to or from a berth within an area bounded by the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge to the north and Hunter’s Point to the south. The rate for pilotage to or from the high seas to or from a point past the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge or Hunter’s Point shall include a movement fee in addition to the basic bar pilotage rate, as specified in Section 1191. (c) The rate established in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) shall be for a trip from the high seas to dock or from the dock to high seas. The rate specified in Section 1191 shall not be charged by pilots for docking and undocking vessels. (Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 769, Sec. 5. (AB 2056) Effective September 29, 2022.)

Last verified: January 11, 2026

Key Terms

bar pilot

Related Statutes

  • § 1190.1 Monterey Bay Pilot Rates
  • § 1190.3 Catastrophic Event Pilot Surcharge
  • § 1191 Pilotage Rates Schedule
  • § 1191.1 Pilotage Rates California Vessels
  • § 1192 Distressed Vessel Pilotage Rates

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Harbors and Navigation Code. Section 1190.
View Official Source