The City's Pier and Harbor occupies over 150 acres of land and water area and offers many types of recreation for the out-of-town tourist and the nearby resident. The early 1960's brought the development of King Harbor, which combined with the Municipal Pier to create the dynamic and diversified recreational enterprise we have today. There's boating, swimming, fishing, shopping, and of course relaxing with a meal or drink at one of our many fine restaurants. Visit our hotels, relax in our parks, listen to live music at the Pier: the possibilities are endless! The Pier and Harbor also offers fantastic locations for filming and tremendous real estate opportunities for developers, restaurateurs and retailers.

The function of the City's Harbor Department is to manage the City's property along the waterfront to ensure an attractive area for recreation and commerce. The City's Pier and Harbor includes the area west of Harbor Drive from the City's boundary with Hermosa Beach to just south of the Redondo Beach Pier (at Torrance Blvd.), plus the parcel containing the Sunrise Hotel (on North Harbor Drive @ Beryl Street).

The mission statement of the Department is:

"To provide clean and safe amenities on public property in order to create an environment that attracts residents and visitors to fish, recreate and do business."

While the City owns the land in the Pier and Harbor, most of the land is ground-leased to private entities for long terms.  Under these leases, the "leaseholder" controls the use of the property and typically becomes responsible for maintenance and development on that property.  The Harbor Department administers (as "Landlord") the lease agreements on behalf of its citizens, and in return, the City receives rent from each leaseholder based upon the level of business activity upon the land held under lease. 

All lease agreements are available for review at the City Clerk's Office at City Hall, Door "1" (415 Diamond St.) and online.  The City retains control of certain property and lease spaces directly to restaurant and retail businesses.  Among those leasing building spaces directly from the City are:  Kincaids Bayhouse, Joe's Crabshack and the entire "horseshoe" portion of the Redondo Beach Pier, including Tony's on the Pier (aka Old Tonys).

Revenues from the Pier and Harbor are used not only to cover our administration function, but also General Fund portions of other Departments operating within the Pier and Harbor. The other Departments include: Police, Fire (Harbor Patrol), Public Works (Maintenance), Recreation (Seaside Lagoon), Planning, Building & Safety, Engineering and City Attorney. Revenues are also reinvested into the City's waterfront property for maintenance of current public improvements and facilities, as well as for Capital Projects (new developments).

If you have further questions about our Department, contact us here.