The California State Government has certified the City of Berkeley’s proposed electric ferry pier for judicial review expedited under Senate Bill 149.
The certification applies to potential litigation under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). It neither authorises construction nor waives environmental review or the need for permits from local, state, and federal authorities.
Under SB 149, courts are expected, where feasible, to decide challenges involving the EIR or project approval within 270 days of the certified administrative record being filed. Appeals are included in that target.
California’s judicial-streamlining program said comparable CEQA cases can otherwise take three to five years.
The Berkeley Municipal Pier closed in July 2015 because of structural deterioration, and the City of Berkeley and San Francisco Bay Ferry plan to replace it.
The proposed dual-use facility at Berkeley Marina will support public access and electric ferry operations.
The waterside design calls for a 1,080-foot (329-metre) pier, a 400-foot (120-metre) breakwater, facilities for boarding, gangways designed for accessibility, and systems to charge electric vessels. Landside works will include a plaza, road and parking changes, sidewalks, and cycling infrastructure.
The Governor’s Office said the completed project will provide ferry connections to San Francisco and Larkspur. San Francisco Bay Ferry’s current project description focuses on a Berkeley–San Francisco route, for which the operator projects more than 1,000 average weekday passengers.
A June 2026 project fact sheet put the overall cost at about US$104 million, comprising US$79 million for the pier and terminal and US$25 million for landside improvements. A September 15 Berkeley City Council memo gave an updated estimate of US$105.8 million at the 60 per cent design stage.
About US$11.1 million has been secured to fund the project's design, engineering and environmental review work. That funding consists of US$2.96 million from the California State Coastal Conservancy, US$5.139 million from the Alameda County Transportation Commission, and up to US$3 million through San Francisco Bay Ferry.
Construction funding has not been identified.
Berkeley City Council authorised an application for up to US$25 million from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission for parts of the landside work, but the grant has not been awarded.
The pier forms part of San Francisco Bay Ferry’s "zero-emission" fleet program, although vessels already ordered for Treasure Island and Mission Bay have not been assigned to the proposed Berkeley service.