We've found 4 lakes in California where gas engines can't be run and electric motors are allowed.
1 of them let you launch a boat with a gas outboard as long as the outboard isn't run.
Gas boats OK, motor up You can launch a boat with a gas outboard. Leave it up and use your electric motor.No gas motors on board Remove the outboard or bring a boat without one.Gas boats: check first The rules don't say. Call before you tow a gas boat there.
Contra Loma Reservoir
Near Antioch, Contra Costa County
Electric motors onlyGas boats: check first
Electric motor boats only (gas motorboats not permitted); 17-ft limit.
Sailboats, row boats, and electric boats are permitted; motor boats not listed as permitted (EBRPD boating table)
Shadow Cliffs Lake
Near Pleasanton, Alameda County
Electric motors onlyGas boats: check first
Only electric motors allowed; no gas engines or jet skis.
Size
80 acres
Launch
Launch your own boat (launch site)
Fees & permits
Motorized vessel $5/launch + $10/inspection; mandatory invasive mussel inspection; District fishing permit $5/day plus CA fishing license
Other rules
Boats 17 ft or shorter. No boating in the Arroyo areas. Mandatory invasive mussel inspection.
Fish
Trout and catfish (planted weekly in season), bluegill, black bass
Managed by
East Bay Regional Park District
What the official rules say
only electric motors are allowed
No lakes match. Try another state or clear the search.
Before you go
Rules change, and some lakes close for the season or have their own permits. We link each lake to the agency page that states its motor rule, and show the month we checked it (most recently October 2026). Confirm the current rules with the lake's manager before you head out. Your state's boat registration and safety-equipment rules still apply on electric-only lakes.
Know a lake we're missing, or a rule that's changed? Tell us.
