Company Profile
Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Bays of San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun
Company Overview
The Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Bays of San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun (Board
or BOPC) – locally known as “the Pilot Commission” – licenses and regulates up to 60 maritime
pilots who are organized as the “San Francisco Bar Pilots.”
The Board was created by the first legislative session of the new state of California in 1850 and
has been serving continuously ever since.
Originally an independent state agency, on January 1, 2009, the Board became a department of
the Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency (now known as the California Transportation
Agency), which has responsibility for the movement of goods and people throughout the state of
California. The BOPC’s expenses are paid for by the shipping industry through surcharges on
pilotage fees and not by state or local taxes.
Notable Clients
bopc@bopc.ca.gov