Boaters who overnight in Newport Harbor will need a working sanitation system aboard by August 13 under new rules the City Council approved at its July 14 meeting.

The ordinance targets a cluster of harbor hygiene problems. It bans public urination or defecation "on private property in an area exposed to the public view, in or on Newport Harbor," prohibits cleaning or cutting fish and bait on public benches and railings, and requires any vessel where people "may stay aboard overnight" to carry either a portable sanitation device or a permanently installed marine waste system.

More than 1,200 mooring permits are active in the harbor, according to the city's harbor management page. One public commenter at the July 14 meeting warned the overnight-sanitation clause could be read broadly enough to affect smaller boats that don't typically host sleepers.

The harbor rules were one of several consent-calendar items the council cleared that night.

$413,600 for park shade

The council also approved up to $413,600 for new shade structures at parks including Arroyo Park, Bonita Canyon Sports Park East, Buffalo Hills I Park, Buffalo Hills II Park, and Channel Place Park. Placentia-based Micon Construction won the contract. The company has 40 days from approval to submit plans and another 80 days after that to finish the work, with construction scheduled to begin in fall 2026.

Cell infrastructure gets a faster path

A separate item streamlines how telecom companies install cell network equipment on public property. Under the old system, carriers needed a separate permit for every installation. A city staff report called that approach a "regulatory barrier for investment in such infrastructure."

The new rules let the public works department set location guidelines and allow companies to hold a single master license agreement covering future installations, eliminating the permit-by-permit process.

Trash hauling costs rise 19%

The council approved a 19.2% increase in the city's contract with Stanton-based CR&R, raising the annual payment from $8,377,467 to $9,958,229 for fiscal year 2026-27. The jump was driven by higher county landfill disposal fees. City finance officials had already built the increase into the 2026-27 budget.

No specific timeline has been announced for the first cell installations under the new master license framework.