# 33 C.F.R. § 2.20 (2026): Territorial sea baseline

> Federal · Regulations · In force

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFR_T33_P2_S2_20

## Section

- **Citation:** 33 C.F.R. § 2.20 (2026)
- **Heading:** Territorial sea baseline
- **Jurisdiction:** Federal
- **Kind:** Regulations
- **Status:** In force
- **Text as of:** August 14, 2026
- **Source:** Compiled text
- **Location:** Title 33 CFR: Navigation and Navigable Waters / Chapter I: COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY / Part 2: JURISDICTION / Subpart B: Jurisdictional Terms / § 2.20: § 2.20   Territorial sea baseline.

## Text

Territorial sea baseline
means the line defining the shoreward extent of the territorial sea of the United States drawn according to the principles, as recognized by the United States, of the Convention on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone, 15 U.S.T. 1606, and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), 21 I.L.M. 1261. Normally, the territorial sea baseline is the mean low water line along the coast of the United States.
Note to § 2.20:
Charts depicting the territorial sea baseline are available for examination in accordance with § 1.10-5 of this chapter.

## Nearby sections

- [33 C.F.R. § 2.20 (2026) § 2.20   Territorial sea baseline.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFR_T33_P2_S2_20.md)
- [33 C.F.R. § 2.22 (2026) § 2.22   Territorial sea.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFR_T33_P2_S2_22.md)
- [33 C.F.R. § 2.24 (2026) § 2.24   Internal waters.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFR_T33_P2_S2_24.md)
- [33 C.F.R. § 2.26 (2026) § 2.26   Inland waters.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFR_T33_P2_S2_26.md)
- [33 C.F.R. § 2.28 (2026) § 2.28   Contiguous zone.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFR_T33_P2_S2_28.md)
- [33 C.F.R. § 2.30 (2026) § 2.30   Exclusive Economic Zone.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFR_T33_P2_S2_30.md)
- [33 C.F.R. § 2.32 (2026) § 2.32   High seas.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFR_T33_P2_S2_32.md)
- [33 C.F.R. § 2.34 (2026) § 2.34   Waters subject to tidal influence; waters subject to the ebb and flow of the tide; mean high water.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFR_T33_P2_S2_34.md)
- [33 C.F.R. § 2.36 (2026) § 2.36   Navigable waters of the United States, navigable waters, and territorial waters.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFR_T33_P2_S2_36.md)
- [33 C.F.R. § 2.38 (2026) § 2.38   Waters subject to the jurisdiction of the United States; waters over which the United States has jurisdiction.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFR_T33_P2_S2_38.md)

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Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFR_T33_P2_S2_20. Check the current official text before relying on it. Not legal advice.