Planning Division

What is a Zoning Ordinance? The Ventura County Planning Division uses two zoning ordinances when reviewing new development: the Coastal and the Non-Coastal. The Coastal or the Non-Coastal Zoning Ordinance will apply to your project, based on the location of the project site. To determine if your project site is located in a coastal or non-coastal zone, review the map by using the zoom function. Both Zoning Ordinances govern the use of one's property. The range of uses and structures allowed differ from zone to zone. You can determine the zoning designation for your proposed project site by Whats my zoning. With this information, you can look up the zoning designation in the appropriate Zoning Ordinance (Coastal or Non-Coastal), and determine the permitted uses and development standards that apply. What is a Subdivision Ordinance? All proposed subdivisions of land, which include but are not limited to tentative parcel and tentative final maps, reversions to acreage, parcel map waivers, or mergers of land wholly or partially located within unincorporated Ventura County, must abide by the State Subdivision Map Act and the Ventura County Subdivision Ordinance. The County Subdivision Ordinance's policies regulate the lot design and improvements of a proposed project to a subdivision of land. How much will the discretionary permit application process cost? The time and costs associated with processing a discretionary permit with the Planning Division varies widely depending on the type of entitlement being applied for and the complexity of the project. The Planning Division has provided a comprehensive fee schedule that outlines the billing policies and procedures, as well as the various fees for processing various entitlements. You can access the Planning Division's fee schedule and other information regarding application review costs by Planning division fees. Why is it taking so long for my permit to be processed? Decisions and public hearings take place most expeditiously if all of the required information is submitted accurately and completely from the start. Application delays normally occur due to incomplete application submittal information and/or changes to the project description. Each subsequent resubmittal to complete the application(s) requires additional staff review time (minimum of 30 days). After the application is declared complete, conditions of approval and, sometimes, staff reports must be prepared. In addition, the State's environmental review requirements and mandatory public notice periods must be satisfied prior to a public hearing. The public notice period can vary between 20 to 30 days before a completed application may be heard by the appropriate decision-making body. To determine the status of your project, please contact your assigned Case Planner.

How do I know if my project needs a discretionary permit? A discretionary permit is a permit or permit modification that requires the exercise of judgment and deliberation on the part of the decision-maker. Most discretionary permit applications require an analysis by the Planning Division and various County departments and agencies, as well as a public hearing prior to any decision being made. Some of the activities that typically require discretionary permits include the following: Tract Maps; Parcel Maps; Discretionary Parcel Map Waivers; Conditional Certificates of Compliance; Conditional Use Permits; Planned Development Permits; Variances; Administrative Variances; Zone Changes; Minor or Major Modifications to any of the permits listed above. To access discretionary permit applications and receive more information about submittal requirements, Phase 3: Pre-Application Review. How do I begin the discretionary review process for my project? All applications for discretionary permits, subdivisions, and zone changes must be coordinated with, and submitted to, the Discretionary Permit Coordinator in the Planning Division. During the pre-application meeting, you can discuss the details of your project, obtain a list of submittal requirements for your application, and review procedures for submitting and processing your application. To learn more about and/or schedule a pre-application meeting, please Phase 3: Pre-Application Review. What is the Discretionary Review Committee (DRC)? How do I know when I need to meet with the DRC? The County of Ventura has established a Development Review Committee (DRC) consisting of key County staff in various departments (e.g. Fire, Public Works, Traffic, Environmental Health, etc) who meet as needed to discuss, and provide early guidance to applicants on complex discretionary projects prior to permit application submittal. After you have met with the Discretionary Permit Coordinator, you will be advised whether a DRC meeting is recommended for your project. To learn more about and/or to schedule a DRC meeting, please Phase 3: Pre-Application Review.

What is CEQA? All discretionary projects are subject to review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The purpose of CEQA is to inform decision-makers and the public about potential environmental effects of a proposed project, to identify the ways that environmental damage can be avoided or significantly reduced, and to prevent significant, avoidable damage to the environment by requiring changes to a project through the use of alternatives or mitigation measures. To learn more about the CEQA review process, Phase 6: CEQA Review. What is an Initial Study Assessment? If your proposed activity is considered a "project" as defined by CEQA and is not exempt, then the Case Planner will begin the environmental review process by conducting an Initial Study. An Initial Study is prepared by the Case Planner with input from the various reviewing departments, and agencies to determine whether any potentially significant impacts on the environment would result from this project. To view the Initial Study Checklist that will be used and learn more about Initial Study procedures, you can review the County's Initial Study Assessment Guidelines by Initial study assessment guidelines comprehensive update. What kind of environmental document is required for my project? Based on the findings of the Initial Study, the Case Planner will determine the appropriate environmental document for your permit application. There are three types of environmental documents: 1. Negative Declaration (ND)_: If the Initial Study determines that the project will not have an impact on the environment, the Case Planner will prepare a Negative Declaration (ND). A ND is a legal statement that either describes the reasons why a proposed project will not have a significant adverse effect on the environment or explains that compliance with specific Federal, State, or County regulations would avoid a significant impact, and thus, an environmental impact report is not required. 2. Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND): The Case Planner will prepare a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) if the Initial Study review finds that the project has a potentially significant impact on the environment, but can be avoided or reduced through adoptions of mitigation measures. These mitigation measures can be changes in the project design or operation and must be agreed to by the applicant. An MND further requires that a mitigation monitoring and reporting program be adopted to ensure that applicants follow through on the mitigation measures required by the County. 3. _Environmental Impact Report (EIR): If the Initial Study finds that the project may have a significant impact on the environment and there are no obvious measures that the applicant can take to mitigate potentially significant impacts, an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) will be required. In many cases, this will be a focused EIR that analyzes a specific subject area or areas, such as traffic impacts, impacts on biological resources, or noise impacts. In order to reduce costs, delays, and duplication in the preparation of environmental documents, County agencies/departments determine whether information provided in a previously prepared EIR (e.g., Master EIR, General Plan EIR, project EIR, etc.) or Mitigated Negative Declaration could be used, in whole or in part, for a proposed project. Use of previously prepared information could be through the subsequent use, or a supplement or addendum to an existing environmental document. How long is the public review period for my environmental document? After the appropriate environmental document is drafted, it will be available for public review on the Planning Division's website. A legal notice will be placed in the Ventura County Star newspaper, and notices will be posted with the County Clerk, at the Planning Counter, and on the bulletin boards at the exits in the County's Hall of Administration building. The public review process is an opportunity for individuals in the community to submit comments concerning the project and the environmental document that was prepared. All comments must be submitted to the respective Case Planner by email or in a letter mailed to the Planning Division. For NDs and MNDs, the public review period is a minimum of 20 days. If the environmental document must be submitted to the State Clearinghouse, the public review period is extended to 30 days. Projects with the following criteria must be submitted to the State Clearinghouse for state agency review: (1) where the lead agency is a state agency, (2) where there is a responsible or trustee state agency, and/or (3) where a State agency is required to review the project because the project has statewide, regional, or area-wide importance. For EIRs, there are two types of public review: 1. A Notice of Preparation (NOP) is a brief notice to responsible agencies, trustee agencies, and public or federal agencies that the County plans to prepare an EIR for this project. Although the NOP serves to solicit guidance from various agencies, it also encourages the public to submit concerns and issues early in the EIR drafting process. The NOP review period is a minimum of 30 days. 2. After the NOP public review process, the Case Planner will draft the EIR. Once the EIR is completed, it will be available for public review. The public review process for the draft EIR is a minimum of 30 days. If the draft EIR must be submitted to the State Clearinghouse, the public review period will be extended to 45 days. Projects with the following criteria must be submitted to the State Clearinghouse for state agency review: (1) where the lead agency is a state agency, (2) where there is a responsible or trustee state agency, and/or (3) where a State agency is required to review the project because it has a statewide, regional, or area-wide importance. Upon the completion of the public review period, all comments will be reviewed and responses will be drafted by County staff. Based on the comments received, if it is determined that the environmental document must be substantially revised before adoption by the decision makers, the County may have to re-circulate the proposed document for an additional public review period. However, if the comments received do not uncover deficiencies in the impact analysis of the project and the document is deemed complete and accurate by staff, the project will move forward to a public hearing.

Which decision-making authority will review my project? Based on the project site's zoning designation and the permitted use matrices found in the Coastal and Non-Coastal Zoning Ordinances, your project may be approved by the Planning Director, Planning Commission, and/or the Board of Supervisors. The permitted use matrices can be found in Article 4 and Article 5 of the Coastal and Non-Coastal Zoning Ordinances, respectively. To learn more about the public hearing process, Phase 7: Permit Decision. Can I appeal the decision-maker's decision on a project? Following approval of a project by the Planning Director or Planning Commission, a 10-day appeal period commences during which time any interested party may appeal the decision before it becomes effective. Coastal projects within the appeals jurisdiction require an additional appeal period before becoming effective. Board of Supervisors decisions are not appealable unless the project site is located within the appeals jurisdiction of the coastal zone. Projects located within the appeals jurisdiction are appealable to the Coastal Commission. Appeals are processed in the same manner as other discretionary application requests as set forth in Article 11 of the Coastal and Non-Coastal Zoning Ordinance. For more information about the appeal process, please click on the link Appeals. ---