Ventura County Qualified Biologist Program
This webpage is for biological consultants who wish to apply to become a County Approved Qualified Biologist. Please note that the open enrollment period to become a Qualified Biologist is currently CLOSED. Applications will only be accepted outside this period under the following circumstances:
- Consultants bidding on a Request for Proposal (RFP)
- Restoration Specialists
- Existing Qualified Biologists updating their qualifications
- Biologists currently under contract for projects submitted for development review
If these circumstances apply to you, please proceed to the instructions listed under “Application Submittal Requirements” below.
Important Resources:
Ventura County List of Qualified Biological Consultants Access the list of County-approved qualified biological consultants. | Ventura County List of Qualified Biological Restoration Specialists Access the list of County-approved qualified biological restoration consultants. | Resources for County Approved Qualified Biologists This webpage provides information and links to resources approved Qualified Biologists need to prepare environmental documents within the County. |
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Local Coastal Program (LCP) requires that all discretionary development is subject to an environmental review that identifies and minimizes potentially significant impacts from the project on the environment. The biological resources section of the ISAGs, the County General Plan, and LCP require all biologists to have the training, experience, and skills to identify rare species, effectively conduct field surveys, restoration work, or submit biological reports/plans. The Qualified Biologist Program is the process in which the County uses to ensure that biological consultants preparing these documents meet a set of minimum qualifications to produce accurate and legally defensible environmental review documents. This webpage provides information on applying for approval.
The Approved Qualified Biologist and Restoration Specialist lists at the top of this page provides the contact information of companies with biologists approved to prepare the required environmental documents for permitting. Companies that complete work with biologists that have not been approved by the County may have the work product rejected by the Planning Division and that work will have to be redone with an Approved Qualified Biologist.
The County also provides additional support resources for approved Qualified Biologists preparing environmental documents. These resources are available at: Resources for Approved Qualified Biologists.
Application Submittal Requirements for Qualified Biologist
THE OPEN ENROLLMENT PERIOD TO BECOME A QUALIFIED BIOLOGISTS IS CURRENLTY CLOSED FOR 2025. HOWEVER, APPLICATIONS ARE BEING ACCEPTED FOR RESORATION SPECIALISTS, EXISTING APPROVED QUALIFIED BIOLOGISTS WHO NEED TO UPDATE QUALIFICATIONS, AND FOR BIOLOGISTS WHO ARE CURRENLTY CONTRACTED TO WORK ON A PROJECT SUBMITTED FOR DEVELOPMENT REVIEW. Applications will only be accepted outside of this period under the following circumstances:
- Consultants bidding on a Request for Proposal (RFP)
- Restoration Specialists
- Existing Qualified Biologists updating their qualifications
- Biologists currently under contract for projects submitted for development review
ALL OTHER APPLICATIONS WILL BE PLACED ON HOLD UNITL THE NEXT OPEN ENROLLEMMENT PERIOD IN 2026.
Step One. To be on the Planning Division’s List of Approved Qualified Biologists, you must meet the following minimum requirements in the link below. If you do not meet the qualifications provided in the link above, please do not apply or proceed further.
Step Two. Fill out the following Statement of Qualifications form.
- If you have not been a previously approved Qualified Biologist within the last four years, proceed with the New Applicant Form: https://forms.office.com/g/k2MCaM2brv
- If you are an existing approved Qualified Biologist who was approved by the County within the last four years and are updating your contact information or qualifications, proceed with the Existing Qualified Biologist Form: https://forms.office.com/g/UawvsyuseG . Once completed, proceed to Step Three and provide the information requested in bullets 1, 4, 5, and 6.
Step Three. Once you have completed the Statement of Qualifications form, please email the Program Manager Program Lead the following materials:
- Existing and New Biologists: A completed resume template sheet. This template should be filled out with your experience and contain the following details: project names, locations, specific dates worked on project, and specific job activities that correspond to the minimum qualifications’ fields (e.g., report writing, types of field surveys conducted (survey type, species groups), restoration work–plant alliance, report authorship, restoration implementation activities, monitoring, etc.).
- New Biologists Only: A signed Memorandum of Understanding Agreement (MOU) (download from link)
- New Biologists Only: Copy of any CNDDB Field Form Submitted to CDFW (Receipt of submission can be queried from biologist account with CNDBB. at https://wildlife.ca.gov/Data/CNDDB/Submitting-Data)
- Existing and New Biologists: Other certifications, collection permits, etc. obtained since last list update. Include Provider, Certification #, Topics/Species, Issue/Expiration dates, location, etc. Email to QB program manager at link provided below any copies of the documentation associated with current certifications, agency collection permits, etc. referenced in response to the online form questions.
- Existing and New Biologists: Receipt of current CNDDB subscription for your company (submitted by company lead contact) – click for example receipt. DO NOT CONTACT CDFW FOR COPY OF YOUR RECIEPT. If your company paid by check, the subscription user management webpage shows the company expiration date associated with their users. A screenshot of this webpage will suffice. Please contact Program Manager if you have questions.
- Existing and New Biologists: Receipt from GIS software license (Required for firms with less than 10 biologists. Submitted by company lead contact. If the firm uses an outside GIS consultant, please provide a copy of master contract with consultant who provides GIS services to your firm).
IMPORTANT ADVISORY for CNDDB Field Form Submitted to CDFW (#3 above) – If you do not have any field submission forms on record with the CNDDB, please talk to the Program Lead about meeting this requirement through alternative means. Providing new records with submissions to the CNDDB list that begin within 1-2 months of your application, where no submissions have previously been filed will not be accepted. The purpose of this CNDDB criteria is to ensure that County Sensitive Species are being tracked.
Step Four. Subscribe below to the Qualified Biologist Update list and you will periodically receive notifications and updates.
Updates to Qualified Biological Contact Information
If you are an approved Qualified Biologist and have any updates for contact information or employer changes, please contact the Program Manager (see below) and send the updated information. The list of Qualified Biological Consultants will be updated within one week of the date the notification and adequate information is received by the Planning Division.
For questions regarding the County’s Qualified Biologist Program, please contact the Qualified Biologist Program Lead at Abigail.Convery@venturacounty.gov or 805-654-2834.
For questions regarding a specific ISBA for a permit application, please contact the permit case planner assigned to the project.
Contact Us
Abigail Convery
Qualified Biologist Program Lead
Senior Planner/Staff Biologist
abigail.convery@venturacounty.gov
(805) 654-2489