INITIAL STUDY ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES (ISAGs)
COMPREHENSIVE UPDATE
Background
The California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, is the state law that requires public agencies, including the County of Ventura, to study and disclose potential environmental impacts of projects and adopt any feasible measures to reduce or eliminate those impacts before a project is approved.
One of the main goals of CEQA is to inform decision-makers and the public about potential environmental impacts of proposed projects. The County of Ventura carries out CEQA through local guidelines that are included in two documents: the Ventura County CEQA Implementation Manual (“Implementation Manual”) and the Ventura County Initial Study Assessment Guidelines (“ISAGs”).
The Implementation Manual and the Ventura County ISAGs ensure that the County uses consistent procedures and evaluation criteria when examining the physical impacts of a public or private project on the environment.
Proposed Comprehensive Update
The Implementation Manual was last updated in 2010 and ISAGs were last updated in 2011. A comprehensive update to both documents is needed to align these documents with current County policies, CEQA requirements, and other state and federal regulations. The County will be seeking feedback on the updated Implementation Manual and the ISAGs. Public outreach opportunities will be forthcoming. Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors hearings will follow later this year.
Public participation is a key element of the CEQA process, so it is important that the community learn about these documents and provide feedback to ensure that the environmental review process continues to be efficient and transparent.
Initial Study Assessment Guidelines
The Ventura County Initial Study Assessment Guidelines inform the public, project applicants, consultants, and County staff on environmental impact thresholds and ways to determine whether a project has the potential to cause a significant negative effect on the environment. The Assessment Guidelines cover a wide range of topic areas, including air quality, transportation, water quality, biological resources, and many others.
Updates to the Initial Study Assessment Guidelines include clarifications and consolidation of environmental thresholds, methods for impact analysis, and the addition of a glossary and resources to support impact analysis.
The proposed updated Initial Study Assessment Guidelines will be available for viewing on this website on or after April 24, 2025.
CEQA Implementation Manual
The Ventura County CEQA Implementation Manual was formerly titled the Administrative Supplement to the State CEQA Guidelines. The Ventura County CEQA Implementation Manual includes procedures to comply with CEQA, such as filing public notices of proposed projects. Key updates to the CEQA Implementation Manual include revisions to incorporate the most current CEQA requirements, procedures to amend the document in the future, and County agency responsibilities.
The proposed updated CEQA Implementation Manual will be available for viewing on this website on or after April 24, 2025.
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