Ventura County Qualified Biologist Program
Update: In accordance with the Planning Division Fee Schedule, a fee is required for the processing of new Qualified Biologist applications and updates. The non-refundable fee is $207 per biologist and is based on the amount of staff time required to review and process application materials. Payment of the fee is required before a Qualified Biologist application can be reviewed. When an existing approved Qualified Biologist’s MOU expires, this fee will also apply to applications being renewed. This fee does not apply when an existing biologist changes firms or provides updated contact information. Please provide the updated contact information via email to the Qualified Biologist Program Manager.
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:
- Restoration Specialists
- Existing Qualified Biologists updating qualifications or renewing their MOU
- Biologists under contract for projects submitted for development review
- Consultants who have submitted a Request for Proposal for on-call services
If these circumstances apply to you, please proceed to the instructions listed under “Application Submittal Requirements” below.
Important Resources:
Learn about how to apply to become a Ventura County Qualified Biologist.
Qualified Biologists must meet minimum standards to produce County environmental documents. Please see the attached document to learn more qualification requirements.
All Qualified Biologists must have a signed MOU in effect with the County once approved as meeting the minimum qualifications.
A resume using the template provided is required for the application. ALSO include your official resume if you are requesting to meet requirements that are met by required certifications.
Access the list of County-approved qualified biological consultants.
Access the list of County-approved qualified biological restoration consultants.
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. Applications will only be accepted outside of this period under the following circumstances:
- Restoration Specialists
- Existing Qualified Biologists updating qualifications or renewing their MOU
- Biologists under contract for projects submitted for development review
- Consultants who have submitted a Request for Proposal for on-call services
To be on the Planning Division’s List of Approved Qualified Biologists, the biologist must meet the following minimum requirements in the link below. Prior to completing an application, please review the qualifications to ensure that the biologist is qualified. If the minimum qualifications are not met, please do not apply or proceed further. The application fee is non-refundable, regardless of the outcome of the application review.
Step One. Designate one primary point of contact in your company to coordinate the application process and any future program communications with the County. This person will work directly with the QB Program Manager to process applications submitted for approval. The point of contact will create a profile on the County’s online data portal Citizen Access. Qualified Biologist’s holding a current MOU will be uploaded by the Planning Division. There is no need for current QB to create a profile at this time. Profiles must be created by any biologist who does not have a current MOU with the County. If you have questions, please contact the Program Manager.
Step Two. Prior to creating an online account or application, the biologist should have the following documents electronically available to upload to the Citizen Access portal prior to starting the application.
- 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: 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/Renewing and New Biologists: Receipt of current CNDDB subscription for your company (submitted by company point of 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/Renewing and New Biologists: Receipt from GIS software license (Required for firms with less than 10 biologists. Submitted by company point of 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 the biologist does not have any field submission forms on record with the CNDDB, the biologist should talk to the Program Manager 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 Three. Biologists applying for consideration must personally go online to the Citizen Access site and create an account. Once your account is created, select the “Planning” tab near the top of the screen, and “Create an Application”. You will select “Planning Biologist Program” which can be found under the record type search and “Planning” link. Fill out the application and upload the requested documents. Please notify the Qualified Biologist Program Manager via email after you have completed your application
Updates to Qualified Biological Contact Information
If you are an approved Qualified Biologist and have updates for contact information or employer changes, please contact the Program Manager (see below) and send the updated information.
For questions regarding the County’s Qualified Biologist Program, please contact the Qualified Biologist Program Manager 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