(A) “Environmental review” is the process of addressing the California Environmental Quality Act by the county. Environmental review fees shall be paid by the applicant at the point in time when application is made and are in addition to planning fees and legal surcharge stated in § 5.01.060.
(B) Environmental review fees paid for planning staff review are:
Statutory exemption and categorical exemption | $874 |
Request for proposals/EIR contract | $1,611 |
Initial study/negative declaration | $10,000 deposit if done in-house |
Notice of preparation | $805 |
EIR and initial study administrative fee (added to consultant costs, applicant deposit requirements) | $0.32 |
Consultant-contract preparation | $2,500 |
(C) A $250 non-refundable minimum deposit shall be paid by the applicant at the time of application unless the fee specified above is greater than the minimum deposit. Should the deposit be expended conducting environmental review, additional fees shall be paid by the applicant for the actual time spent on the activity. The legal surcharge for all applications is a minimum non-refundable fee of $100.
(D) Billing for fees shall be quarterly. Failure to pay fees within 30 days of receiving the bill shall constitute an unreasonable delay by the applicant in the environmental review process. Delinquent bills shall result in cessation by staff of the environmental review process until billing is made current.
(E) When an environmental impact report (EIR) is required, the fees for request for proposals/EIR contract and notice of preparation shall not apply unless more than one request for proposals/EIR contract and notice of preparation are requested. The Planning Department’s administrative fee for the processing of an environmental impact report is 25% of the cost of the EIR. The EIR administrative fee is to be paid by the applicant and is in addition to the cost of the EIR. When an EIR is required, the legal surcharge/administrative fee shall be 2% of the cost of the EIR. The specific administrative fee for EIR processing shall be in addition to any other fees for environmental review.
(1966 Code, § 6C.1-10) (Ord. 623, § 1(part); Ord. 833, § 2; Ord. 972, Exhibit A, 2018)