CEQA Document Submission
How to File Environmental Documents
Summary of Document Submission Requirements
Forms – Description and Links
Certified Regulatory Programs-Submission of Notice of Decisions / Payment of Fish and Game Fees
Send environmental documents via:
| USPS: | OR | Courier Service / Hand Deliveries: |
State Clearinghouse |
State Clearinghouse |
Office and Delivery Hours: Monday – Friday (excluding holidays) 9:00AM – 5:00PM
Filing Deadlines: Public Resources Code Section 21091(c)(3) allows for “three working days from the date of receipt” for the SCH to start the state review period and distribute the draft documents to state agencies for review and comment. In general, complete documents that arrive by 12:00 PM on a working day will begin state review on that day; documents that arrive after 12:00 PM will begin review the following working day.
*Exceptions: NOEs and NODs must arrive by 5:00PM to post that day.
Questions? Please call the SCH at (916) 445-0613
Fax: (916) 323-3018
To prevent delays in processing, please COLLATE and BIND all environmental document submissions to the SCH.
TYPE OF DOCUMENT |
REQUIREMENTS |
RECOMMENDATIONS |
ADVISORY |
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) |
One copy of NOC |
15 hardcopies of entire document OR 15 hardcopies of executive summary or 15 hardcopies of summary form and 15 CDs of entire document |
Deliver between 9AM-12 PM Collate and bind
|
Negative Declaration or Mitigated Negative Declaration (ND/MND) |
One copy of NOC |
15 hardcopies of entire document OR 15 hardcopies of initial study or 15 hardcopies of summary form and 15 CDs of entire document. |
Deliver between 9AM-12 PM Collate and bind |
NEPA Federal Documents Notice of Intent (NOI), Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), Environmental Assessment (EA) |
OPR is responsible for implementing Presidential Executive Order (EO) 12372. This EO requires federal agencies to use state and local process for intergovernmental coordination. OPR is available to assist federal agencies with review of NEPA documents and associated intergovernmental coordination. CEQA allows for use of NEPA documents in place of CEQA documents. Submission through OPR is required to use those provisions. See CEQA Guidelines:15225 Section 2. |
15 hardcopy executive summaries or 15 hardcopies of summary form, 15 CDs of entire document and an NOC OR 15 hardcopies and an NOC. |
Deliver between 9AM-12 PM Collate and bind
|
One copy with EIRs |
For walk-in deliveries bring two copies to date stamp. |
To prevent delays and to ensure accurate entry in CEQAnet, include an NOC with all ND/MNDs, NOPs, EAs, EISs, NOIs, and Tribal Compact Environmental Evaluations. |
|
| One copy State agencies - pay fees or show proof of payment OR Local agencies - pay fees to County Clerks Certified Regulatory Programs |
Refer to the Fish and Game Fee Memo 2011 To file a final, see "Final" in this table |
For same day posting, state agencies filing as Lead must pay Fish and Game fees. Faxes: do not send hardcopy follow-up for duplicate posting purposes. Returned stamped copies: include two copies and a self-addressed stamped envelope. |
|
One copy |
For walk-in deliveries bring two copies to date stamp. |
Fax or mail. Faxes: do not send hardcopy follow-up for duplicate posting purposes. Returned stamped copies: include two copies and a self-addressed stamped envelope. |
|
One copy |
15 hardcopies and an NOC. OR 15 hardcopy initial studies or 15 hardcopies of summary form, 15 CDs of entire document and an NOC. |
Deliver between 9AM-12 PM Collate and bind Not accepted via fax or email. |
|
Prior approval from responsible/trustee agencies |
Contact the SCH prior to requesting. |
|
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Comment Letters |
Refer to CEQA Guidelines 15044. Review the number of pages that are acceptable to fax here. |
Fax or mail for timely processing. Faxes: do not send a hardcopy follow-up for duplicate posting purposes. |
|
Finals |
Finals are not required. |
One hardcopy or one CD. |
For distribution to state agencies for informational purposes, send 15 hardcopies or 15 CDs with an NOC. |
Notice of Completion (NOC) - Informs reviewers that a Draft EIR is complete (CEQA Guidelines, Section 15085). One copy of the NOC must accompany the required 15 copies of the EIR submitted to OPR. We highly recommend completing this document for all Mitigated/Negative Declarations (ND/MND), Notices of Preparation (NOP), Notices of Intent, Environmental Assessments, Environmental Impact Statements, Early Consultations, and Tribal Compact Environmental Evaluations for accurate indexing in the CEQAnet Database.
Notice of Determination (NOD) - Lead and responsible agencies are required to notify OPR and/or the county clerk when they make a determination to approve a project subject to CEQA (CEQA Guidelines, Sections 15075 and 15094). There are fees associated with this form so please review the Fish and Game Fee Memo 2011.
Notice of Exemption (NOE) - Informs OPR and/or the county clerk that the lead agency has determined that a project is exempt from CEQA review (CEQA Guidelines, Section 15062).
Notice of Preparation (NOP) - Informs reviewers of the lead agency’s intent to prepare an EIR (CEQA Guidelines, Section 15082). We recommend that 1) a Notice of Completion Form accompany the NOP for accurate indexing in the CEQAnet database; and, 2) lead agencies send 15 hardcopies of any attachments, initial studies, maps, or any other documentation describing the project.
Sample Summary Fillable Form - 15 copies of this document may be included when a Lead Agency submits electronic copies of EIRs, ND/MNDs, or NOPs to the SCH. The SCH will still accept other summaries, such as an EIR executive summary prepared pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15123, attached to the electronic copies of the document.
Shortened Review Request - Under certain circumstances, a shortened review may be granted (refer to Public Resources Code Section 21091 and CEQA Guidelines Appendix K). Send one copy of this form to accompany the 15 hardcopies and the NOC. Prior to requesting a shortened review, we recommend that you contact a planner in the SCH.
CEQA Initial Study Checklist - Maintained by the Association of Environmental Professionals (AEP).
Certified Regulatory Programs (CRP)
Submission of Notice of Decisions and Payment of California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) Fees
State agencies and departments are required to submit Notice of Decisions for projects approved under a CRP to the Office of the Secretary for the California Natural Resources Agency. Environmental filing fees for CRP’s must be paid directly to the DFG. Below are the addresses for the filing of the Notice of Decision and for the payment of filing fees for projects that fall under Certified Regulatory Programs only.
Send Notice of Decisions for CRP’s to:
California Natural Resources Agency
Office of Assistant General Counsel
1416 Ninth Street, Suite 1311
Sacramento, CA 95814
Send Checks for CRP projects to Fish and Game to:
California Department of Fish and Game
Accounting Services Branch
ATTN: ASB Receipts
1416 9th Street, Suite 1244
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 653-9873