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Environmental & Resource Protection
Santa Cruz County’s General Plan and County Code provide for protection of the Environment. Development and building applications are reviewed by County staff to ensure that projects meet the goals of the General Plan and County Code.

The majority of the General Plan Policies can be found in Sections 5 and 6 of the General Plan. The majority of the County’s environmental and resource protection codes are found in Chapter 16.

If you have questions about any of the Environmental Policies or Code please contact us.


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Compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)

Compliance with CEQA is an important aspect of the project review process. CEQA requires that projects be reviewed to determine whether any significant environmental impacts could result. If significant impacts are anticipated, mitigation measures are developed which will reduce or avoid those impacts. In some instances, CEQA requires that an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) be prepared to analyze impacts and identify mitigations. EIRs are generally large documents with a lengthy preparation and public review time.