The Community Development Department maintains an Informational Bulletin Library that includes a series of easy to read brochures that provide general guidance and direction on a variety of common land use topics and questions. As CEQA is mainly a process, a bulletin (IB-150) has been developed that outlines the city’s processing requirements and CEQA’s role in development.

The city utilizes the initial study found in CEQA Guidelines, Appendix G (Environmental Checklist Form). Please refer to the latest CEQA Guidelines published by the Governor’s Office and Planning & Research (OPR), which is available on their website.

For certain resources, the City Council adopted “screening criteria” to help streamline project reviews by providing staff, applicants, and the public with a conservative indication of whether a proposed project could result in potentially significant impacts.  If the required screening criteria are met by a proposed project, then the applicant may need to perform further evaluation or analysis on a particular environmental impact.

• Transportation (See Section 3.2)
• Greenhouse Gas Emission (See Section 3)

In an effort to provide general technical guidance in evaluating the potential significance of a project’s environmental impact and provide a consistent and objective basis for determining the level of impacts, the city is currently in the process of centralizing its “CEQA Significance Determination Thresholds” into one document.

Staff anticipates that the reference document will be available in the Fall 2022.  If you have any questions regarding specific thresholds, please contact the Planning Division at 442-339-2600 or via email at Planning@carlsbadca.gov

The purpose of significance determination thresholds (also known as Guidelines) is to assist city staff, project proponents, and the public in determining whether, based on substantial evidence, a project may have a significant effect on the environment under CEQA Section 21082.2, and therefore the environmental impact requires mitigation. They are not intended to be standalone policies and are to be used in conjunction with commonly accepted professional standards, judgments, and practices.

The city will periodically revise sections of the Guidelines in response to CEQA case law, and changes in federal, state, and local regulations. Staff also periodically provides updated information and clarification and direction for environmental analysts. As such, please check this website regularly for the most current set of Guidelines.

CEQA exemption determinations and CEQA documents (Negative Declarations, Mitigated Negative Declarations and Environmental Impact Reports) are required under law to be posted for public review and comment prior to project decision. Refer to our informational bulletin (IB-150) to learn more about the different comment periods. In keeping with state law, environmental notices are posted on the city’s website, which can be accessed via the department’s Agendas, Minutes & Notices webpage. Feel free to review the posted documents and to contact the planner listed as the point of contact for any questions or directions.