Environmental Document Submission

What kinds of environmental documents to submit to the State Clearinghouse, how to file documents, submission requirements, review process information, and accessibility requirements.

Accessibility

State and Federal agencies must comply with all applicable statutory and regulatory requirements related to the Americans with Disabilities Act for documents posted and made available on internet websites. Local agencies must comply with all applicable statutory and regulatory requirements related to the Americans with Disabilities Act for documents posted and made available on internet websites.

The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) accepts no responsibility for the content or accessibility of CEQA documents and accompanying attachments; OPR posts documents in the manner it receives them. OPR does not control the content of external, third party documents submitted to us. For more information, please visit OPR’s Accessibility page.

General Instructions

How to File Environmental Documents and Notices

In March 2019, the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR), State Clearinghouse Unit (SCH) launched CEQA Submit and the updated version of CEQAnet. Together, the two online platforms serve as the new way to submit and publish Environmental Documents and Notices.

As of November 3, 2020, the SCH stopped accepting emails and hardcopies of environmental Documents and now require that all agencies submit documents via CEQA Submit for publication to CEQAnet.

Upon receipt of documents to CEQA Submit, SCH staff reviews and then publishes those documents to CEQAnet. Upon publication, a confirmation is emailed and anyone can then use CEQAnet to access those documents. It only posts electronic copies of original documents received March 2019 and later, but it houses records of all CEQA documents the SCH has ever received.

Register into CEQA Submit:

Please go to CEQA Submit and choose “Create an Account” to get started. If you are already registered, enter in your work email and you will receive a temporary key to log on.

Once you are registered, please refer to the CEQA Database User Guide to guide you through the submission process.

What to Submit to the State Clearinghouse

The State Clearinghouse (SCH) must receive all the following types of Environmental Documents (California Code of Regulations, Title 14):

When you use the statutory exemptions contained in PRC Sections 22159.22, 21159.23, or 21159.24, you must file an NOE must be filed pursuant to PRC 21152.1. Check the language of the statutory exemption to see if a NOE is required.

Note on Cal Cannabis Permits: For permits related to cannabis cultivation, manufacturing, or other commercial activity, CEQA review is typically done at the local level first, as part of a city or county’s local review process for a discretionary permit. Evidence of this local CEQA compliance is then submitted to the relevant State licensing authority as part of the license application. Please see the regulations of the relevant State licensing authority for information about the CEQA review process that authority conducts when considering a license application.

Review Process of Draft Environmental Documents

  1. For Draft Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs) only: lead agency prepares and submits the Notice of Preparation (NOP) to the State Clearinghouse (SCH). The State Clearinghouse assigns a unique identification number, and the NOP undergoes 30-day minimum review period. Refer to CEQA Guidelines Section 15082 for more information on NOPs
  2. Lead agency prepares the Draft Environmental Document
  3. Lead agency submits the Draft Document and other required attachments to the SCH via CEQA Submit
  4. Upon publication, the SCH assigns a unique SCH identification number (unless document is published under existing SCH#) and the review period begins. Refer to CEQA Guidelines Section 15105 for specific review period lengths If the project already has a SCH identification number from a previous document submittal, the lead agency should submit under the previously assigned SCH
  5. State review agencies comment on the Draft Document within the State review period. The SCH makes State agency comments available on CEQAnet. Reviewing agencies are responsible for forwarding comments to the lead and the SCH.
  6. The lead agency considers comments and decides on whether to approve a project (CEQA Guidelines Section 15044).
  7. If the project is approved, the lead agency files a Notice of Determination (NOD) (CEQA Guidelines Section 15075, 15094 and 15096(i)).
    1. Local agencies must file the NOD within five working days after deciding to carry out or approve the project with the County Clerk of the County the project will be in; Beginning January 1, 2024, Senate Bill (SB) 69 (Cortese, 2023) will require that local agencies electronically file all NODs with OPR in addition to the county clerk of the county where the project will be located.
    2. State agencies must file NOD within five working days after deciding to carry out or approve the project with the SCH.

    Updates to a Published Document

    Once the SCH publishes a document submission, the submitter of that document no longer has access to make changes. To make changes to a published project, individuals must email the requested changes to state.clearinghouse@opr.ca.gov and include the SCH number of the project that needs to be updated. The SCH requests that lead agencies provide a memo on official letterhead confirming/explaining the changes to the submission. For extended review requests, agencies should provide an updated Notice of Intent (NOI) or Notice of Availability (NOA). The SCH cannot remove attachments once they have been published but can post updated or corrected attachments.

    Requesting a Shortened Review Period

    Under exceptional circumstances, the SCH may shorten the normal review periods for Draft Negative Declarations and Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs) prior to the start of the State review period. To request a shortened review period, the lead agency must:

    1. Email the SCH with a completed Shortened Review Request Form, the Draft Environmental Document, and a completed Notice of Completion (NOC) Form prior to submission of the Draft document The request form must identify which of the five criteria in Appendix K of the CEQA Guidelines are met for this project (CEQA Guidelines Section 15205(d)) and explain why the shortened review is necessary and identify prior approval from Responsible and Trustee state agencies (Public Resources Code Section 21091(e)).
    2. File the Draft Environmental Document – accompanied by the completed Shortened Review Request Form and NOC form via CEQA Submit – after the SCH approves the email request

    Submission Requirements for CEQA Documents

    Draft/Final Environmental Documents

    Includes Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs), Negative Declarations (NDs/MNDs), and all other Notice of Completion (NOC) subtypes.

    Please include all the following materials in the “Attachments” section in CEQA Submit:

    1. Draft/Final Environmental Document Note: if your Final is not going under review, the NOC form and Summary Form are optional uploads to supplement your Final Document.
    2. Initial Study (IS)
    3. Notice of Availability (NOA) OR Notice of Intent (NOI) OPR does not have a standardized Notice of Intent (NOI) or Availability (NOA) form. Each lead agency may devise its own form, but the lead agency must meet the minimum content requirements pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15072 and 15087. You can refer to this example of a Notice of Intent (NOI) and example of a Notice of Availability (NOA) that the SCH received from lead agencies.
    4. Notice of Completion & Environmental Document Transmittal (NOC) form
    5. OPR Summary Form

    See also OPR’s CEQA Technical Advisory on Submitting CEQA Documents to the State Clearinghouse for more information on Draft and Final Environmental Documents.

    NOC subtypes

    Types of NOC form subtypes
    Noc Subtype Description
    NOA Notice of Availability
    NOI Notice of Intent
    CON Early Consultation Notice
    NOP Notice of Preparation (of an EIR)
    EIR Draft Environmental Impact Report
    SIR Supplemental EIR
    SBE Subsequent EIR
    Neg Dec/ND Negative Declaration
    MND Mitigated Negative Declaration
    FED Functional Equivalent Document
    SCEA Sustainable Communities Environmental Assessment
    RAN Request for Advanced Notification
    EA Draft Environmental Assessment
    EIS Draft Environmental Impact Statement
    FONSI Finding of No Significant Impact
    MEA Master Environmental Assessment
    SEA Supplemental Environmental Assessment
    SIS Revised/Supplemental Impact Statement
    TRI Tribal Compact Environmental Evaluation
    BIA-LA Bureau of Indian Affairs Notice of Land Acquisition
    BIA-ND Bureau of Indian Affairs Notice of Decision
    NDE Notice of Decision
    ADM Addendum
    FIS Final Environmental Statement
    JD Joint Document
    FIN Final Document
    REV Revised
    FYI Informational
    RC Response to Comments
    ROD Record of Decision
    OTH Other type (none of the above)

    Notices of Preparation (NOPs) of a Draft EIR

    Please include all the following materials in the “Attachments” section in CEQA Submit:

    1. Notice of Preparation (NOP) form
    2. Notice of Completion (NOC) form
    3. Additional references to the NOP

    Refer to the most recent CEQA Guidelines Section 15082 for more information on NOPs.

    Notices of Determination (NODs)

    Beginning January 1, 2024, Senate Bill (SB) 69 (Cortese, 2023) will require that local agencies electronically file all NODs with OPR in addition to the county clerk of the county where the project will be located.

    Please include all the following materials in the “Attachments” section in CEQA Submit:

    1. Notice of Determination (NOD) form
    2. Additional references to the NOD
    3. Notice of Determination (NOD) Fee and Filing

    Refer to CEQA Guidelines Sections 15075, 15094 and 15096(i) for more information on NODs.

    Certified Regulatory Programs (CRP) – Submission of Notice of Decisions and Payment of California Department of Fish and Wildlife Fees.

    Please refer to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) website for information on paying CRP fees.

    Notices of Exemption (NOEs)

    Beginning January 1, 2024, Senate Bill (SB) 69 (Cortese, 2023) requires local agencies filing NOEs with the local county clerk of the county where the project will be located, to also file with OPR.

    Please include all the following materials in the “Attachments” section in CEQA Submit:

    1. Notice of Exemption (NOE) form
    2. Additional references to the NOE

    Refer to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061-2 for more information on NOEs.

    National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Federal Environmental Documents

    OPR is responsible for implementing Presidential Executive Order (E.O.) 12372. This E.O. requires federal agencies to use State and local processes 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 Section 15225(2).

    Please refer to the Submission Requirements for Draft/Final Environmental Documents for NEPA Federal document submission requirements.