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

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.

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

  • All Notices of Preparation (NOPs) of Draft Environmental Impact Reports (EIR)
  • Draft Environmental Impact Reports (EIR), Negative Declarations, and all other Environmental Documents (reference NOC subtypes) prepared by State agencies
  • Draft Environmental Documents prepared by a lead where a State agency is a Responsible Agency, Trustee Agency, or otherwise has jurisdiction by law with respect to the project
  • Draft Environmental Documents on projects identified as being of statewide, regional, or areawide significance (CEQA Guidelines Section 15206)
  • Draft Environmental Impact Statements, Environmental Assessments, and Findings of No Significant Impact (FONSI) prepared pursuant to NEPA (Title 40 CFR, Part 1500, commencing with Section 1500.1).

    Please refer to PRC Sections 21082.1 and Sections 15205-6 of the most recent CEQA Guidelines for more information on filing requirements.

    Additionally, the Senate Bill 375 CEQA Provision Flowcharts provide more information on project-specific filing requirements, as does OPR’s technical advisory on submitting documents to the State Clearinghouse.

  • Notices of Determination (NODs) and Notices of Exemption (NOEs): 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. Additionally, SB 69 requires local agencies filing NOEs with the local county clerk to also file with OPR. (See Public Resources Code section 21152.)

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.

  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.
  8. The lead agency files the approved/certified Final Document. The Final does not go under a review period unless the Lead indicates it wants it to go under review.

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

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.

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)

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.

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. Pay fees or show proof of payment
    1. State Lead Agencies: Make checks payable to California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). Refer to the CDFW website for the most up to date filing fee requirements. Checks can be mailed to or dropped off at the address below. Please include the SCH# on the check or transmittal. As of May 1st, 2023, the State Clearinghouse (SCH) will only accept in-person drop-offs of CDFW filing fees on Mondays and Wednesdays (excluding holidays) between the hours of 9am and 12pm. If these times do not work for you, please schedule a drop-off appointment with us by calling the office at (916) 445-0613 between the hours of 9am and 4pm or by emailing us at state.clearinghouse@opr.ca.gov.

      State Clearinghouse
      1400 Tenth Street
      Sacramento, CA 95814

      Note: Do not use the prior P.O. Box 3044, as it is no longer valid.

      Please note that the State Clearinghouse does not issue drop-off receipts for checks. CDFW filing fee receipts are issued after our staff processes the check and posts the NOD. These receipts are made available on our CEQA Submit and CEQAnet websites.

    2. Requirements for Paying California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Fees

      You must pay the fee by check payable to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

      To avoid misdirection of checks or delays in posting Notices of Determination, clearly identify the purpose of the check on the check itself or on an enclosed transmittal note.  If the check and/or enclosed transmittal note does not include the information below, the materials including the check will be returned immediately.  The check and/or enclosed transmittal note must include:

      • State Clearinghouse Number (SCH#)
      • Project title
      • Project contact person’s name and number and/or email address

      You can mail the check or make an appointment to deliver it in person to the State Clearinghouse at the address below. To make an appointment to deliver the check in person, email state.clearinghouse@opr.ca.gov or call the State Clearinghouse at (916) 445-0613 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. (Monday – Friday, excluding holidays).

      State Clearinghouse
      1400 Tenth Street
      Sacramento, CA 95814

      Note: P.O. Box 3044 is no longer valid

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

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

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.

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.

Forms and Resources

State Clearinghouse Forms for submissions.

For More Information

Christine Asiata Rodriguez
Christine Asiata Rodriguez, is the Manager of the State Clearinghouse (SCH) at the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR).