1. (a) Notice of Preparation. Immediately after deciding that an environmental impact report is required for a project, the lead agency shall send a notice of preparation stating that an environmental impact report will be prepared to the Office of Planning and Research and each responsible and trustee agency and file with the county clerk of each county in which the project will be located. This notice shall also be sent to every federal agency involved in approving or funding the project. If the United States Department of Defense or any branch of the United States Armed Forces has given the lead agency written notification of the specific boundaries of a low-level flight path, military impact zone, or special use airspace and provided the lead agency with written notification of the military contact office and address for the military service pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 15190.5, then the lead agency shall include the specified military contact office in the list of organizations and individuals receiving a notice of preparation of an EIR pursuant to this section for projects that meet the criteria set forth in subdivision (c) of Section 15190.5.

   1. (1) The notice of preparation shall provide the responsible and trustee agencies, the Office of Planning and Research and county clerk with sufficient information describing the project and the potential environmental effects to enable the responsible agencies to make a meaningful response. At a minimum, the information shall include:

      1. (A) Description of the project,
      2. (B) Location of the project (either by street address and cross street, for a project in an urbanized area, or by attaching a specific map, preferably a copy of a U.S.G.S. 15′ or 7 1/2′ topographical map identified by quadrangle name), and
      3. (C) Probable environmental effects of the project.
   2. (2) A sample notice of preparation is shown in Appendix I. Public agencies are free to devise their own formats for this notice. A copy of the initial study may be sent with the notice to supply the necessary information.
   3. (3) To send copies of the notice of preparation, the lead agency shall use either certified mail or any other method of transmittal that provides it with a record that the notice was received.
   4. (4) The lead agency may begin work on the draft EIR immediately without awaiting responses to the notice of preparation. The draft EIR in preparation may need to be revised or expanded to conform to responses to the notice of preparation. A lead agency shall not circulate a draft EIR for public review before the time period for responses to the notice of preparation has expired.

2. (b) Response to Notice of Preparation. Within 30 days after receiving the notice of preparation under subdivision (a), each responsible and trustee agency and the Office of Planning and Research shall provide the lead agency with specific detail about the scope and content of the environmental information related to the responsible or trustee agency's area of statutory responsibility that must be included in the draft EIR.

   1. (1) The response at a minimum shall identify:

      1. (A) The significant environmental issues and reasonable alternatives and mitigation measures that the responsible or trustee agency, or the Office of Planning and Research will need to have explored in the draft EIR; and
      2. (B) Whether the agency will be a responsible agency or trustee agency for the project.
   2. (2) If a responsible or trustee agency, or the Office of Planning and Research fails by the end of the 30-day period to provide the lead agency with either a response to the notice or a well-justified request for additional time, the lead agency may presume that none of those entities have a response to make.
   3. (3) A generalized list of concerns not related to the specific project shall not meet the requirements of this section for a response.

3. (c) Meetings. In order to expedite the consultation, the lead agency, a responsible agency, a trustee agency, the Office of Planning and Research, or a project applicant may request one or more meetings between representatives of the agencies involved to assist the lead agency in determining the scope and content of the environmental information that the responsible or trustee agency may require. Such meetings shall be convened by the lead agency as soon as possible, but no later than 30 days after the meetings were requested. On request, the Office of Planning and Research will assist in convening meetings that involve state agencies.

   1. (1) For projects of statewide, regional or areawide significance pursuant to Section 15206, the lead agency shall conduct at least one scoping meeting. A scoping meeting held pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act, 42 USC 4321 et seq.(NEPA) in the city or county within which the project is located satisfies this requirement if the lead agency meets the notice requirements of subsection (c)(2) below.

   2. (2) The lead agency shall provide notice of the scoping meeting to all of the following:

      1. (A) any county or city that borders on a county or city within which the project is located, unless otherwise designated annually by agreement between the lead agency and the county or city;
      2. (B) any responsible agency
      3. (C) any public agency that has jurisdiction by law with respect to the project;
      4. (D) any organization or individual who has filed a written request for the notice.
   3. (3) A lead agency shall call at least one scoping meeting for a proposed project that may affect highways or other facilities under the jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation if the meeting is requested by the department. The lead agency shall call the scoping meeting as soon as possible but not later than 30 days after receiving the request from the Department of Transportation.
4. (d) The Office of Planning and Research. The Office of Planning and Research will ensure that the state responsible and trustee agencies reply to the lead agency within 30 days of receipt of the notice of preparation by the state responsible and trustee agencies.
5. (e) Identification Number. When the notice of preparation is submitted to the State Clearinghouse, the state identification number issued by the Clearinghouse shall be the identification number for all subsequent environmental documents on the project. The identification number should be referenced on all subsequent correspondence regarding the project, specifically on the title page of the draft and final EIR and on the notice of determination.

Note: Authority cited: Section 21083, Public Resources Code. Reference: Sections 21083.9, 21080.4, 21092.3 and 21098, Public Resources Code.

History

1. Amendment of subsection (b) filed 1-30-86; effective thirtieth day thereafter (Register 86, No. 5).

2. Change without regulatory effect amending subsection (a)(2) filed 2-1-2001 pursuant to section 100, title 1, California Code of Regulations (Register 2001, No. 5).

3. Amendment of section heading, section and Note filed 9-7-2004; operative 9-7-2004 pursuant to Public Resources Code section 21083(e) (Register 2004, No. 37).

4. Change without regulatory effect amending section and Note filed 10-6-2005 pursuant to section 100, title 1, California Code of Regulations (Register 2005, No. 40).

5. Amendment of subsections (a) and (c)(1), new subsection (c)(2), subsection renumbering and amendment of Note filed 7-27-2007; operative 7-27-2007 pursuant to Public Resources Code section 21083(f) (Register 2007, No. 30).

6. Amendment of subsections (a)-(a)(1) and amendment of Note filed 12-28-2018; operative 12-28-2018 pursuant to Government Code section 11343.4(b)(3) (Register 2018, No. 52).