Effective Jan. 1, filing fees imposed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife will increase for all CEQA Notices of Determination. The CDFW is required to adjust the fees annually. The fees are used to defray the agency’s costs related to, among other things, consulting with public agencies, reviewing environmental documents, making mitigation recommendations and developing monitoring programs, according to the agency’s website.
The cost increases for NOD filed on or after Jan. 1 are as follows:
DFW Fee Schedule
|
CEQA Document
|
Fees Effective
Jan. 1, 2018
|
Fees Effective
Jan. 1, 2019
|
|
Negative Declaration
|
$2,280.75
|
$2,354.75
|
|
Mitigated Negative Declaration
|
$2,280.75
|
$2,354.75
|
|
Environmental Impact Report
|
$3,168
|
$3,271
|
|
Environmental Document pursuant to a Certified Regulatory Program*
|
$1,077
|
$1,112
|
|
Notice of Exemption for a Statutory or Categorical Exempt Action
|
No DFW Fee
|
No DFW Fee
|
|
County Clerk Processing Fee**
|
$50
|
$50
|
*Including, but not limited to, timber harvesting plans and other state agency regulatory programs. (Public Resources Code, § 21080.5; State CEQA Guidelines, § 15251)
**Additional county fees may apply. Please check with the county clerk’s office for the current amount of the county’s processing fee. This fee is due for all filings, including a Notice of Exemption.
As was the case in 2018, no DFW fee will be assessed for the filing of Notices of Exemption in 2019. Please note, however, that a local clerk’s processing fee may be charged for the filing of any NOD or NOE, depending on local county policy.
The DFW fee may be charged only once per project. In the event that a project requires the filing of multiple NODs by lead or responsible agencies, the DFW fee is required at the time the lead agency files the first NOD. If a copy of the DFW fee receipt for the filing of the first NOD can be provided as proof of payment, subsequent NODs for the same project will not need to pay any additional DFW fees.
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