Practitioner guide
What public sources should you check before drafting a CEQA Initial Study?
A project-led source checklist and reusable record for checking public maps, databases, plans, and agency records before drafting an Initial Study.
Published Last materially reviewed
Start with the project footprint, activities, jurisdiction, and baseline date. Check the public maps, databases, plans, and agency records relevant to each Appendix G question. Pair statewide and federal results with the adopted local plans, ordinances, thresholds, and provider records that apply to the project. Use the topic groups below to select starting sources and identify the evidence to obtain next. The list is not exhaustive.
Keep a source record for each check: what you searched, which version you used, what it returned, and what remains unresolved. This gives the reviewer evidence for setting prose without turning a database result into an impact conclusion. CEQA Guidelines § 15063 and Appendix G frame the Initial Study; public-source searches provide inputs to that analysis.
Confirm the project facts before choosing sources
Before opening a map, confirm:
- Location and jurisdiction: address, assessor’s parcel number, coordinates, lead agency, and other approval agencies.
- Whole footprint: development, grading, staging, access, utility extensions, haul routes, and other off-site work. A parcel centroid cannot represent every affected area.
- Existing and proposed conditions: uses, demolition, construction methods, operations, and service demand.
- Timing: baseline date, phases, construction schedule, and expected permit dates.
- Earlier coverage: applicable CEQA documents, plans, approvals, and studies.
If a fact is missing, identify its owner before making a project-specific statement. These inputs guide research; they do not replace the project description.
Use the operative questions in Appendix G, a sample form that can be tailored to project circumstances. Its questions are not automatic thresholds or universal database requirements. Consider construction, operations, direct and indirect effects, off-site work, and cumulative relationships when choosing sources.
Choose sources for each Appendix G question
Start with the group that matches the project activity, then check the remaining groups for connected effects. The topic numbers retain all 20 Appendix G topics plus Mandatory Findings of Significance. Use the shared protocols below each time you select a source.
| Start with this group | Appendix G topics |
|---|---|
| Check land and physical resources | I, II, VII, XI, XII |
| Scope habitat and heritage research | IV, V, XVIII |
| Trace emissions-and-travel questions | III, VI, VIII, XIII, XVII |
| Check water and hazard records | IX, X, XX |
| Connect demand to facilities and findings | XIV, XV, XVI, XIX, XXI |
Check land and physical resources
Use these sources for visible development, farmland or woodland conversion, grading, new uses, and mineral-resource conflicts.
| Topic | Starting source and next check |
|---|---|
| I. Aesthetics | Caltrans California State Scenic Highways: distinguish eligible and officially designated routes. Check local scenic controls and project viewpoints. |
| II. Agriculture and forestry resources | FMMP, Williamson Act Program, and BOF annual rules: check mapped farmland, county contracts, and forestry requirements separately. |
| VII. Geology and soils | CGS EQ Zapp and Web Soil Survey: screen investigation zones and soil interpretations. Retain regulatory maps through the CGS Information Warehouse. |
| XI. Land use and planning | Obtain adopted local plans, zoning, overlays, and entitlements. LCI General Plan Guidelines and Technical Advisories supplies statewide guidance. Compare the proposal with applicable provisions. |
| XII. Mineral resources | CGS Mineral Land Classification and Mines Online: retain the classification report/map and read the underlying mine or reclamation file. |
Keep the source identity with the result. For scenic highways, retain map/designation dates; statutory route text controls a conflict with postmile information. Record the FMMP edition. BOF’s Bills, Statutes, Rules and Annual California Forest Practice Rules hub includes the 2026 rules; retain the annual edition used.
EQ Zapp screens zones of required investigation for fault rupture, liquefaction, and earthquake-induced landslides. For regulatory use, retain the authoritative CGS zone map/data and report, edition, scale, and coverage. Distinguish unevaluated areas from mapped areas outside a zone. Scope licensed geotechnical review and paleontology separately.
LCI identifies 2017 as the last comprehensive General Plan Guidelines update, supplemented by later material. Record each supplement’s date/status. For mineral classification, retain the commodity, Mineral Resource Zone category, and report/map date; the program maps areas where economically significant deposits occur or are likely.
Scope habitat and heritage research
Use these sources for vegetation removal, habitat or waters disturbance, demolition, alteration, and ground disturbance. Define the affected-area search scope before requesting records.
| Topic | Starting source and next check |
|---|---|
| IV. Biological resources | CDFW BIOS and USFWS IPaC: identify habitat and species questions. Scope surveys, waters evaluation, and agency coordination. |
| V. Cultural resources | CHRIS searches reported resources and prior studies; the California Register supplies register information. Arrange qualified evaluation or fieldwork. |
| XVIII. Tribal cultural resources | PRC § 21080.3.1 governs the conditional lead-agency process. NAHC’s Environmental and Cultural Department provides the Sacred Lands File search process. Track consultation separately. |
Retain IPaC list dates; official species lists require verification after 90 days. Public BIOS and restricted CNDDB subscriber data have different access conditions. CHRIS regional searches are fee-based. Use the restricted-source protocol below for CNDDB, CHRIS, Sacred Lands File (SLF), and tribe-provided information.
Trace emissions-and-travel questions
Use these sources for construction, traffic, stationary equipment, energy demand, odors, sensitive uses, noise, vibration, and climate-plan claims. One haul route can require several of these checks.
| Topic | Starting source and next check |
|---|---|
| III. Air quality | EPA Green Book identifies federal attainment designations; CARB Air Quality Monitoring supplies monitored conditions. Identify the air basin and district. |
| VI. Energy | CEC 2025 Building Energy Efficiency Standards and the adopted 2025 Integrated Energy Policy Report: match code to permit date and obtain project load assumptions. |
| VIII. Greenhouse gas emissions | CARB GHG inventory, the final 2022 Scoping Plan, and Guidelines § 15064.4: identify the applicable agency method and calculate project emissions. |
| XIII. Noise | Obtain the adopted noise element, ordinance, compatibility policies, and agency criteria. LCI’s 2017 General Plan Guidelines is background guidance. Scope measurements or modeling. |
| XVII. Transportation | LCI publishes OPR’s Technical Advisory on Evaluating Transportation Impacts in CEQA. Obtain the agency-adopted VMT thresholds, screening conditions, model, and data vintage. |
Match dates to the claim. For air quality, retain pollutant/designation date and monitoring station, period, and data status. The 2025 energy standards apply to permit applications on or after January 1, 2026. Use the 2025 IEPR, CEC-100-2026-001, adopted July 8, 2026, rather than its draft or proposed final.
CARB’s inventory is 2000–2023 data, 2025 edition. Keep its vintage separate from climate-plan status and implementation evidence. The transportation advisory is December 2018 discretionary, nonbinding guidance on vehicle miles traveled (VMT). Apply adopted agency methods subject to law and lead-agency authority.
Separate construction, operational, traffic, vibration, airport, and rail noise questions. Retain each criterion’s version and measurement/model conditions. For transportation, scope safety, emergency and multimodal access, and construction circulation separately; confirm state-facility requirements with Caltrans where applicable.
Check water and hazard records
Use these sources for site history, hazardous-material use, drainage, discharge, groundwater, flood exposure, and wildfire-related slopes, access, or infrastructure questions.
| Topic | Starting source and next check |
|---|---|
| IX. Hazards and hazardous materials | EnviroStor and GeoTracker return different program records. CalEPA’s Cortese List Data Resources links statutory source categories. Use EPA ECHO for regulated-facility compliance/enforcement. |
| X. Hydrology and water quality: waters | USGS NHDPlus HR National Release 2 supplies hydrography; the final 2024 Integrated Report staff report supplies water-quality listing context. Identify basin plans, permits, and TMDLs. |
| X. Hydrology and water quality: groundwater/floods | Bulletin 118, final Update 2025 supplies basin context. FEMA NFHL supplies effective flood data. Obtain groundwater plans and apply the flood-record protocol below. |
| XX. Wildfire: responsibility/hazard | CAL FIRE State Responsibility Area 2026 identifies SRA/LRA/FRA. OSFM FHSZ distinguishes effective SRA maps from LRA recommendations. Verify local adoption below. |
| XX. Wildfire: utility regulation | CPUC Fire-Threat Maps and Fire-Safety Rulemaking identifies areas of enhanced utility fire-safety regulation. Check the separate utility-infrastructure question. |
Read hazard case files and confirm footprint relationships, media, status, and locator precision. Obtain separate hazardous-material, school-proximity, airport, and emergency-response evidence. CalEPA is a gateway to statutory source categories; ECHO covers compliance/enforcement records.
DWR released final Bulletin 118 Update 2025 on March 12, 2026. Retain basin, waterbody, release, and flood-panel identifiers. Use the final 2024 Integrated Report linked here for listing context.
CAL FIRE’s State Responsibility Area 2026 Hub record describes SRA26_1 as representing the dataset as of April 9, 2026. It maps statewide state, local, and federal responsibility areas (SRA/LRA/FRA); use it for responsibility-area screening only. OSFM’s SRA FHSZ maps are effective April 1, 2024. Keep responsibility area, FHSZ, and CPUC High Fire-Threat District identities separate. Assess evacuation, water supply, and post-fire drainage through project and fire-authority evidence.
Connect demand to facilities and findings
Use project occupancy, jobs, displacement, service demand, and infrastructure needs to identify the actual jurisdiction and providers. Bring evidence across groups into Mandatory Findings review.
| Topic | Starting source and next check |
|---|---|
| XIV. Population and housing | Census ACS and DOF estimates supply demographic context. HCD Housing Elements supplies guidance/review resources. Obtain the adopted local element and growth forecasts. |
| XV. Public services | Obtain actual providers’ facility plans, service standards, and project responses. For hazard planning, obtain the named local hazard mitigation plan and FEMA approval record. |
| XVI. Recreation | Obtain the parks/special-district master plan, facility inventory, service standards, fee ordinances, and capital program. Connect users to specific facilities and physical effects. |
| XIX. Utilities and service systems | Name each provider. DWR WUEdata supplies water-planning data; CalRecycle SWIS Site Search supplies facility records. Obtain written capacity and connection evidence. |
| XXI. Mandatory Findings of Significance | Apply Appendix G to resource effects, cumulative relationships, and effects on people. Bring earlier CEQA coverage and project-specific cumulative evidence to lead-agency review. |
Identify the DOF E-series, estimate/release dates, geography, and ACS period/uncertainty. Keep different vintages separate. Calculate project occupancy and displacement from project facts. For a local hazard mitigation plan, retain adoption date, plan period, and FEMA approval record.
Identify water, wastewater, stormwater, electric, gas, telecom, and waste providers separately. CPUC materials apply only to providers/services within its jurisdiction. Municipal/publicly owned providers commonly require separate governing-body, tariff, planning, or provider records.
Obtain the local controls and provider evidence that apply
Pair each public result with the controlling local record. An adopted local control remains required even when it is absent from a state portal. Name the custodian, request owner, and missing record; keep unresolved requests visible. Keep drafts separate from adopted controls.
- Land and physical resources: obtain scenic, ridgeline, lighting, and design controls plus viewpoints and photographs. For agriculture/forestry, obtain county contract/assessor records, zoning, easements, and current-use evidence; refer forestry questions to the responsible agency or qualified forester. Obtain grading/seismic requirements, adopted general/specific/community plans, zoning text/maps, overlays, amendments, entitlement files, and mineral-resource policies as applicable.
- Habitat and heritage: obtain conservation plans, tree protections, and local cultural inventories. Connect the defined search area to biological or cultural fieldwork, qualified evaluation, and agency coordination.
- Emissions and travel: obtain district rules, CEQA thresholds, modeling methods, and permit direction. Check local energy-code amendments and utility capacity/interconnection evidence. For GHG, obtain the applicable qualified climate action plan or adopted agency method and actual project calculations/measures. Retain noise criteria and agency-adopted VMT methods with the evidence needed to apply them.
- Water and hazards: obtain basin plans, permits/TMDLs, groundwater plans, and local drainage requirements. For wildfire, obtain applicable WUI maps, the safety element, fire code, and fire-authority evidence. Use the map-status protocol below for floods and LRA designations.
- Demand and facilities: retain the adopted housing element, adoption date, and relevant HCD review/status record. Request capacity, staffing, response-time, school, and fire-flow evidence as relevant. Obtain supplier/infrastructure plans and written capacity, connection, timing, and improvement evidence. Identify new or altered facilities and their physical effects, including park deterioration or construction.
Verify effective maps and adopted documents before using them
Record publication, adoption, and effective dates separately from the query date. Use the publisher’s labels: draft, proposed, preliminary, pending, recommended, adopted, final, or effective. If a date or version is not published, say so. A webpage update does not establish a new document edition. Recheck mutable records before filing and retain earlier queries.
Flood records. Use the FEMA Map Service Center/NFHL result with the effective Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), Flood Insurance Study (FIS) where applicable, and effective Letters of Map Change (LOMCs). Record panel, study, and letter identifiers/effective dates and any revalidation. Check each letter’s own effective date: MSC can list a not-yet-effective letter under Effective Products. Keep preliminary and pending products separate, and confirm the applicable record with the local floodplain administrator. FEMA’s products-and-status guidance explains how these records collectively establish its flood-hazard determination.
LRA fire maps. Identify the OSFM recommendation and its phase/release. Obtain the jurisdiction’s ordinance, resolution, map, or confirmation of adopted status. Do not assume that a recommendation is the controlling local designation or that a locally adopted map exists. If both exist, retain both identities and the local adoption/effective dates.
Track restricted requests separately from failed searches
| Source state | Record and next action |
|---|---|
| Record returned | Retain the ID, status/date, project relationship, and documents reviewed. Resolve the question it raises. |
| No record returned | Retain the named source/version, date, geography, method, and defined record type. Use only after the search actually ran. |
| Source unavailable | Record the failure, attempted URL/tool, and date. Identify a verified official successor or contact the custodian. Do not report a negative result. |
| Source restricted/authorized request pending | Record the license, fee, confidentiality, or access condition; authorized requester; request date/status; and publication limits. Use the authorized process. |
| Local source required | Name the missing plan, ordinance, map, file, or provider response, its custodian, and request owner. |
| Not determinable | Identify the missing project fact, spatial ambiguity, conflict, or insufficient detail. Assign clarification or specialist review. |
Treat a different public source as equivalent only after verifying and recording matching scope, version, and authority; accessibility alone does not satisfy a restricted-source request. Public availability also does not authorize publication of restricted CNDDB, CHRIS, SLF, or tribal information. Retain permitted evidence separately from public workpapers. Keep sensitive archaeological details out of public workpapers.
Protect SLF information. NAHC does not disclose site names/locations; a positive search can provide affiliated-tribe contacts. An SLF result does not establish resource absence.
AB 52 remains lead-agency work. Under PRC § 21080.3.1, formal notice goes to traditionally/culturally affiliated tribes that previously requested notice in writing. Notice is due within 14 days of application completeness or the agency’s decision to undertake the project. A tribe has 30 days after formal notice to request consultation in writing; the agency must begin within 30 days of that request and before releasing the negative declaration, mitigated negative declaration, or environmental impact report. An SLF search neither triggers nor replaces this process. Keep high-level milestones in the public record and protect tribe-provided information under PRC § 21082.3(c).
Limit each result to the fact its source establishes
Use the source’s coverage, scale, age, precision, and method to bound the cited setting fact. Keep these limits with the retained evidence:
- Maps and inventories: scenic designation does not establish visibility or visual change. FMMP and program pages do not establish current parcel use, contract enrollment, timberland status, or a harvest obligation. Mineral classification does not prove recoverability or active rights; an unclassified area does not establish absence. Examine the project’s effect on resource availability.
- Habitat and heritage: a hit or no-result does not establish current occurrence, absence, or completed consultation. The California Register is not a full inventory. Keep surveys, evaluation, and lead-agency consultation actions open where needed.
- Earthwork and water: CGS/soil maps do not establish design suitability or absence of unmapped hazards or paleontological resources. Hydrography, basin, listing, and flood sources do not delineate site wetlands, establish parcel groundwater depth or supply, quantify runoff, or demonstrate flood-safe design.
- Emissions and travel: monitoring does not calculate project emissions, exposure, or permit compliance. Energy forecasts do not establish project demand, service capacity, or code compliance. State GHG totals/goals supply neither a universal threshold nor proof of plan consistency. Guidance supplies neither local noise thresholds nor site measurements; the VMT advisory supplies neither a project screening outcome nor highway approval.
- Hazards and wildfire: CalEPA’s gateway is not one property database, and ECHO is not a site-conditions inventory. A no-result is not a Phase I assessment or property clearance. Responsibility area, FHSZ, and CPUC HFTD establish neither site risk, evacuation performance, insurance status, nor significance on their own.
- Plans and services: state guidance does not designate a parcel or decide consistency. Regional totals do not establish induced growth. Plans, municipal boundaries, and facility listings do not establish service commitments or available landfill capacity. Statewide recreation policy adds no local capacity finding or fee requirement; use provider records.
Mandatory Findings requires cross-topic analysis. Completing public-source checks does not decide findings, project effects, mitigation, or the lead agency’s significance judgment.
Keep one reusable record for each source checked
Copy this table once per source into the workpapers. Keep the supported fact and its unresolved questions together.
| Field | Entry to complete |
|---|---|
| Project fact and question | Feature, Appendix G question, and construction/operation/off-site/cumulative pathway. |
| Source state | One of the six states above; explain any remaining open work. |
| Publisher, title, and URL | Exact publisher/title and stable URL. |
| Record or map identifier | Record/layer/map/product ID; FIRM/FIS/LOMC IDs; OSFM phase and CAL FIRE service/layer version. |
| Source date, version, and status | Edition; separately labeled publication, adoption, and effective dates; publisher’s status. Mark unpublished or unknown currency. |
| Query/access date | Search/access date and time; later recheck dates. |
| Search input and geography | Address/APN/coordinates, footprint/off-site areas, radius, coordinate reference system where relevant, terms, filters, layers, and spatial method. |
| Result and retained evidence | Exact record/provision, count, mapped relationship, displayed status/date, documents reviewed, and permitted capture location. |
| Supported setting fact | One cited sentence limited to what this source establishes. |
| Limitations and access | Coverage, scale, age, precision, method, missing detail, restriction basis, authorized requester, request date/status, and publication limits. |
| Next evidence and owner | Local/project/provider record, case file, study, fieldwork, agency/tribal process, owner, and due date. |
| Researcher, reviewer, and date | Names, review date, and retained-evidence location. |
For a no-result:
A search of [source, version] for [footprint or radius] using [method] on [date] returned no [defined record]. This result is limited to that source’s coverage and does not establish that the resource, condition, obligation, or impact is absent.
For a returned record:
[Publisher/source] returned [record ID, displayed status, and date] at [mapped relationship]. Confirm [unresolved detail] through [case file, agency, provider, or specialist] before using it to characterize project conditions.
These are templates, not property findings. Mark no further public-source action only with its basis and source state; keep remaining local, project, specialist, and consultation actions visible. Keep the CEQA topic open for any remaining analysis.
Resolve open questions before drawing conclusions
| Open question | Next evidence |
|---|---|
| Map relationship or conflicting records | Better project geometry, underlying records, and custodian confirmation. |
| Relevant cleanup, habitat, cultural, geologic, or drainage record | Case-file review, scoped fieldwork/study, or agency coordination. |
| Flood map or LOMC status uncertain | MSC effective products, letter dates/revalidation, and floodplain-administrator confirmation. |
| LRA recommendation adoption unknown | Jurisdiction-specific ordinance/resolution/map or written status confirmation. |
| Missing plan, provider response, or restricted information | Named custodian/requester and tracked follow-up through authorized channels. |
Draft the supported setting fact with its citation, then carry unresolved actions forward. Keep source facts separate from project effects, mitigation, and the lead agency’s significance judgment.
Check the sources and update dates before filing
Updated September 11, 2026. This update groups the topic checks for easier scanning and separates shared local-control, map-status, access, and result protocols. Primary agency and legal sources are linked beside their topics. Recheck mutable sources and retain the exact version used for a project filing.
The regulatory links use Title 14, Division 6, Chapter 3 of the official online California Code of Regulations, accessed September 11, 2026. Section 15063 displayed currentness through August 28, 2026 (Register 2026, No. 35). The Office of Administrative Law identifies the contracted Barclays/Thomson Reuters service as the official online CCR, updated weekly. Verify the text/currentness used for each filing. CNRA’s CEQA Guidelines Supplemental Documents is a rulemaking/update archive, not a current consolidated code source.