How to Complete and Submit a California Coastal Development Permit Application

A California Coastal Development Permit application goes to either the California Coastal Commission’s district office for your stretch of coast or to the city or county planning department with a certified Local Coastal Program, depending on where your property sits. The package includes scaled project plans, proof of legal interest in the property, environmental review documents, stamped envelopes for neighbor notification, and the filing fee. Expect several months from submission through the completeness review and public hearing.

First Confirm You Need a Permit

The coastal zone runs roughly 840 miles from the Oregon border to Mexico. Its inland boundary varies: a few blocks in urban areas, several miles in rural stretches. Interactive maps are published on the Commission’s website.¹ If your parcel is outside the zone, nothing in this article applies to you.

If it is inside, the next question is whether your project counts as “development.” Public Resources Code Section 30106 defines the term broadly: placing or building any structure, grading or extracting materials, changing the intensity of land or water use (including subdivision), demolishing or altering the size of a structure, and removing major vegetation other than for farming or permitted timber operations. “Structure” is defined to include buildings, roads, pipes, aqueducts, phone lines, and power transmission lines.² Almost any physical change triggers the requirement.

Exemptions and De Minimis Waivers

Section 30610 exempts certain work from the permit requirement, including improvements to an existing single-family home (unless the Commission has flagged the specific improvement type as environmentally risky), repair and maintenance that does not enlarge the structure, replacement of a structure destroyed by disaster within 10 percent of the original floor area, height, and bulk, and utility connections to already-approved development.³

A project that doesn’t fit an exemption may still qualify for a de minimis waiver under Section 30624.7. The executive director can waive the permit requirement for development with no potential for adverse effect on coastal resources that is consistent with Coastal Act policies.⁴ A project typically qualifies when it conforms with the certified Local Coastal Program’s land use and zoning, matches the surrounding neighborhood’s size and character, meets height and setback rules, doesn’t block public access or views, and doesn’t harm coastal resources.⁵ The waiver is reported at a public hearing, and if four or more commissioners object, a full permit becomes required. The waiver filing fee is $785 under the current schedule.⁶

Figure Out Which Agency Handles Your Application

Most permit decisions are made by local governments through certified Local Coastal Programs. Under Section 30500, each city and county with coastal zone territory prepares an LCP with land use policies and zoning for its area.⁷ Once certified, that local government uses its own application forms and procedures.

The Commission keeps original jurisdiction over certain areas even where an LCP is certified. Section 30519(b) assigns to the Commission all permits for development on tidelands, submerged lands, and public trust lands (filled or unfilled), plus development within port areas and state university or college campuses in the coastal zone.² Projects on those lands go directly to the Commission’s district office.

The Commission operates six district offices along the coast — North Coast, North Central Coast, Central Coast, South Central Coast, South Coast, and San Diego Coast — plus headquarters in San Francisco and an office in Sacramento. Your application goes to the district covering your property.

What Goes in the Application Package

For applications filed directly with the Commission, the form and instructions list what’s required. Pulling everything together before you start filling in the form avoids the back-and-forth that stalls most applications.

Applicant information and project location, including the Assessor’s Parcel Number so staff can cross-reference county zoning and tax records.
Proof of legal interest in the property: a current tax bill, recorded deed, lease, easement, or current title insurance policy. Preliminary title reports are not accepted. If anyone else holds a superior ownership interest, show that they were notified in writing and invited to join as co-applicants.⁸
Project plans drawn to scale: two full-size sets and one reduced set (8½” × 11″). Include site plans showing any trees to be removed, floor plans, building elevations, grading and drainage plans, erosion control plans, landscape plans, and septic system plans as applicable.
Assessor parcel maps showing your property and all other parcels within 100 feet of the project site boundaries, excluding roads.
A vicinity map with the project site clearly marked.
Copies of any required local approvals, such as zoning variances or use permits, along with a completed Local Agency Review Form (Appendix B) signed by the local government with jurisdiction.
A mailing list of all property owners and occupants within 100 feet of the project site (excluding roads), with stamped plain envelopes addressed to each. Envelopes must be regular business size (9½” × 4⅛”) with first-class postage stamps. Metered postage is not accepted. A separate set of stamped envelopes is required for any other known interested persons or government agencies.
Any available CEQA documents (Notice of Exemption, mitigated negative declaration, or Environmental Impact Report) and any NEPA review documents.
A geology and soils report for development on a bluff face, bluff top, or any area of high geologic risk. It must be comprehensive, site-specific, and prepared by a qualified specialist.
Verification of permits, permissions, or approvals applied for or granted by other agencies, such as the Army Corps of Engineers or the Regional Water Quality Control Board.

If your project includes septic systems or water wells, add evidence of county or Regional Water Quality Control Board approval. For sites near sensitive habitats, the reviewing agency may require a biological assessment by a licensed professional. These specialized reports take weeks to commission and complete, so start them well before you plan to file.

Local governments with certified LCPs use their own forms, which can add or modify requirements. Notification radius is one common difference; some cities require notice to owners within 300 feet rather than 100. Check the local planning department’s checklist if your application goes to a city or county.

Filing Fees

The Commission’s fee schedule is updated periodically and currently reflects the 2025–26 fiscal year rates. Fees track project type and scale.⁶

Administrative permit: $3,923.
Single-family residence (up to 4 homes): $4,707 per residence for homes of 1,500 square feet or less, scaling up to $11,768 per residence for homes over 10,000 square feet.
More than 4 detached residences: the greater of a flat amount ($23,535 to $58,838 depending on square footage) or a per-residence charge ($1,569 to $3,923 each), capped at $156,900.
Attached residential (2–4 units): $11,768. For 5 or more units: the greater of $15,690 or $1,177 per unit, capped at $78,450.
Commercial, office, and industrial development: based on gross square footage or development cost, whichever is higher, from $4,707 for projects costing $100,000 or less up to $392,250 for projects exceeding $100 million.
Grading surcharge: $785 to $15,690 for projects involving more than 50 cubic yards, depending on volume.
Emergency permits: $1,569.
Permit amendments: $1,569 for immaterial amendments; 50 percent of the current permit fee for material amendments.⁹

Fees are non-refundable and must accompany the application. The Commission will not begin processing until payment is received. Local governments with certified LCPs set their own fee schedules.

How to Submit

Applications filed directly with the Commission require both an electronic copy and a hard copy. Email the complete application with all appendices and attachments to the general email address of your district office (for example, CentralCoast@coastal.ca.gov for the Central Coast district). Then mail or hand-deliver a hard copy with original signatures, the stamped notification envelopes, and the filing fee check to the same district office.⁸ District mailing addresses and emails are listed on the Commission’s CDP forms page.¹⁰

Incomplete applications are not accepted for filing. Check every attachment against the checklist before you send the package, and keep a record of your submission date. That date starts the agency’s review clock.

What Happens After You File

Under California’s Permit Streamlining Act, the agency has 30 calendar days after receiving your application to decide whether it is complete. Any deficiency triggers a written notice listing every missing item, and resubmitting the corrected materials restarts a new 30-day review.¹¹ If the agency sends no written determination within 30 days, the application is deemed complete by operation of law.

Once filed as complete, the Commission has up to 180 days to schedule and hold a public hearing on the permit.¹² That deadline can be extended with the applicant’s agreement. At the hearing, Commission staff presents a recommendation (approve, approve with conditions, or deny), and the applicant and the public can testify. Neighbors who received the mailed notice can raise concerns about views, public access, or environmental resources.

For local governments operating under the Permit Streamlining Act, the decision timeline after completeness depends on the environmental review: 60 days after a CEQA exemption determination or negative declaration, or 180 days after certification of an Environmental Impact Report.

Common Reasons Applications Stall

The biggest cause of delay is an incomplete application. Missing a set of stamped envelopes, forgetting the Local Agency Review Form signed by the local government, or submitting plans that aren’t drawn to scale all trigger a deficiency notice and reset the 30-day clock. Treat the attachment checklist as a punch list and verify every item before submission.

Geology and biology reports are the other frequent bottleneck. If your property sits on a bluff or near sensitive habitat, these studies must be prepared by qualified specialists, and they take weeks. Ordering them after you submit guarantees a deficiency notice. The same goes for CEQA documents: if the local government has not completed its environmental review, the Commission cannot move forward with substantive analysis.

Neighbor opposition at the hearing can slow or derail a project, but the Commission evaluates objections against the specific policies of the Coastal Act and certified LCP rather than by counting objectors. Thorough, accurate plans and complete environmental documentation at the front end are the best defense against denial or burdensome conditions later.

1
California Coastal Commission. Maps Coastal Zone Boundary
2
California Coastal Commission. California Public Resources Code – California Coastal Act
3
California Legislative Information. California Code, Public Resources Code – PRC 30610
4
California Legislative Information. California Code, Public Resources Code – PRC 30624.7
5
California Coastal Commission. San Diego Coast District Deputy Director’s Report
6
California Coastal Commission. Annual Filing Fees Increase
7
Justia Law. California Public Resources Code Article 1 – Local Coastal Program
8
California Coastal Commission. California Coastal Commission CDP Application Form
9
State of California Office of Administrative Law. 14 CCR 13055 Fee Schedule Approval
10
California Coastal Commission. Coastal Development Permit Applications and Appeal Forms
11
California Department of Justice. Legal Alert OAG 2025-04 – Permit Streamlining Act
12
California Department of Transportation. California Coastal Commission Processing Timelines