CEQA & environmental
Coastal development permit (CDP)
The Coastal Act permit for development in the coastal zone — a second discretionary approval layered on local entitlements, with Commission appeal zones.
Definition
A coastal development permit is the approval the California Coastal Act requires for "development" in the coastal zone — defined broadly to include structures, grading, divisions of land, and changes in the intensity of use. The CDP sits on top of ordinary local entitlements: where the jurisdiction has a certified local coastal program the local government issues it, and the Coastal Commission issues it directly where certification is lacking. In mapped appeal zones, a local CDP approval can be appealed to the Commission for a de novo hearing.
Why it matters in an underwrite
The CDP keeps coastal projects discretionary — and inside environmental review — even where state streamlining statutes would otherwise apply inland, and an appeal adds months plus a second decisionmaker applying coastal policies rather than local zoning alone. Underwrite the appeal-zone map, not just the zoning: the same building on two sides of an appeal-jurisdiction line carries materially different entitlement risk and timeline.
Sources & related guides
See also
See the term in the law itself
Read the controlling text in the Code Library, or ask the AI how it applies to your project.
Last reviewed 2026-07-29. General information, not legal advice.