CEQA & environmental
Notice of preparation (NOP)
The lead agency's notice that an EIR will be prepared — opens scoping, with a 30-day window for agencies and the public to comment on what the EIR must cover.
Definition
The notice of preparation is the filing that starts an EIR: once the lead agency decides one is required, the CEQA Guidelines have it send the NOP to the State Clearinghouse and to responsible and trustee agencies, describing the project and probable effects. Recipients get 30 days to tell the lead what the EIR's scope and content should include, scoping meetings are common, and the responses frame the draft EIR's topics and alternatives.
Why it matters in an underwrite
The NOP is the public start of the EIR clock — roughly 18–30 months when contested — and the first formal flag to opponents. Scoping comments preview the adequacy arguments a petition will make later; a topic raised at scoping and ignored in the draft becomes a petition exhibit. Use the window strategically: engaging agencies early can narrow alternatives and settle methodology before positions harden in public comments.
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.