CEQA & environmental
Vehicle miles traveled (VMT)
CEQA's transportation metric since SB 743 — Guidelines § 15064.3 swapped congestion (LOS) for driving generated; transit-proximate infill often screens out.
Definition
Vehicle miles traveled is the driving a project adds to the network, and since SB 743 it is how CEQA measures transportation impacts: CEQA Guidelines § 15064.3, applied statewide since July 1, 2020, makes VMT the generally appropriate metric and provides that a project's effect on automobile delay does not itself constitute a significant impact. Agencies typically screen projects near major transit or in low-VMT areas, and OPR's technical advisory recommends residential thresholds set about 15 percent below the regional or citywide average.
Why it matters in an underwrite
SB 743 reversed the geography of traffic risk: dense infill near transit frequently screens out of transportation analysis entirely — no study fight at all — while low-density edge sites draw VMT impacts that are genuinely hard to mitigate (TDM programs move the number only modestly) and often end in a statement of overriding considerations. The VMT screen result should be one of the first diligence checks on any California site, because it can decide the document type.
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.