Trinity County Municipal Code Ch. 17 30E - Application Processing Requirements

A. All applications for entitlements described in this title shall be in writing and shall be filed in the planning department office upon forms provided by the planning director.

B. Each application shall be accompanied by appropriate fees, plans, specifications, and other information required by the planning director. The commission or board of supervisors may, by resolution, specify information to be included with applications for particular types of projects.

A. An application shall be deemed to be accepted as complete when the planning director, or his designee, has determined that all required information has been provided and the application is certified as complete to initiate environmental review.

B. Any application for any project for which the planning director has determined that there is a categorical exemption pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act shall be deemed to be certified as complete if, within ten days after the submittal of an application and payment of fees, the planning director has not determined that additional information is necessary and unless the planning director has provided, or has attempted to provide, written notice to the applicant of the requirements for such additional information.

C. Within thirty days after the submittal of an application and payment of initial filing fees, the planning director shall determine if additional information is necessary and shall provide, or attempt to provide, written notice to the applicant of the requirement for such additional information or shall inform the applicant that the application is complete. Should the planning director not attempt to provide the applicant with notice of incompleteness or completeness of the application, then the application shall be deemed complete.

D. An application shall not be certified as complete while an appeal of any decision by the commission or planning director related to the project is pending. The time limits established pursuant to subsection B and C of this section shall be suspended from the date upon which such an appeal is filed to the date eleven working days after a final decision is made on the appeal.

A. If the planning director determines that further information is required, he shall so inform the applicant specifying the information requested.

B. An applicant shall provide requested information to the planning director within thirty days after such information has been requested unless a different time period has been mutually agreed to between the applicant and the planning director. After an application has been certified as complete, the planning director shall not extend the period beyond the thirty-day period unless the applicant agrees to waive or extend the one-year time limit provided by Government Code Section 65950 for the number of days that the information period is extended beyond thirty days.

C. Any application shall be deemed withdrawn and all filing fees forfeited if the information requested has not been provided within the time specified in subsection B above; provided, however, that within ten days of such action the applicant may appeal to the commission.

D. The commission may grant an extension of time if it determines there are unusual circumstances, beyond the control of the applicant, which have precluded timely compliance with the request.

E. The commission may relieve an applicant from providing information requested by the director if it determines that the information is not necessary or relevant to the decisions to be made and issues to be considered by the county with respect to the project.

F. If an applicant has provided information responding to a request pursuant to this section and the planning director has not requested further information or determined that information to be unsatisfactory within twenty days after receipt of the information, the application shall be deemed to be certified as complete.

G. At any time after an application has been certified as complete, the planning director may request further information pursuant to this section based upon any change in the project, any change in the circumstances applicable to the project or if so directed by the commission, board of supervisors, or any other governmental body having jurisdiction by law over the project. The foregoing application withdrawal provisions shall also apply to requests for information pursuant to this section.

A. Notwithstanding any other provision of this title to the contrary, it shall be the responsibility of the applicant to insure that the decision-making authorities receive all information relevant to their decisions.

If a decision-making authority determines that it lacks sufficient information with respect to any aspect of a project over which it has jurisdiction, such project application shall be denied; provided, however, that the action may be continued if the applicant agrees in writing to provide such information within the specified time and to waive any time limit within which the project application must be acted upon by the county, and to waive any limitations on the county's authority to require additional information.

A. Each applicant shall pay in advance an initial filing fee as established in the county fee resolution. The initial filing fee shall include a staff processing charge and, if applicable, planning commission fees. In the event that the actual cost of processing an application exceeds the staff processing component of the initial filing fee, the applicant shall pay an additional fee equal to this excess cost after receipt of written notice from the planning director specifying the additional amount due.

B. An applicant shall have no right to file an appeal with either the planning commission or the board of supervisors on the issue of the amount or propriety of any fee.

C. An application shall be deemed withdrawn when an applicant has received written notice that an additional fee is due, and has not paid the full amount of such additional fee prior to noon of the first planning commission or board of supervisors hearing date scheduled for the application following the applicant's receipt of written notice that the additional fee is due.

A. Purpose and Intent. The purpose of this section is to ensure that all county permitting and entitlement processes comply with the California Permit Streamlining Act, as set forth in Government Code Sections 65920 through 65964. The Act establishes mandatory time limits for local agencies to determine application completeness and to take final action on development projects requiring discretionary approvals, thereby ensuring transparent, predictable, and efficient processing of land use applications.

B. Summary of Applicable State Law.

1. Scope and Applicability (Gov. Code §§ 65921—65922). The Permit Streamlining Act applies to all development projects that require discretionary approvals from a local jurisdiction, including but not limited to use permits, variances, design review, subdivision maps, and zoning amendments.

2. Application Completeness (Gov. Code § 65943). Within thirty calendar days of receiving an application, the county must notify the applicant in writing whether the application is complete or incomplete.

a. If incomplete, the notice must identify the specific missing information or materials.

b. If no notice is provided within thirty days, the application is deemed complete by operation of law.

3. Time Limits for Action (Gov. Code §§ 65950 through 65957). Once an application is deemed complete, the county must approve or deny the project within the following timelines:

a. Sixty days for projects exempt from CEQA.

b. Six months after certification of an environmental impact report (EIR).

c. Three months after adoption of a negative declaration or mitigated negative declaration.

4. CEQA Coordination (Gov. Code § 65950(a)). The Permit Streamlining Act is coordinated with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to ensure that project approvals are not delayed beyond the completion of environmental review.

5. Deemed Approval (Gov. Code § 65956(b)). If the county fails to act on a project within the prescribed time limits, and the project has completed environmental review, the project may be deemed approved by operation of law, subject to public notice requirements.

(Ord. No. 315-860, § II, 12-16-25)