In Santa Cruz County, many kinds of construction projects and land uses must have discretionary permits in addition to any building permits that may be required. A planner must first visit the site and review the plans and any supporting documents to see if the project meets all Zoning and General Plan requirements and will not create an environmental hazard.
What Level of Development Permit is Required?
Applications for these permits are reviewed by the Discretionary Review Section of the Unified Permit Center at different decision-making levels, depending on their size and neighborhood impact. These were formerly referred to as Level 3 and 4 permits.
Minor Use Permit (MUP) and Minor Site Development Permit (MSP) projects include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Preliminary grading approval (up to 8,000 cubic yards)
- Lot line adjustments
- Unconditional Certificates of Compliance for legally created parcels
- Temporary uses
- Minor variations to approved Zoning permits
Administrative Use Permit (AUP) and Administrative Site Development Permit (ASP) projects include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Minor Exceptions
- Administrative permit for nonconforming structures
- New indoor dining establishments with > 12 seats.
Filing an Application
Please review the information on the Discretionary Permits webpage.
Application Processing
The processing of Minor and Administrative discretionary applications is done by a planner in the Discretionary Review Section. They will visit the site, review your plans, and prepare a report of their analysis. This report will contain a recommendation either for approval (usually with certain conditions) or for denial if the following findings cannot be made.
Findings
In order to approve an application, the Planning Director must make certain findings. Findings for development projects appear in Section 18.10.230 of the County Code. Briefly, they require that the project:
- Will not be detrimental to the health, safety, or welfare of people living or working in the neighborhood or the general public, will not result in wasteful use of energy, and will not be injurious to properties or improvements in the area
- Will be consistent with all County ordinances and with the allowed uses in the zone district
- Will be consistent with the County General Plan and with any Specific Plan that has been adopted for the area
- Will be consistent with the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and any significant impacts on the enviroment will be mitigated pursuant to CEQA.
- Will not overload utilities, and will not generate more than an acceptable level of traffic on the streets in the area
- Will complement and harmonize with existing and proposed land uses in the area and will be similar to the design, land use intensities, and dwelling unit densities of the neighborhood.
Action
Decisions are made by the Department Director or their designee.
Public Notices
Minor Permits (MUP or MSP) do not require public noticing. The owner and applicant will be notified by mail when action has been taken on the permit. This information is also available to the public.
Administrative Permits (AUP or ASP) do not require a pulic hearing, however, public noticing is provided at least 21 days prior to the County taking action. The notice is posted on the Unified Permit Center website and as well as provided by postcard to the subject property owner, all property owners within 500 feet, and to all occupants within 100 feet including the site occupant. Also, a Notice of Pending Action shall be mailed to the property owner who shall post it in a conspicuous place not less than 10 calendar days from postmark.
Appeals
The applicant may appeal the Director's decision on any level of application. Any interested person may appeal Administrative Permits and higher decisions.
For More Information
This information above is an overview of the procedures for obtaining Minor or Administrative discretionary permits. For complete regulations, see the Santa Cruz County Code, Chapter 18.10. If you have questions about Discretionary Permits, please contact Zoning staff by email at Planning.ZoningInfo@santacruzcountyca.gov or by self-scheduling an appointment with Zoning staff.