The Coastal Commission

There are a lot of online resources regarding the Coastal Commission so I won't go into too much detail on that.  But in a nutshell, it established a "zone" that runs throughout coastal California.  This zone can vary from just a few blocks, to several miles inland from the Pacific Ocean.  If you are in this zone, you will be subject to additional regulation and oversight by this commission.

Most of this oversight will be taken care of by your local Planning Department as part of their review, but they will have to produce a document that the Coastal Commission will review, and the Coastal Commission may appeal any decisions that your Planning Department may make.  There is a limited time, after your Planning Department  makes their decision about your project, in which they can appeal, otherwise the project is considered to be approved.

This commission is integrally tied in with environmental review and CEQA, so see the article on that for further information. 

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