California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Home Habitat Conservation Planning CEQA Internal Actions Planning and Feasibility Studies

Planning and Feasibility Studies

A project limited to planning or as a feasibility study for possible future actions not yet approved, adopted, or funded does not require preparation of a Negative Declaration or an EIR, but does require "in-house" consideration of environmental effects of the project, unless the adoption of such a plan will have a legally binding effect on later activities. If that is the case, then the adoption of the plan requires CEQA documentation.

Examples which do not require preparation of an EIR or Negative Declaration include general statewide plans and guidelines or Wildlife Area Management Plans that are only conceptual and do not include specific projects or on-the-ground work. Some examples that do require preparation of Negative Declarations or EIRs include Fish and Wildlife Area Management Plans that contain specific projects, species introductions and plans, species range extension plans, and chemical treatments to remove fish or plant species.

Email Link Contact CEQA Program – CDFW staff cannot make decisions or intercede on CEQA projects under the jurisdiction of another lead agency. Please address project-specific comments to the project's lead agency.