General Plans

Lead

County or city planning department

Required Consultation, Review, and Approval

KEY STATE CONTACTS General Plan Guidelines and Technical Advisories: planning@opr.ca.gov Statewide adaptation planning questions and assistance: icarp@opr.ca.gov

Consultation: California Native American Tribes

Review: N/A

Approval: County board of supervisors or city council

Enabling Statutes

Gov. Code §§ 65300 – 65303.4

Required Components

• Adoption of new General Plans, plan updates, and plan amendments must adhere to environmental review requirements under CEQA (Pub. Resources Code, §§ 21000 et. seq.).

• General Plans are required to be internally (“horizontally”) consistent (i.e., all general plan elements are required to be consistent with each other) and “vertically” consistent (i.e., the jurisdiction’s other plans, zoning ordinances, programs, and policies must be consistent with the general plan) (Gov. Code, §§ 65300.5, 65860, subd. (a)).

• State law requires that local planning agencies provide opportunities for community involvement when updating General Plans (Gov. Code, § 65351).

• Local governments are required to consult with tribal governments prior to updating or amending their General Plan and to provide notice to and consult with tribes at identified points in the planning process, including adoption and amendment of both General Plans and specific plans (Gov. Code, § 65352.3). For more information about this consultation requirement, see OPR’s Supplement to the General Plan Guidelines, the Tribal Consultation Guidelines.

• SB 1000 (Gov. Code, § 65302, subd. (h)) requires that communities containing defined disadvantage communities address environmental justice (EJ) as a standalone element or as a topic that is integrated throughout the General Plan elements. For detailed information and guidance on EJ Elements, review the General Plan Guidelines Chapter 4, Section 8. This update is triggered when: 

  1. two or more elements (often the Housing and Safety Elements) are updated concurrently on or after January 1, 2018, and 

  2. a jurisdiction has disadvantaged communities as defined in the statute. OPR recommends that each jurisdiction complete its own disadvantaged community screening to make this determination.  [Learn more about identifying disadvantaged communities in the General Plan Guidelines Chapter 4, Section 8.] 

  Within the EJ element, jurisdictions must identify objectives and policies to: 

1. reduce the unique or compounded health risks in disadvantaged communities; 

2. promote civic engagement in the public decision-making process; and 

3. prioritize improvements and programs that address the needs of disadvantaged communities. 

 

• SB 1425 (2022) (Gov. Code, § 65565.5) requires every city and county to review and update the general plan open-space element (also known as a local open-space plan) by January 1, 2026. The update must include plans and an action program to address equity, climate resilience and other open space co-benefits, and rewilding opportunities. This update must be correlated with the environmental justice element (as applicable), the safety element, and the land use element.

Wildfire

• SB 1241 (Gov. Code §§ 65302 and 65302.5) applies to communities within the very high fire hazard severity zone (FHSZ) or in state responsibility areas. Communities subject to SB 1241 must address specific wildfire analysis requirements and address wildfire hazards through goals, policies, objectives, and programs to reduce wildfire risks. Jurisdictions subject to SB 1241 must share the Draft Safety Element with the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection. The Board is given 90 days to review and provide comments on the draft before the jurisdiction can act. [Learn more about SB 1241 requirements in OPR’s Fire Hazard Planning Technical Advisory.]

• Land Use Elements must identify environmental concerns that may affect the location and type of future growth, such as wildfire hazards, and determine project needs for specific land use considerations, including anticipated changes in environmental conditions, such as those resulting from wildfire and climate change. (Gov. Code § 65302(a)).

• Conservation Elements must address the conservation, development, and utilization of forests and other natural and working lands, and in doing so, should be balanced with the proper action to prevent risk from wildfires in coordination with the Safety Element. (Gov. Code § 65302(d)).

• Open Space Elements must include an inventory of areas that require special management or regulation because of hazardous or special conditions, especially areas that are important for the protection or enhancement of public health, such as flood plains, unstable soil areas, areas presenting high fire risks, coastal beaches, lakeshores, banks of rivers and streams, and watershed lands. (Gov. Code § 65560(h)(4)).

Coastal Hazards

• Land use and conservation elements must address specific flood risk requirements, such as coastal flooding, by identifying high-risk areas and land and water bodies that may accommodate floodwater for groundwater recharge and stormwater management (Gov. Code, § 65302, subds. (a), (d)). The land use element should also consider how flooding and other environmental concerns impact development, designate greenway and landscaping land uses for flood resilience, reflect flood-resilient design standards, and lastly, when analyzing disadvantaged unincorporated communities, assess stormwater drainage and other area needs and deficiencies. (General Plan Guidelines, Chapter 4.)

• The conservation element may cover related land and water resilience topics, such as water pollution; erosion of soils, beaches, and shores; watershed protection; habitat connectivity; and the location, quantity, and quality of rock, sand, and gravel resources (General Plan Guidelines, Chapter 4).

For safety element flood and climate adaptation requirements, see the Safety Elements section of The Plans. For a complete description of mandates, refer to the General Plan Guidelines, Chapter 4 and applicable statutes.

• General Plan Guidelines and 2020 Updated Environmental Justice Element (2017)

• Fire Hazard Planning Technical Advisory

• Rising Seas in California: An Update on Sea Level Rise Science

• State of California Sea Level Rise Guidance

• Adaptation Roadmap

• Follow the General Plan Guidelines, and align elements where appropriate to minimize redundancies and enhance internal consistency.

• While some climate change impacts are already happening, others may gradually appear or only appear once certain ecosystem thresholds are met at uncertain time frames in the future. The typical General Plan 10 to 20-year planning horizon is not long enough to fully address the long-term impacts of climate change. As such, the General Plan should include a balance of both short-term and longer-term planning horizons – and leverage other plans with shorter term planning timelines, such as the LHMP, to fill in where appropriate. 

• Other elements of the General Plan, particularly the Land Use, Conservation, and Open Space Elements, should work in coordination to guide conservation and development, balancing community needs with environmental preservation and the effects of climate change. Upon the next comprehensive General Plan update, consider integrating climate risk considerations and climate adaptation goals, policies, and measures consistent with the Safety Element, LHMP, and any other relevant plans into these elements. Communities can use: 
  • The Land Use Element to more comprehensively address climate change and natural hazards in land use planning and decision making, particularly by directing development away from areas with high hazard exposure, and/or by identifying risk reduction strategies when directing development away from areas of high hazard exposure may not be possible. Land use policies should adequately incorporate adaptation priorities that ensure the provision of adequate infrastructure, services, and ecosystem services to the community. 
  • The Conservation Element to analyze the sustainability of local ecosystems and resource uses under changing climate conditions. For example, when evaluating the feasibility of possible land use patterns as part of a jurisdiction’s analysis of water resources for this element, cities and counties should work with water agencies to consider projected available water resources under a changing climate, water conservation measures to ensure a sustainable water supply, and planning for the protection of impacted water bodies.
  • The Open Space Element to identify lands or waters useful to preserve for current and projected future climate adaptation benefits, hazard mitigation and public safety, tribal resources and other cultural resources, and other resource uses and ecosystem services.

Wildfire

• Consider addressing wildfire risk and resilience under current and future climate change scenarios in the Land Use, Conservation, and Open Space Elements, in coordination with the Safety and Housing Elements. Specifically:
  • Land Use Elements can include considerations regarding avoidance of new land uses or new growth designations in areas subject to high or extreme wildfire threats that could place future development at unreasonable risk. Local agencies can also reduce or minimize risk through development project review and approval processes by incorporating specific policies or implementation programs in the Land Use Element and/or Safety Element that are designed to mitigate future hazards in the face of climate change.
  • Conservation Element policies for mitigating potential losses due to wildfire should consider data and approaches aligned with the LHMP, CWPPs, Adaptation Plans, Disaster Recovery Frameworks, LCPs, and other General Plan Elements to maintain healthy forests, including prescribed burns, fuel breaks, wildfire protection zones, and forest thinning and grazing. 
  • The Open Space Element is interrelated with other elements. It overlaps with the Conservation and Safety Elements when referring to preservation of open space for public health and safety, as well as protection from wildfire and flooding. It also connects with the Housing and Land Use Elements to help identify wildfire and flood risk and the suitability of sites for future development.

Flood-After-Fire

• Integrate the OPR’s Fire Hazard Planning Technical Advisory’s “Flood and Debris Flow Considerations” policies and the General Plan Guidelines' “Avoiding and Mitigating Natural Disasters” policies, programs, and actions across General Plan Elements.

• Incorporate applicable flood information and assessments of climate change impacts and management practices into the Land Use Element, which can reduce vulnerability through land use practices such as non-structural flood protection measures, low impact development, and improved stormwater management practices. 

• Use land use regulations to implement General Plan flood hazard mitigation policies. Make changes to zoning and subdivision ordinances to align with floodplain management needs. 

• Identify possible solutions to land use issues in post-wildfire scenarios and accompanying flood mitigation strategies in the Land Use Element.

Coastal Hazards

• Consider the effects of sea level rise-driven fluvial/riverine flooding, shallow groundwater rise, and shoreline erosion as well as subsidence and storm surge potential in the land use, conservation, open space, and other elements.

• Incorporate applicable sea level rise information and management practices into the land use element, which can reduce vulnerability through land use practices such as non-structural flood protection measures, low impact development, and improved stormwater management practices.

• Contents of LCP land use plans overlap with some of the required provisions of general plans, but not all are duplicative. It is ideal for the general plan to be consistent with the LCP.

• Use a variety of sources to inform General Plan updates and associated risk assessments, including the climate vulnerability assessment required by SB 379 (Gov. Code, § 65302, subd. (g)(4)) ; the LHMP risk assessment; wildfire risk assessments; and any others available. 
  • To adequately understand how climate change may affect the location and type of future growth, land use planning (particularly in the Land Use, Conservation, and Open Space Elements) should be informed by the best available information on local hazards, climate vulnerabilities, and associated risks. 
  • Communities can use climate projection data, climate vulnerability assessments, and risk assessments from other planning efforts to more accurately project future land uses; identify high-risk areas; inform climate-adaptive land use, conservation, and preservation policies; and make land use decisions that consider both avoidance and reducing future risk to the community.

Flood-After-Fire

• Account for the potential for wildfires to increase or exacerbate flooding, debris flow, and landslide hazards. Consider post-fire effects of flooding, debris flows, mudflows, erosion, and sedimentation in the Conservation, Open Space, and other elements.

These ideas are not comprehensive and are intended to illustrate a variety of ways different plans might complement each other as part of an adaptation pathways planning approach. (See Adaptation Pathways and Plan Alignment for an introductory overview of this concept).

Local or Regional Adaptation Framework/Process: An all-encompassing, jurisdiction-wide, vision and goal-setting plan such as a local adaptation plan, general plan, or other plan with a longer or unregulated time horizon 

• May identify short-, mid-, and long-term objectives, phases, and strategies 

• May be regionally scaled, like a regional adaptation plan or transportation plan 

Strategic/Policy Setting Plans/Processes: Plans with longevity and legal basis for implementing an adaptation framework both in the near term and over the next 20-40 years, such as a general plan, LCP land use plan, or adaptation plan 

• May identify specific and focused mid-term adaptation pathways and aligns with other documents that cover short- and long-term actions 

• May be jurisdiction-wide, identifies more focused plans needed for specific areas/topics 

• May identify mid- or near-term feasible implementation measures or decision points as part of adaptation pathways, tied to specific thresholds and triggers 

Action/Implementation Plans/Processes: May be plans with shorter time horizons, such as an LHMP or Capital Improvement Plan, that can implement immediate or near-term high priority actions in alignment with near-term phase strategies identified in Framework or strategic/policy setting plans. 

• Provides detailed and focused descriptions of immediate or near-term strategies and actions that do not compromise longer term strategies & considerations; are aligned with or tied to thresholds that may trigger mid-term actions or decisions 

• May focus on specific areas, projects, topics, sectors, or climate impacts

• Incorporate the LHMP into the safety element when updating the general plan. AB 2140 (2006)  (Gov. Code, §§ 8685.9 and 65302.6) enables jurisdictions to be eligible for consideration for state funding to cover the local match (6.25%) of FEMA PA costs for recovery activities after hazard events. Incorporation of the LHMP is also one option of compliance for meeting SB 379 (2015) (Gov. Code, § 65302, subd. (g)(4)) and SB 1035 (2017) (Gov. Code, § 65302, subd. (g)(6)) adaptation requirements.

• Synchronize LHMP and Housing Element updates with Safety Element updates, when possible, to leverage the process and reduce redundancy across all three efforts, especially when communities have an LHMP update due proximal to their next Housing Element update. Recently updated LHMPs can be used as a resource for a subsequent Safety Element review or update.

• Inform the Disaster Recovery Plan with climate information (greenhouse gas mitigation, adaptation, and resiliency strategies and actions) included in the General Plan Safety Element or local Climate Adaptation Plan. The Safety Element also includes residential vulnerability and evacuation route information that should be evaluated during recovery planning. (See AB 747 (2019) and SB 99 (2019), codified at Gov. Code, §§ 65302, subd. (g)(5), 65302.15).

• Use existing goals and projects in the General Plan Housing and Land Use Elements as the foundation for the recovery plan, including expanding housing access for residents of all income levels and targeting new development into the existing development footprint to protect natural and working lands, reduce the fiscal costs of sprawl, and limit future disaster vulnerability. This approach, also known as infill development, can help align recovery planning efforts with policies and building codes already in place, while helping to identify where changes might need to be made to support the building back of safer communities that are more resilient to future disasters. 

Wildfire 

• If a city or county has adopted a fire safety plan (i.e., a Community Wildfire Protection Plan) or other document, the document can be attached, integrated, or incorporated by reference in the Safety Element to meet SB 1241 (2012) (Gov. Code, §§ 65302 and 65302.5) fire hazard planning requirements. If taking this approach, the document that is attached or incorporated by reference must contain information required pursuant to SB 1241, include commensurate goals and objectives, and be consistent with the rest of the General Plan.

• For jurisdictions in the Coastal Zone, when developing or updating a Local Coastal Program Plan, leverage the mapping, vegetation management policies, structure design and siting policies, and defensible space policies from the Safety Element to meet the wildfire planning requirements of the Coastal Act (Pub. Resources Code, § 30253).

• Multiple integration pathways are possible between a CWPP and General Plan. Possible pathways to integrate the plans include but are not limited to:
  • Incorporate the entire CWPP. Communities can develop a standalone CWPP and include the plan as either a separate volume or chapter in the General Plan. 
  • Use sections of the CWPP. The CWPP maps and Risk Assessment may become a Wildfire Hazard Profile in a General Plan Safety Element. The CWPP Priorities and Action Plan could be incorporated into the goals, strategies, and actions of the Safety Element or another element.  
  • Develop a single, unified plan that meets both plans’ requirements. Chart a project course that meets CWPP and General Plan  planning process and content requirements.
  • Maintain separate, but aligned, plans between jurisdictions. Jurisdictions with different but overlapping boundaries may find it most useful to maintain separate plans that leverage the same information, resources, and processes when appropriate.

COASTAL RESILIENCE LAND USE POLICIES THAT CAN BE EMBEDDED WITHIN THE GENERAL PLAN Maintain structural and operational integrity of essential public facilities in the event of a flooding hazard, and locate new essential public facilities outside of flood hazard zones. Site critical public facilities -- including hospital and healthcare facilities, emergency shelters, police and fire stations, and emergency communications facilities -- outside of the tsunami evacuation zone and 100-year flood plains. For new development in the tsunami evacuation zone, require use of low-impact engineering techniques, such as elevating structures above projected water levels, to mitigate impacts to people and structures. - General Plan Guidelines, Governor’s Office of Planning and Research

Coastal Hazards

• When updating a local coastal program (LCP) or general plan, jurisdictions have an opportunity to integrate and align sea level rise and hazard mitigation policies with other long term community development and land use planning goals. If a portion of a jurisdiction is in the coastal zone, the Coastal Act (Pub. Resources Code, §§ 30000 - 30900) and LCPs regulate it. Jurisdictions in the coastal zone should coordinate closely with the California Coastal Commission to assure that general plan provisions intended to apply in the coastal zone are consistent with the governing LCP and California Coastal Act as relevant.

• LCPs tend to require more specificity than general plans; when updating either plan, use the opportunity to check for, and align, inconsistent land use policies. For example, the LCP land use plan must be “...sufficiently detailed to indicate the kinds, location, and intensity of land uses, the applicable resource protection and development policies, and where necessary, a listing of implementing actions” (Pub. Resources Code, § 30108.5). To meet the requirements of the Coastal Act, applicable zoning must not only conform with the LCP land use plan and general plan, but be adequate to carry out the LCP land use plan (Pub. Resources Code, § 30513). For additional details on how LCP and general plan requirements differ, refer to the California Coastal Act section in Chapter 9 of the General Plan Guidelines.

• General plan circulation and land use elements should be developed in coordination with LCPs as well as other local and regional transportation and mobility plans and land use plans (e.g, Local Hazard Mitigation Plans, General Plans, Public Works Plans, Capital Improvement Plans, Tribal Resiliency Plans, Caltrans District Corridor Plans), especially when considering the impacts of sea level rise in the coastal zone, to foster a cohesive approach to sea level rise adaptation and ensure consistency with the Coastal Act. Circulation elements are sometimes certified as part of a local government’s LCP and should be consistent with the general plan land use element and applicable flood hazard planning, the applicable regional transportation plan, and the applicable regional sustainable communities strategy (Critical Infrastructure at Risk).

Consider carefully whether your alignment (planning) team or advisory groups should include any of the entities from each of these entity types, as applicable to your jurisdiction, and how and when to engage different entities to achieve the most equitable and accurate results.