Biological Resource Review

Biological resources include plant and animal species and their habitats, plant communities and ecosystems.  If biological resources occur or have the potential to occur on or adjacent to a project site proposed for development and a discretionary land use permit is required, then the Planning Division will evaluate the project’s potential impacts to biological resources.  Because avoiding impacts to biological resources is preferable to replacing resources or compensating for impacts, the Planning Division encourages early consultation with a qualified biologist to determine the location of significant biological resources on a project site and to design the project to avoid impacts to these resources.  The following information on biological resource maps, biological assessments, and the policies and regulations that protect biological resources is meant to assist the applicant with project design to avoid impacts to biological resources and to explain the Planning Division’s process to evaluate and mitigate project impacts to biological resources.

Biological Resource Protection and Development Permitting

► Biological Resources and Development Permitting

Biological Report Procedures

For information on the Planning Division's standard procedures for biological reports required with discretionary permit applications, and for consultants interested in applying for the Qualified Biological Consultant list, click here.

Biological Resource Maps

Ventura County Biological Resource Maps
The Planning Division offers five types of maps to the public for a fee that can be used to identify general biological resources on a property.  These are vegetation, wetlands, waterbodies buffered with the Division’s regulated buffer of 300 feet (500 feet in the coastal zone), and important areas of wildlife connectivity.  An aerial image of the property can also be ordered.  Please note that these maps should not replace a field investigation by a qualified biologist to verify the resources on the ground.

Ventura County Biological Resources Map Packet Request Form

Critical Habitat for Federal Threatened and Endangered Species
The US Fish and Wildlife Service has designated critical habitat for certain federally listed threatened and endangered species. To find out whether a property contains critical habitat, check out the USFWS Critical Habitat Online Mapper or contact the Ventura Office of the USFWS. If a project proposed within critical habitat involves no federal funding or permit, then formal consultation with the USFWS is not required. However, the Planning Division encourages you to design your project to avoid or minimize impacts to critical habitat, because it is considered to be a significant biological resource.

California Department of Fish and Game Public Data Viewer (BIOS), Ventura County Maps
This on-line map viewer is maintained by the California Department of Fish and Game and contains maps of biological resources statewide. Biological resource maps specific to Ventura County can be accessed through a bookmark on the map viewer. Instructions to view the Ventura County maps are provided below.

Navigate to the main BIOS web page ( http://www.bios.dfg.ca.gov/), and click on the "Public BIOS Data Viewer" rectangle. Once the viewer loads, up at the top of the screen, there is a blue push pin on the task bar. This is where the Ventura County maps can be selected for viewing.

1) Click on the blue push pin
2) Click on "Browse Bookmarks"
3) Find "Ventura County Datasets" under the description heading
4) Click on the blue "Load" link for loading that particular bookmark

Biological Resource Law and Policy

Overview of Biological Resource Regulations

County Policies and Ordinances

► General Plan

► Coastal Plan

► Other Area Plans

► Planning Division Ordinances

► Ventura County Tree Protection Ordinance

AB 242 - Oak Woodlands Conservation Act
(Fish & Game Code, addresses conservation and funding)

SB 1334 - Oak Woodlands Conservation
(PR Code, addresses standards for California Environmental Quality Act processes)

Ventura County Oak Woodland Management Plan

Oak Woodland Impact Decision Matrix

California Coastal Commission Memorandum Regarding Designation of ESHA in the Santa Monica Mountains

Wetlands Project Permitting Guide

Special Status Species of Ventura County

State Or Federally-Listed Species:

► Federal and State Listed Species Known to Occur in Ventura County

Locally Important Species:

► Locally Important Species Criteria

► Locally Important Animals

► Locally Important Plants

► Locally Important Species Form