To: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Permit Sonoma
Staff Name and Phone Number: Scott Orr, (707) 565-1754; Azine Spalding (707) 565-2541
Vote Requirement: 4/5th
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
1:40 P.M. Zoning and Land Use Technical Corrections, Consisting of Amendments to the Sonoma County General Plan Land Use and Zoning Designations and Amendments to Sonoma County Code Chapter 26 (Zoning Code), Permit Sonoma File No. PLP26-0019
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Hold a public hearing, then:
A) Adopt a Resolution amending the Sonoma County General Plan Land Use Map to correct technical mapping errors and finding the action exempt from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under CEQA Guidelines Section 15601(b)(3); and
B) Adopt an Ordinance amending the Official Zoning Database and Sonoma County Code Chapter 26 (Zoning Code) to correct technical errors and make minor changes required as conditions of prior project approval, and finding the action exempt from CEQA under CEQA Guidelines Sections 15601(b)(3) and 15305.
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Executive Summary:
Permit Sonoma staff periodically identify zoning and/or land use discrepancies to improve and maintain the accuracy of the Official Zoning Database (OZD) and land use information. Minor zone changes and General Plan land use amendments are then brought forward as technical corrections. Minor zone changes and General Plan land use amendments required as conditions of approval for lot line adjustments and subdivision approvals to align the land use designations with the new parcel boundaries are also included as technical corrections. Since 2009, the Board of Supervisors has periodically adopted technical corrections to the Official Zoning Database (OZD), General Plan Land Use map, and Zoning Code to improve and maintain the accuracy of land use and zoning information. The most recent set of technical corrections was adopted by the Board of Supervisors in November 2024.
On October 1, 2026, the Planning Commission held a public hearing on the proposed technical corrections and accepted public comments from interested members of the public. The comments related to a historical correction proposed in this round, with questions about the reason for the correction, and consistency with the current use onsite. At the hearing, the Planning Commission unanimously approved a resolution (Resolution No. 26-18) recommending that the Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution amending the County General Plan Land Use Map and an ordinance amending the Official Zoning Database (OZD) and Sonoma County Code Chapter 26 (the Zoning Code) to implement the technical corrections. Notices for the Planning Commission public hearing and this Board of Supervisors hearing were published in the Press Democrat and sent to all affected properties, all owners of affected properties, and all neighbors within 300 feet of affected parcels.
Discussion:
Project Description
The corrections include minor and routine amendments to the Sonoma County General Plan Land Use Map and zoning designations to correct historical mapping errors or inconsistencies and implement previously adopted conditions of approval, and amendments to the text of Sonoma County Code Chapter 26 (Zoning) to correct inaccuracies and inadvertent omissions, or make other minor corrections and non-substantive clarifications. Typically, technical corrections also include updates to combining district boundaries to reflect updated data sources as required by the code provisions of the combining districts. However, this project does not include adjustments to combining district boundaries except those required due to project conditions of approval. The proposed changes will not result in any substantive change to County land use policy. The three categories of corrections are as follows:
A. Inadvertent Historical Errors. This category involves corrections to General Plan land use designations and/or zoning designations to resolve inadvertent errors or historical inconsistencies and restore the subject parcels to the correct land use and/or zoning designations. These historical errors are usually a result of inaccurate manual transcription of data. Attachment 3 (Planning Commission Staff Report, October 1, 2026) provides an overview of the historical correction. Attachment 1 (Resolution) lists the existing and proposed General Plan land uses for the affected parcel, and Attachment 2 (Ordinance) lists the existing and proposed zoning designations for the affected parcel.
B. Required as Project Conditions of Approval. This category implements minor and routine zone changes or amendments to General Plan land use designations required as conditions of approval for lot line adjustment and subdivision approvals. The County Subdivision Ordinance (Sonoma County Code Section 25-70.3(h)) allows a lot line adjustment approval between parcels of different general plan land use designations and/or zoning districts provided that a general plan amendment and/or zone change application is submitted to ensure that district boundaries coincide with the resultant property lines. Since the proposed amendments further described below are routine, unopposed, and required as a condition of a prior project approval, they have been included as a part of these technical corrections for efficiency of processing. Attachment 1 (Resolution) lists the existing and proposed General Plan land use designations for affected parcels, and Attachment 2 (Ordinance) lists existing and proposed zoning designations for affected parcels.
C. Zoning Code Text Corrections. This category corrects inaccuracies in the text of Sonoma County Code Chapter 26 (Zoning), addresses inadvertent omissions often resulting from errors during codification of adopted ordinances and makes other minor corrections and non-substantive clarifications to the zoning code text. Attachment 2 (Ordinance) provides full code amendments.
Planning Commission
At a public hearing on October 1, 2026, the Planning Commission recommended that the Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution amending the County General Plan Land Use Map and an ordinance amending Sonoma County Code Chapter 26 (Zoning) and updating the Official Zoning Database to correct technical errors and make minor zone changes as required as conditions of prior project approvals.
Noticing
On September 11, 2026, notices for the October 1, 2026, Planning Commission public hearing were published in the Press Democrat and sent to all affected properties, all owners of affected properties, and all neighbors within 300 feet of affected parcels.
On November 6, 2026, notices for the November 17, 2026, Board of Supervisors hearing were published in the Press Democrat and sent to all affected properties, all owners of affected properties, and all neighbors within 300 feet of affected parcels.
Public Comment
Prior to the October 1, 2026, Planning Commission hearing, staff received some inquiries about the proposed amendments, but no formal public comments were submitted. During the Planning Commission hearing, members of the public sought clarification related to the single historical correction on a parcel and the current use onsite. Permit Sonoma staff resolved the question by clarifying the current use and that the use is consistent with the General Plan and zoning designations onsite.
As of November 6, 2026, no public comment for the November 17, 2026, Board of Supervisors hearing has been received.
Environmental Review
Permit Sonoma has determined that the project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under State CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) (common sense) and Section 15305 (Minor Alterations In Land Use Limitations).
• The amendments to the General Plan Land Use Map and zoning designation of one parcel to correct a historical error are exempt under Section 15061(b)(3) because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility the project will result in a significant effect on the environment because changes only remove mistaken split land use and zoning designations.
• Corrections to the General Plan Land Use Map and zoning designations of specific parcels that are to implement previously approved project conditions of approval were analyzed in compliance with CEQA as part of their originating project and at the time of project approval. These amendments are exempt under Section 15305 because the amendments merely realign land use and zoning designation boundaries to be coterminous with adjusted property lines.
• Amendments to the text of Sonoma County Code Chapter 26 (Zoning) are exempt under Section 15061(b)(3) because it can be seen with certainty that they will not have a significant effect on the environment as the changes are editorial in nature and only correct inaccuracies and inadvertent omissions, or make non-substantive clarifications, and do not make substantive changes to County land use policy.
General Plan Consistency
The proposed amendments are necessary to correct inaccuracies, resolve inconsistencies, and make other minor corrections and clarifications to the General Plan Land Use Map, the Official Zoning Database, and Chapter 26 of the Sonoma County Code to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the planning information on which the public relies.
The proposed General Plan land use and zoning amendments are consistent and compatible with the Sonoma County General Plan in that the changes include only error corrections and minor zone changes being undertaken to ensure consistency with the General Plan and to implement conditions of approval of previously approved projects. The proposed Zoning Code text amendments are consistent with the General Plan because the changes are proposed to correct technical errors during codification and make editorial updates, and do not make substantive changes to existing, adopted County land use policy.
Strategic Plan:
Not Applicable
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
The Board of Supervisors has approved 10 sets of technical corrections since 2009.
|
Ordinance/Resolution # |
Adoption Date |
|
ORD# 5850 |
Sept. 1, 2009 |
|
RES# 10-0472 |
June 8, 2010 |
|
RES# 11-0250 |
May 10, 2011 |
|
RES# 12-0512 |
Oct. 23, 2012 |
|
RES# 13-0448 |
Nov. 5, 2013 |
|
RES# 16-0017 |
Jan. 5, 2016 |
|
RES# 18-0479 |
Dec. 4, 2018 |
|
RES# 19-0545 |
Dec. 10, 2019 |
|
ORD# 6403 |
March 7, 2023 |
|
ORD# 6455 RES# 23-0578 |
Dec. 5, 2023 |
|
ORD# 6497 RES# 24-0482 |
Nov. 12, 2024 |
Fiscal Summary
Not Applicable
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Not Applicable
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
Not Applicable
Attachments:
Attachment 1: PLP26-0019 Resolution:
Exhibit A - Table of Proposed General Plan Amendments
Attachment 2: PLP26-0019 Rezoning Ordinance
Exhibit A - Table of Proposed Zone Changes
Exhibit B - Full Zoning Code Text Amendments
Attachment 3: PLP26-0019 Planning Commission Staff Report, October 1, 2026
Attachment 4: PLP26-0019 Planning Commission Resolution No. 26-018, October 1, 2026
Attachment 5: Legal Notice of Public Hearing with Pre-Adoption Summary and Affidavit
Attachment 6: PLP26-0019 PowerPoint Presentation
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
Not Applicable