Periodic Special Events Zoning Code Update, File No. ORD25-0003
Summary
SCH Number
2025120594
Public Agency
Sonoma County
Document Title
Periodic Special Events Zoning Code Update, File No. ORD25-0003
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
12/15/2025
Document Description
The ordinance includes amendments to Chapter 26 (Zoning Code) of the Sonoma County Code to establish a 2500-person cap on the number of attendees allowed at periodic special events permitted with a Zoning Permit, and to clarify periodic special event permitting processes, public noticing procedures, and term definitions. Special events that require both a Zoning Permit and Special Event Encroachment Permit would be exempt from the 2500-person attendee cap. The proposed amendments will benefit the public and staff through improved clarity and consistency throughout the Zoning Code and reduce potential for impacts.
Contact Information
Name
Katerina Mahdavi
Agency Name
County of Sonoma
Job Title
Planner II
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Location
Cities
Unincorporated Sonoma County
Counties
Sonoma
Regions
Northern California
State Highways
US 1 & 101, SR 12, SR 37, SR 121
Railways
Multiple
Airports
Sonoma County Airport
Schools
Multiple
Waterways
Multiple
Base
MDM
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Other
Type, Section or Code
CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3)
Reasons for Exemption
The proposed amendments to the Zoning Code are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), the commonsense exemption, because CEQA applies only to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. The project involves minor updates to Zoning Code to clarify definitions and codify current procedure and practice, and to establish for the first time attendance caps on events, unless certain criteria are met. The amendments do not change the number or frequency of events allowed under current Permit Sonoma policy. The current Zoning Code text does not limit the number of attendees at periodic special events, and this ordinance would establish a cap on the number of allowed attendees at a permitted event, unless the proposed periodic special event entails activity within the public right of way that requires an encroachment, in which case the current policy of no cap on attendees under a zoning permit would continue unchanged. As the permitting scheme makes minor administrative and definitional changes and creates attendee limits where none currently exist, it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility the proposed Zoning Code amendments will result in a direct or indirect physical change in the environment.
County Clerk
Sonoma
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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