Municipal Code Amendments (Title 5 and Title 9) related to group homes, residential care facilities, and boarding houses
Summary
SCH Number
2026070869
Public Agency
City of Lake Forest
Document Title
Municipal Code Amendments (Title 5 and Title 9) related to group homes, residential care facilities, and boarding houses
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
7/22/2026
Document Description
Municipal Code Amendments to amend Title 5 and Title 9 (Zoning Code) of the Lake Forest Municipal Code related to group homes, residential care facilities, and boarding houses. The Zoning Code Amendment includes updating definitions, more clearly prohibiting boarding houses from residential zones, adding group homes as a permitted use in all residential and mixed-use zoning districts, and updating references related to Municipal Code Chapter 5.44. The Municipal Code Amendment to amend Chapter 5.44 of the Lake Municipal Code includes new regulations and processing requirements for a group home license.
Contact Information
Name
Jennifer Mansur
Agency Name
City of Lake Forest
Job Title
Senior Planner
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency / Project Applicant / Parties Undertaking Project
Phone
Email
Location
Cities
Lake Forest
Counties
Orange
Regions
Southern California
Other Location Info
Citywide- City of Lake Forest
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Other
Type, Section or Code
State CEQA Guidelines § 15060(c)(2)-(3) and State CEQA Guidelines § 15061(b)(3) Common Sense exemption
Reasons for Exemption
This Municipal Code Amendment does not qualify as a "project" subject to CEQA because this Municipal Code Amendment will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. (State CEQA Guidelines, § 15060(c)(2)-(3), 15378.) Notably, this Municipal Code Amendment serves to create regulations and an administrative process for group homes, including residential care facilities. This Municipal Code Amendment authorizes no new development and will not result in any construction or any other physical change to the environment. Thus, this Municipal Code Amendment will not result in direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical changes in the environment and is not a "project" within the meaning of CEQA.
In the alternative, if this Municipal Code Amendment is a project subject to CEQA, this Municipal Code Amendment is exempt from environmental review. For the same reasons the Municipal Code Amendment does not qualify as a "project," this Municipal Code Amendment falls within the "common sense" exemption because "it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment." (State CEQA Guidelines, § 15061(b)(3).) Specifically, and as noted above, this Municipal Code Amendment will not result in any construction or any other physical change to the environment because it involves creating regulations and an administrative process for group homes, including residential care facilities. Thus, there is no possibility that this Municipal Code Amendment would have a significant effect on the environment. As a result, this Municipal Code Amendment is not subject to CEQA
County Clerk
Orange
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
Disclaimer: The Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI) accepts no responsibility for the content or accessibility of these documents. To obtain an attachment in a different format, please contact the lead agency at the contact information listed above. For more information, please visit LCI’s Accessibility Site.