An ordinance amending Sonoma County Code to Change Zoning Administrator Authority for Telecommunications Facilities
Summary
SCH Number
2026080107
Public Agency
Sonoma County
Document Title
An ordinance amending Sonoma County Code to Change Zoning Administrator Authority for Telecommunications Facilities
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
8/5/2026
Document Description
The proposed ordinance amends Sonoma County Code Section 2-79 (Zoning Administrator) to remove the automatic referral of discretionary telecommunications facility use permit applications to the Planning Commission, and instead assigns initial review authority for these permits to the Zoning Administrator, consistent with the County's general framework for discretionary use permit review. The Zoning Administrator retains discretion to refer any telecommunications permit application to the Planning Commission, and a Board member's ability to request original jurisdiction remains unchanged. The change aligns telecommunications permit processing with streamlined timelines required under federal law and does not modify the substantive standards applicable to telecommunications facilities or authorize any physical development.
Contact Information
Name
Doug Bush
Agency Name
County of Sonoma / Permit Sonoma
Job Title
Planner III
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency / Project Applicant
Phone
Location
Cities
Sonoma County (Countywide)
Counties
Sonoma
Regions
Northern California
Cross Streets
N/A (countywide ordinance; not site-specific, not including Coastal Zone)
Zip
N/A
Total Acres
N/A
Parcel #
N/A
State Highways
N/A
Railways
N/A
Airports
N/A
Schools
N/A
Waterways
N/A
Township
N/A
Range
N/A
Section
N/A
Base
MDM
Other Location Info
Present Land Use/Zoning/General Plan Designation: Not applicable - countywide administrative/procedural ordinance amendment; not tied to a specific parcel, land use, or General Plan designation.
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Other
Type, Section or Code
15378(b)(5) and 15061(b)(3)
Reasons for Exemption
The ordinance is a procedural and administrative change that reassigns which County decision-making body conducts initial review of discretionary telecommunications facility use permits; it does not authorize any development or physical change to the environment. Any future telecommunications facility project approved under this ordinance will independently undergo its own CEQA review prior to approval. It can therefore be seen with certainty that the ordinance itself will have no significant effect on the environment.
County Clerk
Sonoma
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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