Kennedy Meadows Roadside Fuels Reduction Project
Summary
SCH Number
2026100204
Public Agency
Tulare County
Document Title
Kennedy Meadows Roadside Fuels Reduction Project
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
10/7/2026
Document Description
The Project will reduce hazardous roadside vegetation along approximately 3 miles of Sherman Pass Road to improve life safety, roadside safety, ingress and
egress for evacuation, and reduce the intensity and spread of wildland fire into the wildland-urban interface. Tulare County Fire Department Type II IA crews will physically remove and/or chip vegetation along the roadway right-of-way and adjacent properties. All work will be within the County Right-of-way and will extend no further than 80 feet from centerline of roadway, creating a 160-foot wide (including the road) reduction of fuel, where access is authorized. Sherman Pass Road is County maintained, is located within the State Responsibility Area, and
portions of the project corridor extend through the Sequoia National Forest. The roadway is in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone and serves as the primary ingress and egress route for approximately 200 habitable residential structures. The Project also includes public outreach intended to improve community wildfire safety and readiness.
Contact Information
Name
Kevin Riggi
Agency Name
Tulare County Fire Department
Job Title
Division Chief
Contact Types
Project Applicant
Phone
Name
Gary Mills
Agency Name
County of Tulare, Resource Management Agency
Job Title
Chief Planner
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Name
Jessica Wills
Agency Name
County of Tulare, Resource Management Agency
Job Title
Environmental Planner
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Location
Cities
unincorporated area, Kennedy Meadows
Counties
Tulare
Regions
Southern California, Unincorporated
Other Location Info
Approximately 3 miles along Sherman Pass Road in the Kennedy Meadows area,
between the project start and end points depicted on the attached Kennedy Meadows Project map. Portions of the roadway corridor are within the Sequoia National Forest.
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
CEQA Guidelines Class 1 Section 15301(c), Existing Facilities, and Class 4 Section 15304, Minor Alterations to Land
Reasons for Exemption
The Project is categorically exempt pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section
15301(c), Class 1, Existing Facilities, and Section 15304, Class 4, Minor Alterations to Land. Class 1 applies to maintenance and minor alteration of existing highways and streets involving negligible or no expansion of use. The Project consists of roadside vegetation and fuel maintenance along an existing County-maintained roadway and would not add travel lanes or expand roadway capacity. Class 4 applies to minor alterations in the condition of land and vegetation that do not involve removal of healthy, mature, scenic trees. The CEQA-exempt scope of this Project is limited to vegetation thinning, removal, and chipping needed for roadside fuel reduction and evacuation safety and does not include removal of healthy, mature, scenic trees. Based on the project information provided, the County has determined that none of the exceptions to the use of categorical exemptions set forth in CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2 apply. Work outside County right-of-way or on federal lands shall occur only after obtaining any separate property-owner or federal authorization that may be required.
County Clerk
Tulare
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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