Phase 3: Pre-Application Review
Schedule a pre-application review meeting with the Discretionary Permit Coordinator and/or the Development Review Committee.The purpose of the pre-application review process is to provide you with information regarding County policies, regulations, and constraints that may have a major effect upon a contemplated project. County staff analysis is based on applicant-provided information and will generally correspond in detail to the level of information provided (i.e. the greater the proposed project detail, the more thorough the analysis). Therefore, by reviewing your project early with County staff, you can expedite the permit process.
The pre-application review process includes scheduling meetings with the Discretionary Permit Coordinator and sometimes the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee (for projects on and/or adjacent to agricultural property) or the Development Review Committee (recommended only for more complex projects). More information on these options is provided below.
For general inquiries regarding a particular project site of the discretionary permit review process, you can visit the Planning Division’s public counter, located on the 3rd Floor of the Hall of Administration to speak with the Planner on duty. Planning staff can provide you with key information on required property setbacks, lot coverage, allowable building heights, legal lot status, whether there are any outstanding violations or historic structures on the site, and answer other basic questions related to zoning, planning policies, and development standards. For hours of operation and other information related to the Planning Division’s public counter, please click here.
HELPFUL TIP: When visiting the Planning Counter to research a parcel, bring all APNs associated with the legal lots involved and request that Planning staff run a report from the Planning GIS system using the APN(s). Based on location, this report will provide information on the zoning and General Plan designations, and any overlay zones applicable to the site and whether the site is located in a sensitive habitat area, a traffic impact area, etc. GIS maps displaying some of this information graphically are provided by the RMA-GIS Division to the public for a fee.
Discretionary Permit Coordinator
All applications for discretionary permits, subdivisions, and zone changes must be coordinated with, and submitted to, the Discretionary Permit Coordinator in the Planning Division. During the pre-application meeting, you can discuss the details of your project, obtain a list of submittal requirements for your application, and review procedures for submitting and processing your application.
When scheduling your pre-application meeting with the Discretionary Permit Coordinator, please have the following information available:
- Your name and the phone number at which you can be reached.
- The Assessor’s Parcel Number (APN) of the proposed project site. If you do not know the APN of the project site, you may obtain it here.
- A basic description of the proposed project.
To schedule a pre-application meeting you may:
- Contact Permit Administration by phone at (805) 654-2488.
Once you have scheduled your pre-application meeting, please read the pre-application review brochure, which describes the information and materials you need to bring when you meet with the Discretionary Permit Coordinator. To access the brochure, click here.
Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee (APAC)
The Ventura County Board of Supervisors appointed five members of the agricultural community to serve on the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee (APAC). Upon request, the APAC members, in conjunction with the Agricultural Commissioner’s Office, provides pre-submittal reviews for proposed projects on and/or adjacent to agricultural property. Please review the Agricultural Commissioner’s One-Stop website to learn more about the pre-submittal review process with the APAC.
Development Review Committee
In 2009, the County of Ventura established a Development Review Committee (DRC) consisting of key County staff in various departments (e.g. Fire, Public Works, Traffic, Environmental Health, Planning, etc) to review complex discretionary permit applications prior to submittal. This committee meets on a regular basis to review, discuss and provide early guidance to applicants on projects. After you have met with the Discretionary Permit Coordinator, you will be advised whether a DRC meeting is recommended for your project. The current fee for this service is a flat fee of $2,195.
For more information on DRC procedures, please click here.
After meeting with the Planning Division Discretionary Permit Coordinator, you will have a better understanding of the application submittal requirements specific to your proposed project. To learn more about the application submittal process, click on the “Phase 4” link.