CHAPTER 2.5. Definitions [21060. - 21074.]

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC 2.5.
in effect

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 21060.1. Section 21060.1.

(a) “Agricultural land” means prime farmland, farmland of statewide importance, or unique farmland, as defined by the United States Department of Agriculture land inventory and monitoring criteria, as modified for California. (b) In those areas of the state where lands have not been surveyed for the classifications specified in subdivision (a), “agricultural land” means land that meets the requirements of “prime agricultural land” as defined in paragraph (1), (2), (3), or (4) of subdivision (c) of Section 51201 of the Government Code.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 21060.2. Section 21060.2.

(a) “Bus rapid transit” means a public mass transit service provided by a public agency or by a public-private partnership that includes all of the following features: (1) Full-time dedicated bus lanes or operation in a separate right-of-way dedicated for public transportation with a frequency of service interval of 15 minutes or less during the morning and afternoon peak commute periods. (2) Transit signal priority. (3) All-door boarding. (4) Fare collection system that promotes efficiency. (5) Defined stations. (b) “Bus rapid transit station” means a clearly defined bus station served by a bus rapid transit.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 21060.3. Section 21060.3.

“Emergency” means a sudden, unexpected occurrence, involving a clear and imminent danger, demanding immediate action to prevent or mitigate loss of, or damage to, life, health, property, or essential public services. “Emergency” includes such occurrences as fire, flood, earthquake, or other soil or geologic movements, as well as such occurrences as riot, accident, or sabotage.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 21060.5. Section 21060.5.

“Environment” means the physical conditions which exist within the area which will be affected by a proposed project, including land, air, water, minerals, flora, fauna, noise, objects of historic or aesthetic significance.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 21061. Section 21061.

“Environmental impact report” means a detailed statement setting forth the matters specified in Sections 21100 and 21100.1; provided that information or data which is relevant to such a statement and is a matter of public record or is generally available to the public need not be repeated in its entirety in such statement, but may be specifically cited as the source for conclusions stated therein; and provided further that such information or data shall be briefly described, that its relationship to the environmental impact report shall be indicated, and that the source thereof shall be reasonably available for inspection at a public place or public building. An environmental impact report also includes any comments which are obtained pursuant to Section 21104 or 21153, or which are required to be obtained pursuant to this division. An environmental impact report is an informational document which, when its preparation is required by this division, shall be considered by every public agency prior to its approval or disapproval of a project. The purpose of an environmental impact report is to provide public agencies and the public in general with detailed information about the effect which a proposed project is likely to have on the environment; to list ways in which the significant effects of such a project might be minimized; and to indicate alternatives to such a project. In order to facilitate the use of environmental impact reports, public agencies shall require that such reports contain an index or table of contents and a summary. Failure to include such index, table of contents, or summary shall not constitute a cause of action pursuant to Section 21167.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 21061.1. Section 21061.1.

“Feasible” means capable of being accomplished in a successful manner within a reasonable period of time, taking into account economic, environmental, social, and technological factors.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 21061.2. Section 21061.2.

“Land evaluation and site assessment” means a decisionmaking methodology for assessing the potential environmental impact of state and local projects on agricultural land.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 21061.3. Section 21061.3.

“Infill site” means a site in an urbanized area that meets either of the following criteria: (a) The site has not been previously developed for urban uses and both of the following apply: (1) The site is immediately adjacent to parcels that are developed with qualified urban uses, or at least 75 percent of the perimeter of the site adjoins parcels that are developed with qualified urban uses, and the remaining 25 percent of the site adjoins parcels that have previously been developed for qualified urban uses. (2) No parcel within the site has been created within the past 10 years unless the parcel was created as a result of the plan of a redevelopment agency. (b) The site has been previously developed for qualified urban uses.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 21062. Section 21062.

“Local agency” means any public agency other than a state agency, board, or commission. For purposes of this division a redevelopment agency and a local agency formation commission are local agencies, and neither is a state agency, board, or commission.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 21063. Section 21063.

“Public agency” includes any state agency, board, or commission, any county, city and county, city, regional agency, public district, redevelopment agency, or other political subdivision.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 21064. Section 21064.

“Negative declaration” means a written statement briefly describing the reasons that a proposed project will not have a significant effect on the environment and does not require the preparation of an environmental impact report.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 21064.3. Section 21064.3.

“Major transit stop” means a site containing any of the following: (a) An existing rail or bus rapid transit station. (b) A ferry terminal served by either a bus or rail transit service. (c) The intersection of two or more major bus routes with a frequency of service interval of 20 minutes or less during the morning and afternoon peak commute periods.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 21064.5. Section 21064.5.

“Mitigated negative declaration” means a negative declaration prepared for a project when the initial study has identified potentially significant effects on the environment, but (1) revisions in the project plans or proposals made by, or agreed to by, the applicant before the proposed negative declaration and initial study are released for public review would avoid the effects or mitigate the effects to a point where clearly no significant effect on the environment would occur, and (2) there is no substantial evidence in light of the whole record before the public agency that the project, as revised, may have a significant effect on the environment.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 21065. Section 21065.

“Project” means an activity which may cause either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, and which is any of the following: (a) An activity directly undertaken by any public agency. (b) An activity undertaken by a person which is supported, in whole or in part, through contracts, grants, subsidies, loans, or other forms of assistance from one or more public agencies. (c) An activity that involves the issuance to a person of a lease, permit, license, certificate, or other entitlement for use by one or more public agencies.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 21065.5. Section 21065.5.

“Geothermal exploratory project” means a project as defined in Section 21065 composed of not more than six wells and associated drilling and testing equipment, whose chief and original purpose is to evaluate the presence and characteristics of geothermal resources prior to commencement of a geothermal field development project as defined in Section 65928.5 of the Government Code. Wells included within a geothermal exploratory project must be located at least one-half mile from geothermal development wells which are capable of producing geothermal resources in commercial quantities.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 21066. Section 21066.

“Person” includes any person, firm, association, organization, partnership, business, trust, corporation, limited liability company, company, district, county, city and county, city, town, the state, and any of the agencies and political subdivisions of those entities, and, to the extent permitted by federal law, the United States, or any of its agencies or political subdivisions.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 21067. Section 21067.

“Lead agency” means the public agency which has the principal responsibility for carrying out or approving a project which may have a significant effect upon the environment.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 21067.5. Section 21067.5.

“Natural and protected lands” means sites located within any of the following locations: (a) The state park system, as described in Article 1 (commencing with Section 5001) of Chapter 1 of Division 5. (b) A wilderness area, as defined in Section 5093.32. (c) A marine protected area, as defined in Section 2852 of the Fish and Game Code. (d) The national park system, as defined in Section 100102 of Title 54 of the United States Code. (e) A national recreation area. (f) A national monument. (g) The national wild and scenic rivers system, as defined in Section 1273 of Title 16 of the United States Code. (h) Any ecological reserve or wildlife management area acquired and managed by the Department of Fish and Wildlife pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 1525) or Article 4 (commencing with Section 1580) of Chapter 5 of Division 2 of the Fish and Game Code. (i) A hazardous waste site that is listed pursuant to Section 65962.5 of the Government Code or a hazardous waste site designated by the Department of Toxic Substances Control pursuant to Section 25356 of the Health and Safety Code, unless either of the following apply: (1) The site is an underground storage tank site that received a uniform closure letter issued pursuant to subdivision (g) of Section 25296.10 of the Health and Safety Code based on closure criteria established by the State Water Resources Control Board for the use proposed by the project. This paragraph does not alter or change the conditions to remove a site from the list of hazardous waste sites listed pursuant to Section 65962.5 of the Government Code. (2) The State Department of Public Health, State Water Resources Control Board, Department of Toxic Substances Control, or a local agency making a determination pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 25296.10 of the Health and Safety Code has otherwise determined that the site is suitable for the use proposed by the project. (j) Within a regulatory floodway as determined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in any official maps published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, unless the development has received a no-rise certification in accordance with Section 60.3(d)(3) of Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations. (k) Lands under conservation easement. ( l ) On, or within a 300-foot radius of, a wetland, as defined in the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Manual, Part 660 FW 2 (June 21, 1993). (m) An environmentally sensitive area within the coastal zone, as defined in Section 30107.5. (n) Lands identified for conservation in an adopted natural community conservation plan pursuant to the Natural Community Conservation Planning Act (Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 2800) of Division 3 of the Fish and Game Code) or habitat conservation plan pursuant to the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. Sec. 1531 et seq.), or other adopted natural resource protection plan. (o) Within a very high fire hazard severity zone, as determined by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection pursuant to Section 51178 of the Government Code, or within the state responsibility area, as defined in Section 4102. This subdivision does not apply to sites that have adopted fire hazard mitigation measures pursuant to existing building standards or state fire mitigation measures applicable to the development, including, but not limited to, standards established under all of the following provisions or their successor provisions: (1) Section 4291 of this code or Section 51182 of the Government Code, as applicable. (2) Section 4290. (3) Chapter 7A (commencing with Section 701A.1) of Part 2 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations. (p) Either prime farmland or farmland of statewide importance, as defined pursuant to the United States Department of Agriculture land inventory and monitoring criteria, as modified for California, and designated on the maps prepared by the Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program of the Department of Conservation, or land zoned or designated for agricultural protection or preservation by a local ballot measure that was approved by the voters of that jurisdiction.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 21068.5. Section 21068.5.

“Tiering” or “tier” means the coverage of general matters and environmental effects in an environmental impact report prepared for a policy, plan, program or ordinance followed by narrower or site-specific environmental impact reports which incorporate by reference the discussion in any prior environmental impact report and which concentrate on the environmental effects which (a) are capable of being mitigated, or (b) were not analyzed as significant effects on the environment in the prior environmental impact report.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 21070. Section 21070.

“Trustee agency” means a state agency that has jurisdiction by law over natural resources affected by a project, that are held in trust for the people of the State of California.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 21071. Section 21071.

“Urbanized area” means either of the following: (a) An incorporated city that meets either of the following criteria: (1) Has a population of at least 100,000 persons. (2) Has a population of less than 100,000 persons if the population of that city and not more than two contiguous incorporated cities combined equals at least 100,000 persons. (b) An unincorporated area that satisfies the criteria in both paragraph (1) and (2) of the following criteria: (1) Is either of the following: (A) Completely surrounded by one or more incorporated cities, and both of the following criteria are met: (i) The population of the unincorporated area and the population of the surrounding incorporated city or cities equals not less than 100,000 persons. (ii) The population density of the unincorporated area at least equals the population density of the surrounding city or cities. (B) Located within an urban growth boundary and has an existing residential population of at least 5,000 persons per square mile. For purposes of this subparagraph, an “urban growth boundary” means a provision of a locally adopted general plan that allows urban uses on one side of the boundary and prohibits urban uses on the other side. (2) The board of supervisors with jurisdiction over the unincorporated area has previously taken both of the following actions: (A) Issued a finding that the general plan, zoning ordinance, and related policies and programs applicable to the unincorporated area are consistent with principles that encourage compact development in a manner that does both of the following: (i) Promotes efficient transportation systems, economic growth, affordable housing, energy efficiency, and an appropriate balance of jobs and housing. (ii) Protects the environment, open space, and agricultural areas. (B) Submitted a draft finding to the Office of Planning and Research at least 30 days prior to issuing a final finding, and allowed the office 30 days to submit comments on the draft findings to the board of supervisors.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 21072. Section 21072.

“Qualified urban use” means any residential, commercial, public institutional, transit or transportation passenger facility, or retail use, or any combination of those uses.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 21073. Section 21073.

“California Native American tribe” means a Native American tribe located in California that is on the contact list maintained by the Native American Heritage Commission for the purposes of Chapter 905 of the Statutes of 2004.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 21074. Section 21074.

(a) “Tribal cultural resources” are either of the following: (1) Sites, features, places, cultural landscapes, sacred places, and objects with cultural value to a California Native American tribe that are either of the following: (A) Included or determined to be eligible for inclusion in the California Register of Historical Resources. (B) Included in a local register of historical resources as defined in subdivision (k) of Section 5020.1. (2) A resource determined by the lead agency, in its discretion and supported by substantial evidence, to be significant pursuant to criteria set forth in subdivision (c) of Section 5024.1. In applying the criteria set forth in subdivision (c) of Section 5024.1 for the purposes of this paragraph, the lead agency shall consider the significance of the resource to a California Native American tribe. (b) A cultural landscape that meets the criteria of subdivision (a) is a tribal cultural resource to the extent that the landscape is geographically defined in terms of the size and scope of the landscape. (c) A historical resource described in Section 21084.1, a unique archaeological resource as defined in subdivision (g) of Section 21083.2, or a “nonunique archaeological resource” as defined in subdivision (h) of Section 21083.2 may also be a tribal cultural resource if it conforms with the criteria of subdivision (a).
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026

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