Education
California Environmental Quality Act: exemption: day care center: zoning
SB 299 exempts stand-alone day care centers in residential areas from CEQA review, with protections for oil-and-gas-adjacent and protected lands.
The law can streamline approval of day care centers in neighborhoods by removing CEQA review requirements for qualifying projects. The exemption does not apply near active oil or gas extraction or refining facilities or on natural and protected lands.
What the law does
- Exempts projects consisting exclusively of a day care center in a residential area from CEQA.
- Denies the exemption to projects within 3,200 feet of an active oil or natural gas extraction or refining facility.
- Denies the exemption to projects on natural and protected lands.
- Does not require state reimbursement to local agencies or school districts for mandated costs because they may levy charges, fees, or assessments.
Who it affects
- Day care center operators seeking to establish stand-alone centers in residential areas.
- Local lead agencies deciding whether qualifying day care projects are exempt from CEQA.
- Residents near proposed day care centers, active oil or gas facilities, and protected lands.