Ventura County, CA Animal Ordinances: Bird Protection (2026)

13(e) makes the bird nesting survey a precondition to the Zoning Clearance itself, the county sign-off that authorizes construction activities to begin. The ordinance states its triggers in the alternative, so either one alone requires the survey. Trigger (1) applies when the project is within the buffer zone for breeding bird habitats during nesting season; no vegetation needs to be touched, because construction activity inside the buffer is enough on its own. 2. The vegetation trigger is broader than it first appears: transplanting is listed alongside removal and alteration, so relocating an ESHA tree during nesting season requires the survey just as cutting it down would.

1, and the County Planning Division reviews it before the Zoning Clearance issues. The requirement governs development in or near environmentally sensitive habitat areas in the unincorporated Coastal Zone; it is not a countywide rule, and work that avoids both triggers, for example ESHA vegetation removal outside the January 1 to September 15 window, does not require the survey.