Mendocino County, CA Environmental Rules: Coastal Development (2026)

The Mendocino County Local Coastal Program (LCP) consists of the Coastal Element of the General Plan (the Land Use Plan) and the Coastal Zoning Code, codified at Title 20, Division II of the Mendocino County Code. The Land Use Plan was effectively certified by the California Coastal Commission on November 20, 1985; the zoning and implementation plan portion was certified with suggested modifications on March 15, 1991, adopted by the Board of Supervisors on July 22, 1991, and the total LCP was effectively certified on September 10, 1992, with the County assuming permit-issuing authority on October 13, 1992. The LCP has not been comprehensively updated since 1992. In November 2022 the California Coastal Commission awarded Mendocino County a Round 8 LCP Local Assistance Grant of $2,177,399 to perform a comprehensive update of both the Coastal Element and the Coastal Zoning Code, including sea level rise adaptation. Coastal Development Permits are issued by the Mendocino County Department of Planning and Building Services, with appealable actions subject to review by the California Coastal Commission. The Coastal Zone covers the unincorporated coast from the Sonoma County line at Gualala north past Point Arena, Manchester, Elk, Albion, Little River, Mendocino, Caspar, Westport, and Rockport to the Humboldt County line.