How long does it take to process a tract map?

Unless an environmental document is required, a tract map will typically take between six to nine months to process. An applicant can expect an initial written response within 30 days of submittal of the application for preliminary review. A typical tract will undergo multiple preliminary reviews until it has been determined that the application can be accepted as complete. Once the application is deemed complete and formally accepted, the Subdivision Review Committee meeting occurs in approximately thirty (30) days. The public hearing is normally held within fifty (50) calendar days of acceptance of the application.

If an environmental study is required, this processing time is lengthened considerably. Typically, ninety (90) to one hundred and twenty (120) days are added onto the process for a Negative Declaration or Mitigated Negative Declaration and twelve (12) to eighteen (18) months for an Environmental Impact Report.

Once a tract map is tentatively approved, processing of the final map varies, depending on the applicant’s ability to satisfy the conditions of approval, submit and obtain approval of improvement plans, and record the map.