General Plan 2020

The General Plan is the blueprint for land use in unincorporated Sonoma County. It includes maps that show where agricultural, residential, commercial and other land uses will be located, and a series of policies that guide future decisions about growth, development and conservation of resources.

The General Plan provides the basis for development while maintaining the quality of life that Sonoma County residents treasure.

Adopted by Resolution No. 08-0808 of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors,  September 23, 2008

Amended by Resolution No. 16-0283 on August 2, 2016

Statutory authority for a general plan is expressed in Title 7, Division 1 of the Government Code of the State of California. Article 5, Section 65300 et seq. requires the County to adopt a comprehensive general plan to guide its future physical development. The plan may recognize local conditions in a format that is appropriate for the local agency. Although the General Plan must address a number of different subjects and elements, the County may choose the degree of specificity and level of detail that is appropriate for its circumstances.

The General Plan must contain a statement of development policies, including diagrams or maps and text, setting forth objectives, principles, standards, and plan proposals. Seven mandatory elements are Land Use, Circulation, Housing, Conservation, Open Space, Noise, and Safety.

A number of optional elements are allowed. This General Plan includes four optional elements: Agricultural Resources, Air Transportation, Water Resources, and Public Facilities and Services.

Sonoma County General Plan 2020 (GP 2020) is a revision of the previous General Plan which was adopted in 1989, and supersedes and replaces that document. This plan carries forward the major goals and policy framework of the 1989 Plan, and retains the overall format. The primary purpose of the revised plan was to conduct a policy review which focused upon specific issues that were of paramount importance to the community.

The broad purpose of GP 2020 is to express policies which will guide decisions on future growth, development, and conservation of resources through 2020 in a manner consistent with the goals and quality of life desired by the county's residents. Under State law all subsidiary land use plans and codes,  such as Specific Plans, Area Plans, and zoning, as well as development project approvals such as subdivisions and use permits, must be consistent with the General Plan. The Goals, Objectives, and Policies set forth in the plan will be applied in a manner to insure their constitutionality. Each policy of the plan shall be interpreted and applied in compliance with applicable governing law. For instance, policies in the Land Use Element and Circulation and Transit Element that describe or provide for discretionary review of development projects, are understood to apply only to the extent that applicable law allows the County to use its own judgment in reviewing and conditioning approval of a development project. This is true even if a policy that describes or otherwise relates to discretionary action does not expressly refer to discretionary projects.

The County, in its sole discretion and to the extent allowed by law, shall determine a proposal’s consistency with the General Plan. In general, a proposal is consistent if, considering all its aspects, the proposal will further the overall objectives and policies of the General Plan and not obstruct their attainment. A proposal may be consistent with the overall objectives of the General Plan even if it is not consistent with every policy and objective. In making a consistency determination, the County may exercise discretion to weigh, balance and harmonize policies in a manner that it determines best achieves the County’s overall goals.