County clerks collect environmental document filing fees from project applicants at the time the notice of determination (NOD) is filed for a Negative Declaration (ND), Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND), or Environmental Impact Report (EIR).
County clerks are required to maintain both electronic and paper records of all environmental documents received. These records are required to be available to CDFW for audit purposes during normal business hours (Fish & G. Code, §711.4 (e)(1)). Each county is required to summarize and record the collected environmental document filing fees on a State of California TC-31 report and remit the amount collected to the State Treasurer (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, § 753.5 (e)(8)). County clerks are required to submit all environmental document filing fees within 30 days of the month in which they are collected (Fish & G. Code, §711.4 (e)(2)).
A photocopy of the State of California TC-31 Report submitted to the State Treasurer should be submitted to CDFW on a monthly basis along with the following documents (Cal. Code Regs., tit.14, § 753.5 (e)(10)(A)):
- CDFW copies of all environmental document filing fee cash receipts including all voided receipts (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, § 753.5 (e)(10)(B));
- Photocopies of all no effect determinations filed in lieu of the environmental document filing fee, attached to the appropriate receipt (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, § 753.5 (e)(10)(C));
- Photocopies of all NODs, attached to the appropriate environmental document filing fee receipt (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, § 753.5 (e)(10)(D));
- Photocopies of all previously paid cash environmental document filing fee receipt, attached to the appropriate NOD (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, § 753.5 (e)(4));
- Photocopies of all NOEs, attached to the appropriate environmental document filing fee receipt (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, § 753.5 (e)(10)(E)); and
- The name, address, and telephone number of all project applicants for which an NOD has been filed (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, § 753.5 (e)(8)(E)). If this information is contained on the environmental document filing fee receipt, no additional information is required.
Effective January 1, 2015, the Department of Fish and Wildlife no longer prints and distributes numbered books of environmental document filing fee receipt to counties. The books have been replaced by an electronic version of the Environmental Filing Fee Cash Receipt (DFW 753.5a) (PDF).