Planning
Contact the Planning Division. We respond to questions in the order they are received. You may be contacted by phone or email.
Planning guides the urban and rural development in the unincorporated areas of the County through the administration of policy/codes adopted by the Board of Supervisors. These are in the form of the General Plan, various area and community plans, and the Development Code (land use regulations).
Land development applications, such as subdivisions and conditional use permits, undergo staff and Planning Commission review to assure conformance with adopted plans, regulations, and State law, including state and county environmental guidelines. Environmental impact reports (EIRs) may be required and mitigation programs are established and monitored.
Regional planning issues and concerns are addressed through participation in various regional planning organizations. These include the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), and San Bernardino Council of Governments (SBCOG) among others. Planning also works cooperatively with the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Forest Service, the County’s cities, and other public and private agencies.
Need Help with Zoning?
Use the interactive zoning map below to look up the zoning for your property. Input your APN by clicking on the search tool. For address lookup, address lookup tool.
*Disclaimer*The Land Use Services Zoning Look-up application is provided by the County of San Bernardino to assist in project planning. The applicant is responsible for independent verification and application of the information contained herein, as it applies to the development of a project specifically. Any use of this product with respect to accuracy and precision shall be the sole responsibility of the user.
View information on San Bernardino County
development standards.
Announcements
Housing Element – Annual Progress Report (APR) 2024
Each city and county in California is required to prepare an APR on the jurisdiction’s progress in implementing its Housing element (Government Code Section 65400). The housing Element Apr fulfills statutory requirements to report certain housing information inducing: the local agency’s progress in meeting its share of regional housing needs (i.e., applications, entitlements, permits, and certificates of occupancy), certain rezoning activities, actions taken towards completion of housing element programs and local efforts to remove governmental constraints to the development of housing.
The APR also highlights ongoing efforts that will be presented to the Board of Supervisors this year. Ongoing efforts include:
- Program 11: Manufactured Homes has been a key point of focus in late 2024. County staff has identified the need to enhance efficiency of the approval process and provide clearer guidance for current and prospective owners of manufactured homes. To address this, County staff have initiated the development of a comprehensive guide, and FAQ document, and a revised application process aimed at significantly reducing processing time and administrative burden. These resources are expected to be completed by early 2025.
- Program 5: Identify and Mitigate Government Constraints to Housing Development. In late 2024, the County started working to identify unnecessary constraints towards housing development within our Code. San Bernardino County is grappling with the challenge of there being a lack of “middle housing,” which includes unit types such as duplexes, triplexes, townhomes, and other mid-density housing options intended to fill the gap between low-density single-family and high-density multifamily residential developments. This shortage aims to be addressed by reducing the barriers to establishing multi-family zoning, developing infrastructure, and removing unnecessary constraints within the development code. We are looking to bring our findings and recommendations, informed by the latest data we have internally and from public stakeholders to the public and our Board of Supervisors in 2025.
Notable Accomplishments:
- 2024 Completed Housing Element Effort: Program 4 – Short-Term Rental Study: The Short-Term Rental Study was finalized and presented to the Board on June 11, 2024 (Item No. 121). The Board approved the recommended action to receive the report, which evaluated the impact of short-term rentals on the housing supply in unincorporated San Bernardino County.
To read the report, click here.
Additionally, you can view the data here.
Housing Element Program 4 – Short-Term Rental Study (2024)
As part of the Housing Element Program 4, San Bernardino County conducted a public planning process and study to assess the current and projected impact of short-term rentals on the housing supply in unincorporated areas, as well as on motel and hotel businesses in the Mountain and Desert regions.
The study, along with recommendations, will be presented for the Board of Supervisors’ consideration at the June 11th Board meeting.
To read the report, click here.
Additionally, you can view the previously published Short-term Rental Data & Housing Report conducted by Granicus by clicking here.
Housing Element – Annual Progress Report (APR) 2023
Each city and county in California are required to prepare an APR on the jurisdiction’s progress in implementing its Housing Element (Government Code Section 65400). The Housing Element APR fulfills statutory requirements to report certain housing information, including: the local agency’s progress in meeting its share of regional housing needs (i.e., applications, entitlements, permits and certificates of occupancy), certain rezoning activities, actions taken towards completion of housing element programs, and local efforts to remove governmental constraints to the development of housing.
The APR also highlights ongoing efforts that will be presented to the Board of Supervisors this year. Ongoing efforts include:
- Leap Grant Progress Update: The grant funds have been dedicated to analyzing development potential, including infrastructure support, to bolster housing development opportunities in Bloomington. The infrastructure study is expected to be completed by Fall 2024.
- Program 4 Short-Term Rental (STR) Study: The study is currently undergoing finalization; we anticipate presenting its findings to the Board in late Spring 2024.
- Development Code Amendments: The proposed Environmental Justice Focus Area amendments underwent review by the Planning Commission in May 2023 and are scheduled for consideration by the Board in Summer 2024.
To read the report, click here.
Planning Fees 2024/2025
Short Term Rental Study
A virtual meeting to present and discuss the study’s findings was held on 11/16/2023. The recording of the meeting can be viewed here.
The technical memo and short term rental study can be viewed here: Short Term Rental Study – Short-Term Rentals (sbcounty.gov)
Technical Report and Short Term Rental Study
Environmental Justice Focus Areas Draft Development Code Chapter
Environmental Justice Focus Areas (EJFA) Draft Chapter
San Bernardino County Planning Commission is considering a draft ordinance to implement the County’s environmental justice goals and policies. The proposed ordinance (linked above) is being considered as a recommendation item to the Board of Supervisors and was initially presented to the Planning Commission on May 18, 2023 (https://lus.sbcounty.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/48/PC/5-CodeAmendments-SR.pdf).
The Planning Commission hearing was continued to June 22, 2023.
A non-exhaustive summary of the proposed ordinance includes the following:
- Extended mailing notification of project notice(s), community meeting(s) and/or public hearing(s) of up to 2,640 feet (1/2 mile) from the boundaries of the project site;
- Extended mailing recipients to include property resident(s) and business owner(s) within notification area;
- Required notices to be provided in English and the predominant language spoken by residents in the area;
- On-site posting notification of project details;
- Creation of an interested person mailing list and posting of project details on the County’s website
- Requirement of up to two community meetings;
- Interpreter services to be available for each community meeting(s) and/or public hearing(s);
- Translation of executive summary of draft environmental impact report into predominant non-English language spoken by residents in the area; and
- Prohibition on truck routes and use of local streets for certain purposes.
Should you wish to provide any comments, please send them to the assigned planner (Aron Liang at Aron.Liang@lus.sbcounty.gov) or the Planning Commission Secretary
(PlanningCommissionComments@lus.sbcounty.gov).
2021-2029 Housing Element Adopted.
on September 27, 2022, the Board of Supervisors adopted the 2021-2029 Housing Element for the County of San Bernardino. HCD certified the Housing Element on November 28, 2022. The final documents are below.
2021-2029 Housing Element ( goals and policies)
Housing Element Technical Report
Housing Element Site Inventory Map
Updated Draft Housing Element- June 20, 2022
The following drafts are provided for HCD review after incorporating changes in response to HCD’s comment letter dated February 7, 2022, and in response to comments and questions from the general public received during the two‐week public review period between May 22 and June 6, 2022. Changes from the November 2021 version are shown as tracked changes, with new text shown in blue underline and deleted text shown in red strikethrough.
HCD Comment Letter with responses
Countywide Plan Policy Plan- Revised Draft Housing Element- June 2022
Countywide Plan – Housing Element Revised Draft Technical Report – June 2022
Revised Draft Housing Element- May 23.2022
The revised draft Housing Element is now available for public review and comment! The draft Housing Element will be submitted to the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) after the 14-day review period closes. The Draft Housing Element and technical report can be found below. Please submit your comments for consideration by Monday, June 6, 2022 . You may submit your comments via e-mail at PlanningCommissionComments@lus.sbcounty.gov or via mail to Land Use Services 385 N. Arrowhead Avenue, 1st floor, San Bernardino CA, 92415.
While state law requires the draft Housing Element to be made available for public review for 7 days, the County is extending the public review time to 14 days to give interested residents and stakeholders additional time to review and submit comments and questions. This May 2022 version of the draft Housing Element replaces the previous December 2021 version. To facilitate public review, changes from the December 2021 version are tracked, with new content marked with underlines and deleted content shown as strikethrough. Minor grammatical corrections or other superficial or minor nonsubstantive changes may not be marked.
Countywide Plan Policy Plan- Revised Draft Housing Element- May 2022
Countywide Plan – Housing Element Revised Draft Technical Report – May 2022
New Outdoor Lighting Regulations
COUNTYWIDE PLAN HAS NEW HOME ON THE WEB
The County has formalized its commitment to go further than any county or city has ever gone by creating a web-based version of the Countywide Plan (adopted in 2020) with interactive and dynamic maps and content that can be searched and filtered across all of its components.
Housing Element:
The County recently began the process to update its Housing Element and is inviting you to join our mailing list and receive direct notifications on public hearings, availability of draft documents and more. If you would like to receive notifications regarding the Housing Element, subscribe for updates to Housing Element.
Development Code Update
Now that the Countywide Plan has been adopted we have turned our attention towards implementation starting with updating the Development Code. As you may already know, an implementation plan was adopted along with the Countywide Plan. A major feature of the Development Code is a new zoning map which will ensure zones are consistent with recently adopted land use designations. Additional changes to the text are also being made so the code is easier to understand and use. If you would like to receive direct notifications, availability of draft documents and other updates and opportunities for participation regarding the Development Code Update, sign up using the button below.
Countywide Plan Adoption
After five years of analysis and public engagement, the Board of Supervisors adopted the Countywide Plan—a new set of plans and tools that go well beyond a traditional general plan for its unincorporated communities, which complements and informs the Countywide Vision for all. Check out the Countywide Plan website below.
Joshua Tree listed as Candidate Species
Western Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia) are now protected by the State of California as a candidate species for listing under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). At this time, the County cannot issue a permit to take (by removal or transplanting any individual) western Joshua trees.
