Ministerial Permits

There are two broad types of permits: ministerial and discretionary. A ministerial permit is a permit that is granted based upon determinations that the proposed project complies with established standards set forth in either the Coastal or Non-Coastal Zoning Ordinances. These determinations are arrived at objectively, involve little or no personal judgment, and are issued by the Planning Director or his/her designee. This type of permit is commonly referred to as an “over the counter” approval. Some tree trimming and tree removal permits as well as film permits are ministerial. In addition, Zoning Clearances issued over the counter are also considered ministerial. Click here to access the Zoning Clearance Application Packet. This application packet has been standardized for most Zoning Clearances issued by the County of Ventura and should be uploaded under the documents tab of the Citizen Access web portal.

*Note- All Zoning Clearance (ZC) applications should be submitted through the Citizen Access web portal. The portal can be accessed at:  https://vcca.ventura.org/vcca.aspx. Please refer to the Planning Division’s Remote Zoning Clearance Permit Processing webpage for more details on how to submit an online application. Click here to view a Citizen Access video guide.

Some of the more common Zoning Clearances issued by the Planning Division are divided into two categories (Residential Structures and Agricultural Structures) that are listed below. Each link includes sections of the Non-Coastal Zoning Ordinance and Coastal Zoning Ordinance with the development standards for the various project types.