• Executive Summary
  1. Introduction
  2. Principles for Addressing Sea Level Rise in the Coastal Zone
  3. Sea Level Rise Science
  4. Consequences of Sea Level Rise for Communities, Coastal Resources, and Development
  5. Addressing Sea Level Rise in Local Coastal Programs
  6. Addressing Sea Level Rise in Coastal Development Permits
  7. Adaptation Strategies
  8. Legal Context of Adaptation Planning
  9. Additional CCC Efforts to Address SLR
• Glossary
• References
• Appendices
  1. Sea Level Rise Science and Scenarios of Future Change
  2. Developing Local Hazard Conditions Based on Regional or Local Sea Level Rise Using Best Available Science
  3. Resources for Addressing Sea Level Rise
  4. General LCP Amendment Processing Steps and Best Practices
  5. Primary Coastal Act Policies Related to Sea Level Rise and Coastal Hazards
  6. Sea Level Rise Scenarios for 14 California Tide Gauges
  7. Coastal Commission Contact Information

November 2024 Adopted Update

The California Coastal Commission Sea Level Rise Policy Guidance was updated in 2024 to address the three main topics summarized here. Additional information on the changes in the 2024 SLR Policy Guidance Update can be found in the November staff report.

• 1. New best available science: In June 2024, OPC adopted its most recent update to the State of California Sea Level Rise Guidance, which reflects the previous five years of evolving scientific research on sea level rise. Updates to the Coastal Commission SLR Policy Guidance reflect this best available science, with key changes including an updated discussion of sea level rise science and new tables of anticipated sea level rise amounts.
• 2. SB 272 (Laird, 2023): This legislation requires local governments to develop sea level rise adaptation plans as part of new or updated LCPs. The updates in the Guidance related to SB 272 are intended to fulfill the legislation’s requirement for the Coastal Commission to establish guidelines for the preparation of those plans. A new section summarizing the language and intent of SB 272 has been added, along with a discussion regarding both the requirements for consistency with SB 272 and guidance and best practices for this type of planning work. A box at the end of Chapter 5 summarizes and highlights the minimum requirements for each of the six sea level rise plan components required by the bill.
• 3. Environmental Justice: Updates have been made to better integrate environmental justice considerations in the Guidance. These updates build on the Commission’s Environmental Justice Policy (2019) to better inform regulatory and planning processes to address sea level rise through an environmental justice lens. Key changes include the addition of a new environmental justice-focused guiding principle and an expanded discussion on how sea level rise disproportionately impacts environmental justice communities and the importance of meaningful engagement with these communities when conducting sea level rise planning work. Steps related to identifying and meaningfully engaging with environmental justice communities in and around the local jurisdiction or project site were also added to the processes for addressing sea level rise in LCPs and CDPs.