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Petitions to List Species Under the California Endangered Species Act

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Listing of Species Under the California Endangered Species Act

The criteria and process for listing species as candidate, threatened or endangered are outlined in the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) (Fish and Game Code Sections 2050, et seq.) and Section 670.1, Title 14, California Code of Regulations (CCR)(opens in new tab).

The following represents a basic minimum timeline from receipt of a petition to the effective date of the listing/uplisting/downlisting/delisting of the species as threatened or endangered.

Day 1: The petition to list, uplist, downlist or delist a species is received in the Commission office and is reviewed by Commission staff for the presence or absence of the required information.

Day 10: An incomplete petition will be returned to the petitioner within 10 days. An accepted petition will be referred to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (Department) within 10 days and a notice of receipt of the accepted petition will be published in the California Regulatory Notice Register (Notice Register) and mailed to interested and affected parties.

Day 100: The Department will evaluate the petition according to the criteria listed subsection 670.1(d)(1), Title 14, CCR, and will provide its evaluation report to the Commission within 90 days of receiving the petition from Commission staff; the Department may request a 30-day extension.

Day 130: The Commission will take action on the petition at its next available meeting after the Department's evaluation report has been available to the public for at least 30 days. At the meeting, the Commission will make a finding on whether the petition contains sufficient scientific information to indicate that the petitioned action may be warranted. If the Commission finds there is not sufficient scientific information to indicate that the petitioned action may be warranted, the process ends. If the Commission finds there is sufficient scientific information to indicate that the petitioned action may be warranted, the Commission will designate the species as a candidate species (Section 2068, Fish and Game Code).

Day 146: If the Commission designates the species as a candidate species, a notice of the Commission's findings will be published in the Notice Register and mailed to interested and affected parties.

Day 511: Within 12 months of the date of publication of the 'candidacy' notice, the Department will prepare and submit a status review report to the Commission. The Department may request a 6-month extension of the due date for the status review report.

Day 541: The Commission will receive the Department's status review report at a regularly-scheduled Commission meeting.

Day 601: Final consideration of the petition will be scheduled for the next regularly-scheduled Commission meeting after receiving the status review report. The Commission will make a finding of whether the petitioned action is warranted. Adoption of the Commission's findings will be scheduled for a future meeting. If the Commission finds that the petitioned action is not warranted, the process ends and the species will be removed from the list of candidate species. If the Commission finds that the petitioned action is warranted, the species will be added to the list of threatened and endangered species in Section 670.2 (plants) or Section 670.5 (animals) through a regulation change.

Day 617: The notice of findings will be mailed to interested and affected parties and the regulation change filed with the California Office of Administrative Law, which has up to 30 business days to review the regulation change.

Day 659: Regulation filed with the California Secretary of State and becomes effective.

Petitions, Notices and Documents

Greater Sage-Grouse

Office of Administrative Law's Notice ID #2022-1227-01 and Z2023-0619-02 Petition to list Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) as Threatened or Endangered

Inyo Rock Daisy

Office of Administrative Law's Notice ID #2022-0214-02 and Z2022-0818-01 Petition to list Inyo Rock Daisy (Perityle inyoensis synonym Laphamia inyoensis) as Threatened or Endangered

Temblor Legless Lizard

Office of Administrative Law's Notice ID #Z2021-1129-02 and Z2022-0602-01 Petition to list Temblor Legless Lizard (Anniella alexanderae) as Threatened or Endangered

Lime Ridge Eriastrum

Office of Administrative Law's Notice ID #Z2021-0726-01 and Z2022-0222-03 Petition to list Lime Ridge Eriastrum (Eriastrum ertterae) as Endangered

Southern California Steelhead

Office of Administrative Law's Notice ID #Z2021-0702-02 and Z2022-0426-01 Petition to list Southern California Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) as Endangered

Milo Baker's Lupine

Office of Administrative Law's Notice ID #Z2020-1229-03, Z2021-0216-11 and Z2022-0510-01;Petition to uplist Milo Baker's Lupine (Lupinus milo-bakeri) from Threatened to Endangered

Quino Checkerspot Butterfly

Office of Administrative Law's Notice ID #Z2020-0713-04 Petition to list Quino Checkerspot Butterfly (Euphydryas editha quino) as Endangered

Mohave (aka Agassiz's) Desert Tortoise

Office of Administrative Law's Notice ID #Z2020-0421-02 and Z2020-1019-01 Petition to change the status of Agassiz's Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) from Threatened to Endangered

Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtle

Office of Administrative Law's Notice ID #Z2020-0203-02, Z2020-0825-09 and Z2022-1014-01 Petition to list Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) as an Endangered Species

Clara Hunt's Milkvetch

Office of Administrative Law's Notice ID #Z2020-0114-01, Z2020-0303-12, Z2021-0428-01 and Z2021-0831-06
Petition to uplist Clara Hunt's Milkvetch (Astragalus claranus) from Threatened to Endangered

Western Joshua Tree

Office of Administrative Law's Notice ID #Z2019-1112-01, Z2020-0924-01 and Z2022-0510-01 Petition to list Western Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia) as a Threatened Species

On July 10, 2023 the Govenor signed Senate Bill No. 122, Chapter 11.5, Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act. The Commission is expected to postpone final consideration of the petition until the Department submits an updated status review to the Commission no later than January 1, 2033. 

Shasta Snow-wreath

Office of Administrative Law's Notice ID #Z2019-1112-02, Z2020-0421-03, Z2021-1217-01 and Z2023-0214-01 Petition to list Shasta Snow-wreath (Neviusia cliftonii) as an Endangered Species

Mountain Lion

Office of Administrative Law's Notice ID #Z2019-0716-03 and Z2020-0421-01 Petition to List Mountain Lion (Puma concolor) as a Threatened or Endangered Species

San Bernardino Kangaroo Rat

Office of Administrative Law's Notice ID #Z2019-0402-06, Z2019-0813-07, and Z2021-1217-01 Petition to List the San Bernardino Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys merriami parvus) as an Endangered Species

Bumble Bees

Office of Administrative Law's Notice ID #Z2018-1030-03 and Z2019-0618-07 Petition to List the Crotch bumble bee (Bombus crotchii), Franklin’s bumble bee (Bombus franklini), Suckley cuckoo bumble bee (Bombus suckleyi), and western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis occidentalis) as an Endangered Species

Northern California Summer Steelhead

Office of Administrative Law's Notice ID #Z2018-1016-06, Z2019-0618-08, Z2021-0428-01, and Z2022-0503-02 Petition to List the Northern California Summer Steelhead as an Endangered Species

Upper Klamath-Trinity River Spring Chinook Salmon

Office of Administrative Law's Notice ID #Z2018-0807-05, Z2019-0212-02, Z2021-0428-01, and Z2021-1220-02 Petition to List the Upper Klamath-Trinity River Spring Chinook Salmon as an Endangered Species

Cascades Frog

Office of Administrative Law's Notice ID #Z2017-0321-04 and Z2017-1017-10 Petition to List the Cascades Frog as a Threatened or Endangered Species

Foothill Yellow-Legged Frog

Office of Administrative Law's Notice ID #Z2017-0109-03, Z2017-0627-xx, and Z2020-0310-07 Petition to List the Foothill Yellow-Legged Frog as an Endangered Species

Lassics Lupine

Office of Administrative Law's Notice ID #Z2016-0802-11, Z2017-0214-02 and Z2018-0904-03 Petition to List the Lassics Lupine as an Endangered Species

Coast Yellow Leptosiphon

Office of Administrative Law's Notice ID #Z2016-0531-04, Z2016-1213-07, and Z2018-0904-04 Petition to List the Coast Yellow Leptosiphon as an Endangered Species

Humboldt Marten

Office of Administrative Law's Notice ID #Z2015-0714-07, Z2016-0216-14, Z2018-0807-06, and Z2019-0114-03 Petition to List the Humboldt Marten as an Endangered Species

Tricolored Blackbird (2015 Petition)

Office of Administrative Law's Notice ID #Z2015-0825-10, Z2015-1228-02 and Z2018-0904-01 Petition to List the Tricolored Blackbird as an Endangered Species

Northern Spotted Owl

Office of Administrative Law's Notice ID #Z2012-0924-01, Z2013-1217-03, Z2016-0517-13, Z2016-0802-11, and Z2017-0627-07 Petition to List the Northern Spotted Owl as a Threatened or Endangered Species

Fisher (formerly Pacific fisher)

Office of Administrative Law's Notice ID #Z2009-0210-08, Z2009-0414--09, Z2010-0316-04, Z2010-0921-03, Z2013-0311-01, and Z2016-0420-05 Petition to List the Pacific Fisher as an Endangered Species