San Joaquin Kit Fox

The San Joaquin kit fox is listed as endangered under the Federal Endangered Species Act and as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act. In San Luis Obispo County, kit foxes range from the grasslands and oak woodlands of the Salinas Valley in the north-central part of the county to the arid scrub habitat of the San Joaquin Valley and Carrizo Plains in the southeastern part of the county.

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires the County to evaluate potential impacts to kit foxes and other listed species from project activities and requires the County to ensure that impacts to kit foxes from project activities are mitigated to an insignificant level before permits can be issued. If kit fox are present on a property and the project may result in "take" of kit fox, additional measures may be required.

If your project occurs within the kit fox habitat area and the parcel is less than 40 acres in size, you may elect to accept the standard mitigation ratio for the area, which is based on the results of previous kit fox habitat evaluations and recent kit fox sightings. If your project occurs within the kit fox habitat area, and the parcel is 40 acres or more in size, a kit fox habitat evaluation must be conducted by a qualified kit fox biologist, based on the County's kit fox survey protocol.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service or Department of Fish and Game may request additional information that will assist them in determining whether or not a project will have an adverse effect on kit fox. They may request that an "early evaluation" be conducted, or that spotlight, scent station, or camera station surveys be conducted by a qualified kit fox biologist. These surveys must be conducted according to the kit fox survey protocol for the northern range. Standard conditions are included on building and grading plans located within San Joaquin kit fox habitat area.