Welcome to the City’s Safety Element Update Home Page. The Safety Element is part of the General Plan for the city, and addresses the effects of seismic hazards, flooding and inundation, dam failure, wildland and urban fires, evacuation routes, and other safety-related items. Recent legislation requires that the City’s Safety Element be updated to address climate adaptation and resiliency strategies applicable to the City, and the identification of residential developments in hazard areas that do not have at least two emergency evacuation routes. 

The City of Novato will be seeking community input to help guide the update. Opportunities for public input will be noticed on this webpage. 

Climate Adaptation and Resiliency

The Climate adaptation and resiliency update needs to include the following components (See Government Code Section 65302(g)(4) and 65302(g)(5):

  • A vulnerability assessment that identifies the risks that climate change poses to the City and the geographic areas at risk from climate change impacts;
  • A set of adaptation and resiliency goals, policies, and objectives for the protection of the City;
  • A set of feasible implementation measures designed to carry out the goals, policies, and objectives;
  • Identification of residential developments in any hazard area identified in the safety element that do not have at least two emergency evacuation routes.

Resources

General Plan Status

Novato’s General Plan 2035 was adopted in October 2020, and the City’s 6th Cycle Housing Element was adopted in January 2023. The General Plan serves as the City’s Climate Change Action Plan. The document is organized in five chapters (Great Places, Environmental Stewardship, Living Well, Economic Vitality, and A City That Works). The Safety Element is wholly within the "A City That Works" chapter. The General Plan includes Greenhouse Gas Reduction Measures in Appendix E. A California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Environmental Impact Report (EIR) was prepared and certified for General Plan 2035. The City of Novato is currently preparing an update of its Climate Change Action Plan and is participating in an update of the Marin County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan, both program components of the General Plan.