Education Code section 81033

(a)

The governing board of a community college district, prior to acquiring any site on which it proposes to construct any school building as defined in Section 81130.5, shall have the site, or sites, under consideration investigated by competent personnel to ensure that the final site selection is determined by an evaluation of all factors affecting the public interest and is not limited to selection on the basis of raw land cost only. If the prospective college site is located within the boundaries of any special studies zone or within an area designated as geologically hazardous in the safety element of the local general plan as provided in subdivision (a) of Section 65302 of the Government Code, the investigation shall include any geological and soil engineering studies by competent personnel needed to provide an assessment of the nature of the site and potential for earthquake or other geological hazard damage.
The geological and soil engineering studies of the site shall be of a nature that will preclude siting of a college in any location where the geological and site characteristics are such that the construction effort required to make the school building safe for occupancy is economically unfeasible. No studies are required to be made if the site or sites under consideration have been the subject of adequate prior studies. The evaluation also shall include location of the site with respect to population, transportation, water supply, waste disposal facilities, utilities, traffic hazards, surface drainage conditions, and other factors affecting the operating costs, as well as the initial costs, of the total project.
For the purposes of this article, a special studies zone is an area that is identified as a special studies zone on any map, or maps, compiled by the State Geologist pursuant to Chapter 7.5 (commencing with Section 2621) of Division 2 of the Public Resources Code. A copy of the report of each investigation conducted pursuant to this section shall be submitted to the board of governors.

(b)

Geological and soil engineering studies as described in subdivision (a) shall be made, within the boundaries of any special studies zone, for the construction of any school building as defined in Section 81130.5 or, if the estimated cost exceeds twenty thousand dollars ($20,000), for the reconstruction or alteration of or addition to that building for work which alters structural elements. The Department of General Services may require similar geological and soil engineering studies for the construction or alteration of any building on a site located outside of the boundaries of any special studies zone. These studies need not be made if the site under consideration has been the subject of adequate prior studies.
No school building shall be constructed, reconstructed, or relocated on the trace of a geological fault along which surface rupture can reasonably be expected to occur within the life of the school building.
A copy of the report of each investigation conducted pursuant to this section shall be submitted to the Department of General Services pursuant to Article 7 (commencing with Section 81130) and to the Chancellor’s office of the California Community Colleges. The cost of geological and soil engineering studies and investigations conducted pursuant to this section may be treated as a capital expenditure.

(c)

To promote the safety of students, comprehensive community planning, and greater educational usefulness of community college sites, the governing board of each community college district, if the proposed site is within two miles, measured by air line, of that point on an airport runway, or runway proposed by an airport master plan, which is nearest the site and excluding them if the property is not so located, before acquiring title to property for a new community college site or for an addition to a present site, shall give the board of governors notice in writing of the proposed acquisition and shall submit any information required by the board of governors.
Immediately after receiving notice of the proposed acquisition of property which is within two miles, measured by air line, of that point on an airport runway, or runway proposed by an airport master plan, which is nearest the site, the board of governors shall notify the Division of Aeronautics of the Department of Transportation, in writing, of the proposed acquisition. The Division of Aeronautics shall make an investigation and report to the board of governors within 30 working days after receipt of the notice. If the Division of Aeronautics is no longer in operation, the board of governors, in lieu of notifying the Division of Aeronautics, shall notify the Federal Aviation Administration or any other appropriate agency, in writing, of the proposed acquisition for the purpose of obtaining from the authority or other agency any information or assistance it may desire to give.
The board of governors shall investigate the proposed site and, within 35 working days after receipt of the notice, shall submit to the governing board a written report and its recommendations concerning acquisition of the site. The governing board shall not acquire title to the property until the report of the board of governors has been received. If the report does not favor the acquisition of the property for a community college site or an addition to a present community college site, the governing board shall not acquire title to the property until 30 days after the department’s report is received and until the board of governors’ report has been read at a public hearing duly called after 10 days’ notice published once in a newspaper of general circulation within the community college district, or if there is no such newspaper, then in a newspaper of general circulation within the county in which the property is located.

(d)

If, with respect to a proposed site located within two miles of an operative airport runway, the report of the board of governors submitted to a community college district governing board under subdivision (c) does not favor the acquisition of the site on the sole or partial basis of the unfavorable recommendation of the Division of Aeronautics of the Department of Transportation, no state agency or officer shall grant, apportion, or allow to that community college district for expenditure in connection with that site, any state funds otherwise made available under any state law whatever for community college site acquisition or college building construction, or for expansion of existing sites and buildings, and no funds of the community college district or of the county in which the district lies shall be expended for those purposes. However, this section shall not be applicable to sites acquired prior to January 1, 1966, or to any additions or extensions to those sites.
If the recommendation of the Division of Aeronautics is unfavorable, the recommendation shall not be overruled without the express approval of the board of governors and the State Allocation Board.

(e)

No action undertaken by the board of governors or by any other state agency or by any political subdivision pursuant to this chapter, or in compliance with this chapter, shall be construed to affect any rights arising under Section 19 of Article I of the California Constitution.

Source: Section 81033, https://leginfo.­legislature.­ca.­gov/faces/codes_displaySection.­xhtml?lawCode=EDC§ionNum=81033.­ (updated Jan. 1, 1996; accessed Jun. 30, 2025).

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Verified:
Jul. 7, 2025

§ 81033's source at ca​.gov