PCTPA Mission: Efficiently plan, fund, and implement transportation solutions for Placer County

Placer County Transportation Planning Agency (PCTPA) is the forum for making decisions about the regional transportation system in Placer County. The decisions made are reflected in PCTPA’s planning and programming of the area’s state and federal transportation funds. In developing and adopting plans and strategies, we not only make the best use of these funds, but also fulfill the requirements of our state designation as the Regional Transportation Planning Agency (RTPA) for Placer County.

PCTPA was created as the RTPA for Placer County (excluding the Lake Tahoe basin). PCTPA represents Placer County and six incorporated cities/town located within the political boundary of Placer County. In total, Placer County contains 1,506 square miles ranging in elevation from 160 feet to nearly 9,500 feet. 

PCTPA Planning Boundary

The mission of the Placer County Transportation Planning Agency (PCTPA) is to plan, fund, and deliver transportation projects to improve the quality of life for Placer County residents and visitors. Our role is derived from our numerous state and local designations, including: 

• Regional Transportation Planning Agency (RTPA)
• Congestion Management Agency (CMA) for Placer County
• Member of the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA)
• Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) for the Lincoln, Auburn, and Blue Canyon Airports
• South Placer Regional Transportation Authority (SPRTA)
• Western Placer Consolidated Transportation Services Agency (WPCTSA)

Under an agreement with the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG), PCTPA also represents Placer jurisdictions in federal planning and programming issues. Since PCTPA has a local Agency-State Agreement for federal aid projects, it is also eligible to administer federal projects. PCTPA also acts as a resource for offering services, information, and incentives to those persons interested in using alternative modes of transportation.

The nine-member PCTPA Board of Directors consists of one councilmember from each of Placer County’s six incorporated jurisdictions, two members of the Placer County Board of Supervisors; and one citizen representative.

PCTPA administers four related agencies that provide a specific service to Placer County, including: 

Airport Land Use Commission: PCTPA was designated the Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) for Placer County in 1996. PCTPA acts as the hearing body for land use planning for Placer County airports. PCTPA is also responsible for the development of airport land use plans for Placer County airports as specified in Section 21674.7 of the Public Utilities Code. Placer County, Auburn, and Lincoln each collect a fee on development projects by local ordinance in the area governed by the airport land use plan. This fee is passed on to PCTPA to help defray the cost of project review.

South Placer Regional Transportation Authority: PCTPA was designated as the administrator of the SPRTA under the terms of the Authority’s Joint Powers Agreement dated January 22, 2002. As such, PCTPA provides staffing and management of the Authority, and is reimbursed for these services under a staffing agreement.

Transportation Sales Tax Authority: PCTPA was designated as the transportation sales tax authority for Placer County by the Placer County Board of Supervisors on August 22, 2006. In the event that a transportation sales tax is adopted by Placer’s voters, PCTPA would be designated as the entity to administer the sales tax expenditure plan.

Western Placer Consolidated Transportation Service Agency: PCTPA was designated as the administrator of the WPCTSA under the terms of the Agency’s Joint Powers Agreement dated October 13, 2008. As such, PCTPA provides staffing and management of the Agency, and is reimbursed for these services under a staffing agreement.

Overall Work Program

The Overall Work Program (OWP) is the primary management tool for PCTPA, identifying the activities and a schedule of work for regional transportation planning in Placer County (excluding the Tahoe Basin). The Overall Work Program (OWP) documents the management, budgetary, and monitoring activities performed annually by PCTPA. It is developed annually for Caltrans review and for approval by the PCTPA Board of Directors. The OWP is the result of input from jurisdiction management, public works and planning officials, air district management, elected officials, and the general public. A new OWP is prepared for each fiscal year.