EMC Planning Group

What EMC Planning Group does

EMC Planning Group Inc. is an interdisciplinary land use planning and environmental compliance consulting firm headquartered in Monterey, California, founded in 1978 by Michael J. Groves. The firm operates as a private, founder-owned corporation classified as a California Certified Small (Micro) Business, with a team of approximately 20+ professionals spanning land use planners, environmental planners, biologists, and archaeologists. It is organized into two service categories: Land Use Planning Services (community planning, housing policy and implementation, coastal planning and permitting, land use feasibility and entitlement, municipal staff support, and public outreach) and Environmental Planning & Compliance (CEQA/NEPA documentation, biological resources, regulatory permitting, archaeological and tribal resources, air quality and greenhouse gas assessments, and wildfire resilience planning). Underlying technical work relies on established GIS platforms (ESRI ArcGIS, ArcGIS Pro), California-specific emissions models (CalEEMod, EMFAC), AutoCAD, and Adobe graphics tools rather than proprietary software.

The firm generates revenue through project-based professional services consulting fees, with no pricing publicly disclosed. Its go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales: long-standing relationships with California public agencies (cities, counties, special districts, school districts) account for the primary client base, supplemented by private sector developers and property owners. EMC has completed over 750 planning projects across more than 150 California jurisdictions and 30+ counties, with municipal contract planning staff services representing a recurring revenue stream that embeds the firm inside client planning departments. Geographic scope is California-only, with active service coverage spanning Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara, Marin, Alameda, Merced, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Stanislaus, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Humboldt, and Los Angeles counties. Marketing is limited to a content website, organic social profiles (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram), newsletters, and participation in planning industry conferences.

Name

EMC Planning Group

Legal name

EMC Planning Group Inc.

Website

https://emcplanning.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

EMC Planning Group is a Monterey, California-based land use planning and environmental compliance consulting firm serving public agencies and private developers across 150+ California jurisdictions with CEQA/NEPA documentation, planning, biological, and archaeological services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Monterey

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Services Consulting: Project-based consulting fees for land use planning, environmental compliance, and regulatory permitting services delivered to public agencies and private sector clients throughout California.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

EMC Planning Group is an interdisciplinary land use planning and environmental compliance firm that provides professional consulting services to public agencies (cities, counties, special districts, school districts) and private sector developers across California. The firm delivers two main service categories: Land Use Planning Services (community planning, housing policy implementation, coastal planning and permitting, land use feasibility and entitlement, municipal staff support, and public outreach) and Environmental Planning & Compliance (CEQA/NEPA documentation, biological resources, regulatory permitting, archaeological and tribal resources, air quality and greenhouse gas assessments, and wildfire resilience planning). Services are delivered through project-based consulting engagements and contract planning staff services.

Product overview

EMC Planning Group is an interdisciplinary land use planning and environmental compliance firm that offers two main service categories: Land Use Planning Services and Environmental Planning & Compliance. The Land Use Planning Services category includes Community Planning, Housing Policy & Implementation, Coastal Planning & Permitting, Land Use Feasibility/Entitlement & Planning, Municipal Planning & Staff Support, and Public Outreach & Engagement. The Environmental Planning & Compliance category includes CEQA/NEPA Compliance, Biological Resources assessment, Regulatory Permitting, Archaeological & Tribal Resources services, Air Quality & Greenhouse Gas Assessments, and Wildfire Resilience Planning & Mitigation. The firm serves public agencies, special jurisdictions, and private sector clients throughout California, providing professional consulting services rather than software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Land Use Planning Services

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ascent Environmental: Ascent Environmental is a California-focused environmental planning and consulting firm specializing in CEQA/NEPA compliance, biological assessments, and air quality analyses for public and private clients. Its service mix and California public-agency focus directly overlap with EMC Planning Group.
• Dudek: Dudek is a California-based environmental and planning consulting firm providing CEQA/NEPA compliance, biological resources, cultural resources, and municipal planning services to public agencies and private developers. It is the closest head-to-head competitor to EMC Planning Group in California environmental and land use consulting.
• PlaceWorks: PlaceWorks is a California planning and design firm specializing in general plans, specific plans, zoning, housing elements, and CEQA compliance for cities, counties, and private developers. It directly competes with EMC's land use planning and entitlement practice.
• LSA Associates: LSA Associates is a California-based consulting firm offering environmental planning, CEQA/NEPA compliance, biological and cultural resource services, and municipal planning support. It serves many of the same California public agencies and private developers as EMC.
• SWCA Environmental Consultants: SWCA Environmental Consultants provides environmental planning, biological and cultural resources, regulatory permitting, and CEQA/NEPA services across the western U.S., with strong California presence. It is comparable to EMC for biological, archaeological, and CEQA work.
• ESA (Environmental Science Associates): ESA is a California-based environmental consulting firm providing CEQA/NEPA documentation, biological resources, cultural resources, and planning services to public agencies, developers, and infrastructure clients. It is a larger but otherwise highly comparable peer to EMC Planning Group.
• Rincon Consultants: Rincon Consultants is an environmental and planning firm headquartered in California offering CEQA/NEPA documentation, biological surveys, cultural resources, air quality/GHG, and coastal planning services. It directly competes with EMC for California public-agency environmental planning work.

Broad incumbents

• ICF International: ICF International is a large global consulting firm with a substantial environmental planning, climate adaptation, and energy practice that serves California public agencies on CEQA, climate, and air quality work. It competes with EMC on larger California programs but operates across many other geographies and sectors.
• AECOM: AECOM is a global infrastructure consulting firm with a major California environmental services practice covering CEQA/NEPA, biological resources, cultural resources, and planning. It is significantly larger than EMC but competes for the same California public-agency and developer work.
• Michael Baker International: Michael Baker International is a national engineering and consulting firm with a planning and environmental practice serving California municipalities on CEQA/NEPA, housing elements, and general/specific plans. It overlaps with EMC for public-agency planning work but at significantly greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/emcplanning
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/emc-planning-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/emcplanning

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about EMC Planning Group