Section 403 — ACCESS

USER NOTE: The standards in Section 403 applicable to roads shall not apply to roads used solely for agriculture; mining; or the management of timberland or harvesting of forest products. [CCR, Title 14 §1270.03(d)]

Roads and driveways, whether public or private, unless exempted under 14 CCR § 1270.03(d), shall provide for safe access for emergency wildfire equipment and civilian evacuation concurrently, and shall provide unobstructed traffic circulation during a wildfire emergency consistent 403.1.1 to 403.1.9. [CCR, Title 14 §1273.00]

403.1.1 Section 403 definitions. When used in Section 403, the term listed below shall be defined as follows:

DEFENSIBLE SPACE. The area within the perimeter of a parcel, development, neighborhood or community where basic wildland fire protection practices and measures are implemented to defend against encroaching wildfire or to escape structure fires. The perimeter as used in this regulation [CCR Title 14] is the area encompassing the parcel or parcels proposed for construction and/or development, excluding the physical structure itself. The area is characterized by the establishment and maintenance of emer- gency vehicle access, emergency water reserves, road names and identification, and fuel modification measures. [CCR Title 14 §1270.01(f)]

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WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE AREA REQUIREMENTS

403.1.2 Width.

(a) All Roads shall be constructed to provide a minimum of two ten-foot traffic lanes, not including shoulder and striping. These traffic lanes shall provide for two-way traffic flow to support emergency vehicle and civilian egress, unless other standards are provided in this article or additional requirements are mandated by local jurisdictions or local subdivision requirements. Verti- cal clearances shall conform to the requirements in California Vehicle Code Section 35250. (b) All one-way roads shall be constructed to provide a minimum of one twelve-foot traffic lane, not including Shoulders. The Local Jurisdiction may approve One-way Roads. (1) All one-way roads shall, at both ends, connect to a road with two traffic lanes providing for travel in different directions, and shall provide access to an area currently zoned for not more than ten (10) Residential Units. (2) In no case shall a One-way Road exceed 2,640 feet in length. A turnout shall be placed and constructed at approximately the midpoint of each One-way Road. (c) All Driveways shall be constructed to provide a minimum of one (1) ten-foot traffic lane, fourteen (14) feet unobstructed hori- zontal clearance, and unobstructed vertical clearance of thirteen feet, six inches (13' 6”).

[CCR, Title 14 §1273.01]

403.1.3 Road surfaces.

(a) Roads shall be designed and maintained to support the imposed load of fire apparatus weighing at least 75,000 pounds and provide an aggregate base. (b) Road and driveway structures shall be designed and maintained to support at least 40,000 pounds. (c) Project proponent shall provide engineering specifications to support design, if requested by the local jurisdiction.

[CCR, Title 14 §1273.02]

403.1.4 Grades.

(a) At no point shall the grade for all roads and driveways exceed 16 percent. (b) The grade may exceed 16 percent, not to exceed 20 percent, with approval from the local jurisdiction and with mitigations to provide for same practical effect.

[CCR, Title 14 §1273.03]

403.1.5 Radius.

(a) No road or road structure shall have a minimum horizontal inside radius of curvature of fifty (50) feet. An additional surface width of four (4) feet shall be added to curves of 50–100 feet radius; two (2) feet to those from 100–200 feet. (b) The length of vertical curves in roadways, exclusive of gutters, ditches and drainage structures designed to hold or divert water, shall be not less than one hundred (100) feet.

[CCR, Title 14 §1273.04]

403.1.6 Turnarounds.

(a) Turnarounds are required on driveways and dead-end roads. (b) The minimum turning radius for a turnaround shall be forty (40) feet, not including parking, in accordance with the figures in 14 CCR §§ 1273.05(e) and 1273.05(f). If a hammerhead/T is used instead, the top of the “T” shall be a minimum of sixty (60) feet in length. (c) Driveways exceeding 150 feet in length, but less than 800 feet in length, shall provide a turnout near the midpoint of the drive- way. Where the driveway exceeds 800 feet, turnouts shall be provided not more than 400 feet apart. (d) A turnaround shall be provided on driveways over 300 feet in length and shall be within fifty (50) feet of the building. (e) Each dead-end road shall have a turnaround constructed at its terminus. Where parcels are zoned five (5) acres or larger, turn- arounds shall be provided at a maximum of 1,320-foot intervals. (f) Figure A. Turnarounds on roads with two ten-foot traffic lanes. (g) Figure B. Turnarounds on driveways with one ten-foot traffic lane.

[CCR, Title 14 §1273.05]

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FIGURE A—TURNAROUND WITH TWO 10-FOOT TRAFFIC LANES

FIGURE B—TURNAROUND WITH ONE 10-FOOT TRAFFIC LANE

403.1.7 Turnouts. Turnouts shall be a minimum of twelve (12) feet wide and thirty (30) feet long with a minimum twenty-five-foot taper on each end. [CCR, Title 14 §1273.06]

403.1.8 Road and Driveway Structures. (a) Appropriate signing, including but not limited to weight or vertical clearance limitations, one-way road or single traffic lane conditions, shall reflect the capability of each bridge. (b) Where a bridge or an elevated surface is part of a Fire Apparatus access road, the bridge shall be constructed and maintained in accordance with the American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials Standard Specifications for High- way Bridges, 17 [th] Edition, published 2002 (known as AASHTO HB-17), hereby incorporated by reference. Bridges and elevated surfaces shall be designed for a live load sufficient to carry the imposed loads of fire apparatus. Vehicle load limits shall be posted at both entrances to bridges when required by the local authority having jurisdiction. (c) Where elevated surfaces designed for emergency vehicle use are adjacent to surfaces which are not designed for such use, barriers or signs, or both, as approved by the local authority having jurisdiction, shall be installed and maintained.

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(d) A bridge with only one traffic lane may be authorized by the Local Jurisdiction; however, it shall provide for unobstructed visi- bility from one end to the other and turnouts at both ends.

[CCR, Title 14 §1273.07]

403.1.9 Dead-end Roads.

(a) The maximum length of a Dead-end Road, including all Dead-end Roads accessed from that Dead-end Road, shall not exceed the following cumulative lengths, regardless of the number of parcels served:

Parcels zoned for less than one acre – 800 feet (262 m)

Parcels zoned for 1 acre to 4.99 acres – 1,320 feet (433 m)

Parcels zoned for 5 acres to 19.99 acres – 2,640 feet (866 m)

Parcels zoned for 20 acres or larger – 5,280 feet (1732 m) All lengths shall be measured from the edge of the road surface at the intersection that begins the road to the end of the road surface at its farthest point. Where a Dead-end Road crosses areas of differing zoned parcel sizes requiring different length limits, the shortest allowable length shall apply. (b) See Section 403.1.5 for Dead-end Road turnaround requirements.

[CCR, Title 14 §1273.08]

403.1.10 Gate entrances.

(a) Gate entrances shall be at least two (2) feet wider than the width of the traffic lane(s) serving that gate and a minimum width of fourteen (14) feet unobstructed horizontal clearance and unobstructed vertical clearance of thirteen feet, six inches (13' 6”). (b) All gates providing access from a road to a driveway shall be located at least thirty (30) feet from the roadway and shall open to allow a vehicle to stop without obstructing traffic on that Road. (c) Where a one-way road with a single traffic lane provides access to a gated entrance, a forty-foot turning radius shall be used. (d) Security gates shall not be installed without approval. Where security gates are installed, they shall have an approved means of emergency operation. Approval shall be by the local authority having jurisdiction. The security gates and the emergency operation shall be maintained operational at all times.

[CCR, Title 14 §1273.09]

403.2.1 Intent. To facilitate locating a fire and to avoid delays in response, all newly constructed or approved Roads and Buildings shall be designated by names or numbers posted on signs clearly visible and legible from the Road. This section shall not restrict the size of letters or numbers appearing on road signs for other purposes. [CCR, Title 14 §1274.00]

403.2.2 Road signs. (a) Newly constructed or approved Roads must be identified by a name or number through a consistent system that provides for sequenced or patterned numbering and/or nonduplicative naming within each Local Jurisdiction. This section does not require any entity to rename or renumber existing roads, nor shall a Road providing access only to a single commercial or industrial Occupancy require naming or numbering. (b) The size of letters, numbers and symbols for Road signs shall be a minimum four-inch letter height, half-inch stroke, reflector- ized, contrasting with the background color of the sign.

[CCR, Title 14 §1274.01]

403.2.3 Road sign installation, location, and visibility. (a) Road signs shall be visible and legible from both directions of vehicle travel for a distance of at least one hundred (100) feet. (b) Signs required by this article identifying intersecting Roads shall be placed at the intersection of those Roads. (c) A sign identifying traffic access or flow limitations, including but not limited to weight or vertical clearance limitations, dead- end roads, one-way roads, or single lane conditions, shall be placed: (1) at the intersection preceding the traffic access limitation, and (2) not more than one hundred (100) feet before such traffic access limitation. (d) Road signs required by this article shall be posted at the beginning of construction and shall be maintained thereafter.

[CCR, Title 14 §1274.02]

403.2.4 Addresses for Buildings. (a) All Buildings shall be issued an address by the Local Jurisdiction which conforms to that jurisdiction's overall address system. Utility and miscellaneous Group U Buildings are not required to have a separate address; however, each Residential Unit within a Building shall be separately identified. (b) The size of letters, numbers and symbols for addresses shall conform to the standards in the California Fire Code, California Code of Regulations Title 24, Part 9. (c) Addresses for residential Buildings shall be reflectorized.

[CCR, Title 14 §1274.03]

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403.2.5 Address installation, location and visibility. (a) All buildings shall have a permanently posted address which shall be plainly legible and visible from the Road fronting the property. (b) Where access is by means of a private Road and the address identification cannot be viewed from the public way, an unob- structed sign or other means shall be used so that the address is visible from the public way. (c) Address signs along one-way Roads shall be visible from both directions. (d) Where multiple addresses are required at a single driveway, they shall be mounted on a single sign or post. (e) Where a Road provides access solely to a single commercial or industrial business, the address sign shall be placed at the near- est Road intersection providing access to that site, or otherwise posted to provide for unobstructed visibility from that intersection.

(f) In all cases, the address shall be posted at the beginning of construction and shall be maintained thereafter.

[CCR, Title 14 §1274.04]