Colfax Municipal Code Art. I General Provisions

No building or occupancy permit shall be issued when the council or a properly delegated authority, gives notice to the building official to withhold such permit where such action is deemed to be in the public interest, for the protection of the public health and safety or for the general public welfare, including noncompliance by the applicant with any law or any agreement with the city or the planning commission or which would constitute an improper land use. Any such denial of a permit shall contain a provision for the issuance of the permit upon the completion of the designated corrective action by the applicant.

(Prior code § 8-3.01)

Before a building permit shall be granted for any use other than a single-family residence, a committee of the planning commission shall make a written finding that the lot in question has adequate frontage upon a dedicated public street or upon a recorded private easement determined by the director of public works or the planning director to be adequate for purposes of access, including access for emergency vehicles, reasonably sufficient for the intended use.

(Prior code § 8-3.02)

A. Curbs, gutters, drainage facilities, sidewalks and driveways for other than single-family dwellings: following a finding that a lot has adequate frontage as set forth in Section 15.12.020 of this chapter, no building permit for other than a single-family residential use shall be granted until the applicant has either installed, at his or her own expense, curbs, gutters, drainage facilities, sidewalks and a driveway, all according to the Standard Specifications of the city, in and on all street frontage lots to be used in conjunction with the building to be constructed or improved or, in the alternative, has entered into an improvement agreement with the city, in which the applicant agrees to install the improvements required by this subsection, either prior to the final inspection or prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy or upon a date not more than one year from the date of the improvement agreement, agreeing to hold the city and its agents, officers and employees free and harmless from all claims of any nature whatsoever arising in any way from the use and occupancy of the property or from the condition of the property. Such improvement agreement shall be in a form approved by the city. Unless it is waived by the city, the applicant shall furnish a performance bond in the amount deemed reasonably adequate by the director of public works or the planning director to secure full and complete performance of such agreement by the applicant.

B. Curbs, gutters, drainage facilities, sidewalks and streets for single-family residential uses: whenever a lot is without standard curbs, gutters, drainage facilities, sidewalks or a paved street or any one of them and the building official determines that any one or more of them have already been constructed on forty (40) percent of the occupied frontage on the same side of the street as the property for which a building permit is sought, the applicant shall construct such improvements, according to the Standard Specifications of the city, before a building permit shall be granted for single-family residential uses. For the purpose of computing such percentage, the percentage shall be of the block not to exceed two hundred fifty (250) feet on either side of the property to a street corner.

C. Paved streets: following a finding that the lot has adequate frontage as set forth in Section 15.12.020 of this chapter and upon a joint finding by the chief of police and the director of public works that the proposed occupancy of the premises is such that it will result in an increase in traffic or create any hazardous condition so that a paved street is reasonably necessary in order to protect the public, the applicant shall be required to pave, according to the Standard Specifications of the city, one-half the width of such street prior to the issuance of a building permit for other than single-family residential uses; provided, however, that such paving need not exceed thirty-three (33) feet in width. Where the frontage is on a private easement, the chief of police and the director of public works, upon such a joint finding, may require the entire width of such private easement to be so paved and adequate drainage to be provided.

D. Street widening and corner rounding: following a finding that a lot has adequate frontage, as set forth in Section 15.12.020 of this chapter and in all cases where the council determines, because of increased traffic caused by the intended use, that street widening or corner rounding is required, the property owner shall deed to the city, at no cost to the city, an adequate right-of-way therefor prior to the granting of a building permit for other than single-family residential uses.

E. Fire hydrants: following a finding that a lot has adequate frontage, as set forth in Section 15.12.020 of this chapter and if there is not, within two hundred fifty (250) feet of all parts of the proposed building, a fire hydrant approved by the fire chief as providing reasonably suitable fire protection for such building, the applicant shall be required, as a condition of the issuance of a building permit for other than single-family residential uses, to construct a fire main from the nearest existing city fire main to a point within two hundred fifty (250) feet of all parts of the proposed building and to establish one fire hydrant at such point in a location to be designated by the fire chief, together with such additional fire hydrants in locations as designated by the fire chief, for each twenty-five thousand (25,000) square feet of building space. Such fire main and hydrant shall be located, installed and constructed in accordance with the existing standards of the Pacific Fire Rating Bureau for such installations. If requested by the applicant, the decision of the fire chief shall be given in writing within ten (10) days after the request is made and the applicant shall thereupon have the right to appeal to the council by filing a notice of appeal in letter form with a filing fee of ten dollars ($10.00). The council shall thereupon hear the appeal within a reasonable time and may sustain, modify or reverse in any particular the decision of the fire chief.

(Prior code § 8-3.03)

(Ord. No. 531, § 1(Exh. B), 1-11-2017)

Any applicant for a building permit who is required to construct public improvements pursuant to this chapter, which improvements would benefit other property owners who would otherwise be required to construct such improvements, may enter into an agreement with the city for the reimbursement of a pro rata share of the initial cost of constructing such improvements from such other property owners upon the development of real property by such other benefiting property owners.

(Prior code § 8-3.04)