Contra Costa County Municipal Code Ch. 92-4 Definitions

As used in this title, the following words shall have the meanings set forth in this chapter.

(Ord. 78-5).

(a) Planning Commission. The planning commission is designated as the advisory agency with respect to proposed tentative maps relating to:

(1) Subdivisions of five or more lots estimated to generate one hundred or more peak hour trips; or

(2) Any subdivisions referred to it by the zoning administrator for consideration and initial decision.

(b) Zoning Administrator. The zoning administrator is designated as the advisory agency with respect to proposed tentative maps relating to subdivisions:

(1) Of four or less lots; or

(2) Estimated to generate less than one hundred peak hour trips.

(c) Community Development Department. The community development department is designated as the advisory agency for purposes of reviewing and approving a proposed tentative map pursuant to Article 94-2.202 of this title.

(d) Authority. The designated advisory agency shall have all powers and duties with respect to any said proposed maps and the procedures relating thereto which are specified by law and by this code.

(Ords. 93-4 § 1, 92-66 § 4, 91-50 § 5, 78-5).

"Arterial street" is any street or road passing adjacent to or through the subdivision, which carries the major flow of traffic, and for which the major traffic may ultimately be in excess of two thousand four hundred vehicles per day.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Block" means the length of the frontage along the property line between consecutive streets intersecting the frontage; and may also mean that area bounded on all sides by the adjacent streets, rights-of-way, railroads, public areas, or subdivision boundary, and includes one or more lots or parcels.

(Ord. 78-5).

The "building inspection department" is the county agency which serves in an advisory capacity to appropriate advisory agencies and the board of supervisors concerning topography and soil conditions and their effect on the design and development of the subdivision.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Civil engineer" means a professional engineer in the branch of civil engineering holding a valid certificate of registration issued by the state of California.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Collector street" is any street within a subdivision or adjacent thereto which, because of its location with reference to other streets or other sources of traffic, carries or will carry traffic from minor streets to the major system of arterial streets; and includes the principal entrance streets for residential developments and streets for circulation of traffic within such developments and serves, or will serve, twenty-four or more dwelling units.

(Ord. 78-5).

"County" means the county of Contra Costa, state of California, of which the governing body is the board of supervisors.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Critically expansive soils" or other soil problems are soil conditions which can cause damage to improvements, including streets, structures and buildings. They shall be tested by acceptable procedures to provide data suitable for making adequate designs for the improvements.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Cul-de-sac" is a street which connects to another street only at one end, and serves sixteen dwelling units or less, with a maximum length of seven hundred feet.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Dwelling unit" is a building or a portion thereof, or a mobile home, designed for residential occupation by one person or a group of two or more persons living together as a domestic unit.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Engineering geologist" means a professional geologist in the branch of engineering geology holding a valid certificate of registration as an engineering geologist in the state.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Final map" is a map prepared in accordance with the provisions of this title and the Subdivision Map Act, which map is designed to be filed in the office of the recorder of Contra Costa County.

(Ord. 78-5).

The "Contra Costa County water conservation and flood control district," hereinafter referred to as the "Flood control district," serves in an advisory capacity to appropriate advisory agencies and the board of supervisors relating to drainage and flood control matters.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Flood hazard" is possible occurrence of overflow storm water causing flooding of lands or improvements, or having sufficient velocity to transport or deposit debris, to scour the surface soil, to dislodge or damage buildings, or to cause erosion of the banks of channels.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Freeways" are those highways which are defined in Section 23.5 of the Streets and Highways Code of the state, and which, because of their design and location with reference to the county highway system and state highway system, are or will be used primarily for fast, heavy, or dense traffic and for which right of access from abutting property or streets along the right-of-way boundaries will be prohibited or limited.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Frontage" is the width of the lot or block measured along the property line adjacent to the street.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Frontage improvements" consist of curb, longitudinal drainage, sidewalks, street lighting, planting and paving, or any combination thereof.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Frontage road" is a street or road adjacent to an arterial, thoroughfare, or freeway, which provides access to abutting properties and protection from the through traffic on the more heavily travelled street.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Geologic hazard or potentially hazardous soil conditions" includes but is not limited to conditions such as slope stability, ground water seepage, erosion hazards, expansive soil, fault-related hazards, and liquefaction potential.

(Ord. 78-5).

The "health department" of the county, acting through the county health officer, or the county health officer's representative, serves in an advisory capacity to appropriate advisory agencies and the board of supervisors concerning matters of sanitation and public health.

(Ord. No. 2024-23, § III(Exh. A), 12-3-24; Ord. 78-5).

"Improvement plan" is a plan prepared under the direction of a civil engineer, registered by the state, showing the location and construction details of all improvements required for the subdivision.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Improvements" refers to such street work, drainage facilities, utilities, and other facilities required to be installed by the subdivider on the land to be used for public or private streets, highways, ways, and easements as a condition precedent to the approval and acceptance of a final or parcel map thereof. "Improvements" also refers to such other specific improvements or types of improvements, the installation of which, either by the subdivider, by public agencies, by private utilities, by any other entity approved by the local agency or by a combination thereof, is necessary or convenient to insure conformity to or implementation of the general plan or any specific plan adopted pursuant to Division 1 of Title 7 of the Government Code.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Industrial street" is a street serving traffic within an industrial development.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Inundation" is used to indicate ponded storm water or storm water in motion of sufficient depth to damage property due to the mere presence of water or the depositing of silt.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Lot" means that portion of a parcel of land which is delineated or described as a single integral unit on the subdivision map.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Lot line adjustment" is as described in Government Code § 66412. Applications for lot line adjustment shall be heard by the zoning administrator.

(Ord. 85-75 § 2).

"Major drainage channels or conduits" are those channels or conduits which serve a drainage area of four square miles or more.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Marginal strip" is the area between the edge of the traveled roadway or curbline, and the adjacent property line.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Median" is the area separating two roadways within the right-of-way.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Minor drainage channels or conduits" are those channels or conduits which serve a drainage area of one square mile or less.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Minor street" is any street which serves traffic for not more than twenty-four dwelling units.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Minor subdivision" refers to a subdivision of four or less lots.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Ordinance specifications" refers to the ordinance specifications as approved by resolution of the board of supervisors, in effect at the time of filing the parcel map or final map of the subdivision, three copies of which are filed with the clerk of the board of supervisors.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Parcel" is all land which is contiguous and under one ownership.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Parcel map" is a map prepared in accordance with the provisions of this title and the Subdivision Map Act.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Path" is a right-of-way designated for use only by pedestrians and not intended for use as a way for motor-driven vehicles. Public paths are rights-of-way offered for dedication by a final or parcel map or deeded to and accepted by the governing body of the county. Private paths are for the benefit of the owners of lots designated on the final or parcel map.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Planning department" is the technical staff of the planning commission and is one of the divisions of county government. "Planning department" shall also be the clerk of the advisory agency for purposes of receiving tentative maps and clerk of the appeals board and legislative body for purposes of filing appeals as provided in the Subdivision Map Act.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Ponding of local storm water" is standing storm water in local depressions. As distinguished from sheet overflow water, this water originates on or in the vicinity of the subdivision, and due to the condition of the ground surface, does not reach a drainage channel or conduit.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Preliminary soil report" means a report prepared by a soil engineer based upon adequate test borings or excavations in accordance with the provisions of this title and the Subdivision Map Act.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Private road" means any parcel of land or nonexclusive easement not owned by the county, cities, or the state, which is used or intended to be used for access to a lot or parcel.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Public street" is a street for which the fee title or right-of-way is owned by the county, or offered for dedication to the public and accepted by the county.

(Ord. 78-5).

The "public works department" is the county department which serves in an advisory capacity to appropriate advisory agencies and the board of supervisors concerning streets, drainage, engineering, and matters related to the office of county surveyor. The public works department is designated as the clerk of the board of supervisors for purposes of receiving final or parcel maps.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Secondary drainage channels or conduits" are those channels or conduits which serve a drainage area less than four square miles and more than one square mile.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Sheet overflow" indicates water of minor depths either quiescent or flowing at velocities less than those necessary to produce serious scour.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Soil engineer" is a civil engineer who is experienced in soil mechanics, who investigates and reports on the stability of existing or proposed slopes, who controls the installation and compaction of fills, who recommends soil bearing values, and who provides design criteria and calculations for special earth structures such as buttress fills.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Street" is a way, excluding a path or alley, for pedestrian and vehicular traffic.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Subdivider" means a person, firm, corporation, partnership or association who proposes to divide, divides or causes to be divided real property into a subdivision for themself or for others.

(Ord. No. 2024-23, § III(Exh. A), 12-3-24; Ord. 78-5).

(a) "Subdivision" means the division of any improved or unimproved land, shown on the latest equalized county assess- ment roll as a unit or as contiguous units, for the purpose of sale, lease or financing, whether im- mediate or future, except for leases of agricultural land for agricultural purposes for the cultivation of food or fiber or the grazing or pasturing of live- stock. Property shall be considered as contiguous units, even if it is separated by roads, streets, utility easements or railroad rights-of-way.

(b) "Subdivision" includes a condominium project, as defined in Section 1350 of the Civil Code, or a community apartment project, as defined in Section 11004 of the Business and Professions Code.

(c) Any conveyance of land to a governmental agency, public entity, public utility or subsidiary of a public utility for rights-of-way shall not be considered a division of land for purposes of com- puting the number of lots.

(d) "Subdivision" shall not include a lot line adjustment.

(Ords. 85-75 § 3, 78-5: See Gov. C. § 66426.5).

"Tentative map" refers to a map for the purpose of showing the design of a proposed subdivision and the existing conditions on and around the proposed subdivision.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Thoroughfares" are those roads of general county importance which are designated as county thoroughfares, either existing or proposed on the county general plan of roads.

(Ord. 78-5).

"Urban lot split" means a subdivision of an existing lot within a single-family residential zoning district or planned unit district into no more than two new parcels that meet all of the requirements set forth in Government Code Section 66411.7 and Article 94-4.10 of this code.

(Ord. No. 2023-19, § II, 10-24-23; Ord. No. 2022-14, § V, 3-29-22)