Chapter 17 — SUBDIVISION REGULATION
Lake County Municipal Code · 2026-09 edition · updated 2026-10-02 · Lake County
Sections in this part
- Article II — STANDARD SUBDIVISION PROCEDURE
- Article III — TENTATIVE MAP
- Article IV — FINAL MAP
- Article V — GENERAL DESIGN AND IMPROVEMENT STANDARDS
- Article VI — GENERAL
- Article VII — IMPROVEMENTS
- Article VIII — EXCEPTIONS
- Article IX — ENFORCEMENT AND PENALTY
- Article X — MASTER GRID AND PROPERTY NUMBERING SYSTEM
- Article XI — FIRE PROTECTION STANDARDS
- Article XII — CERTIFICATES OF COMPLIANCE AND NOTICES OF VIOLATION
Cross reference— Surface mining and reclamation, Ch. 24.
Sec. 17-1. - Citation and authority.¶
1.1 This chapter is adopted to supplement and implement the Subdivision Map Act (Title…¶
commencing with Section 66410 of the Government Code and may be cited as the Subdivision Ordinance of the County of Lake.
(Ord. No. 664, § 1.1, 1971; Ord. No. 1165, § 1, 11-4-80)
Sec. 17-2. - Purpose.¶
2.1 For the purpose of promoting the public health, safety, convenience and general…¶
improvement and survey data of subdivision and the form and content of tentative, final and parcel maps thereof, and the procedure to be followed in securing official approval thereof, shall be governed by the provisions of the aforesaid acts adopted by the Legislature of the State of California, and by the additional provisions of this chapter, and shall comply with the provisions of the General Plan.
(Ord. No. 664, § 2.1, 1971)
2.2 Further, it is the purpose of this chapter to encourage new concepts and…¶
of building sites within subdivisions. Deviations from the traditional mechanical approach to the subdivision of land are encouraged in order to facilitate the ultimate development of the land in a manner that will be commensurate with contemporary living patterns and technological progress.
(Ord. No. 664, § 2.2, 1971)
Sec. 17-3. - Planning Commission.¶
3.1 The Planning Commission is hereby designated as the Advisory Agency with respect to…¶
provided in the Subdivision Map Act of the State of California.
(Ord. No. 664, § 3.1, 1971)
3.2 The Planning Commission shall have all the powers and duties with respect to…¶
subdivision maps, and the procedure relative thereto, which are specified in law and this chapter.
(Ord. No. 664, § 3.2, 1971; Ord. No. 791, § 1, 3-19-74)
3.3 The Planning Commission is hereby designated as the Advisory Agency with respect to…¶
land (parcel maps) as provided in the Subdivision Map Act and this Chapter.
(Ord. No. 701, § 1, 1972; Ord. No. 1241, § 1, 4-20-82)
3.4 The Planning Commission shall have all the powers and duties with respect to…¶
maps and procedures relating thereto as specified by law and this Chapter.
(Ord. No. 701, § 1, 1972; Ord. No. 1241, § 1, 4-20-82)
Sec. 17-4. - Definitions.¶
4.1 For the purposes of this chapter, the following words and phrases are used as…¶
(a)
Approved Access. Access that is traversable by an ordinary motor vehicle, i.e. standard passenger car, such approved access shall be graded to a full width of twenty (20) feet within the boundaries of such dedicated and recorded easement; provided, however, unless the developer proposes twenty (20) acre parcels for a specific use other than that which would require vehicular access through local streets,
alternate means of approved local access may be considered by the Commission. If such specific intent is declared on the preliminary maps when filed for Commission consideration.
(b)
Board of Supervisors or Board shall mean the Board of Supervisors of the County of Lake.
(c)
The designation of any particular officer herein shall mean the particular officer of the County of Lake or his authorized representative.
(d)
Street. A parcel designed and improved according to the provisions of this chapter, to carry vehicular traffic or to provide access to abutting property. "Street" shall include the following:
(1)
Arterial Street. A limited access divided street of general city or city-county importance, which carries traffic on four (4) moving lanes between different areas of the county.
(2)
Collector Street. That which collects traffic from a Minor street, a subdivision or other area and carries said traffic to an Arterial street.
(3)
Minor Street. That which is used primarily for access to abutting properties.
(4)
Cul-de-sac. A Minor street which cannot or need not be continued or extended through abutting property, and is not intersected by any other street or alley.
(e)
Planning Commission shall mean:
(1)
The Planning Commission of the County of Lake,
(2)
The Advisory Agency referred to in the Subdivision Map Act,
(3)
The Subdivision Committee referred to in this chapter.
(Ord. No. 1241, § 2, 4-20-82)
(f)
Average Slope. The average slope of an area is defined to be the ratio, expressed as a percentage, of the vertical difference in elevation to the horizontal distance between two (2) points being essentially perpendicular to the contours between the two (2) points. The Planning Commission shall have the authority to determine the average slope of a subdivision and shall also be empowered to designate different portions of any subdivision as having different slopes. In all cases, the slope of an area shall be determined prior to any grading operations.
(g)
Design refers to street alignment, grades and widths; alignment and widths of easements and right-of-way for drainage, storm water, sanitary sewers, water, utilities and other facilities for public use or benefit, including, but not limited to, recreation sites; lot area, width, depth, shape and pattern, as required in this chapter.
(Ord. No. 2813, § 1, 2-13-2007)
(h)
Easement. A permanent right of access over a strip of land, and accepted by the County, to be used for streets, alleys, other public ways or places, sanitary sewers, drainage, utilities, or other public purpose.
(i)
Final Map refers to a map prepared in accordance with the Subdivision Map Act and this chapter, which is designed to be filed with the Recorder of the County of Lake.
(j)
Improvement refers to such street work, drainage needs and utilities, landscaping, parks, storm water pollution prevention facilities or other facilities to be installed, or agreed to be installed, by the subdivider on the land or appurtenant thereto to be used for public streets, highways, ways and easements, as are necessary for the general use or benefit of the lot owners in the subdivision and the surrounding area as a condition precedent to approval and acceptance of the final map, or parcel map thereof.
(Ord. No. 2813, § 2, 2-13-2007)
(k)
Lot. Means a parcel of land established, or to be established, by the Standard Subdivision Procedure or Minor Subdivision Procedure, as provided herein.
(l)
Lot Width, Average. The sum of the length of the front and rear lot lines, divided by two (2). In the case of irregularly-shaped lots having four (4) or more sides, "average lot width" shall be the sum of length of two
(2) lines, drawn perpendicular to one (1) side line at the widest and narrowest portions of the lot, divided by two (2).
(m)
Lot Depth, Average. The sum of the length of the two (2) sides of the lot divided by two (2).
(n)
Lot Depth. The horizontal distance between the front and rear lot lines, measured in the mean direction of the side lot lines.
(o)
Lot Line, Front. In the case of an interior lot, a line separating the lot from the street; and in the case of a corner lot, a line separating the narrowest street frontage of the lot from the street, except in those cases where the latest recorded tract deed restrictions, approved as part of a subdivision approval, or the final map, specify another line as the front lot line.
(p)
Lot Line, Rear. A lot line which is opposite to and most distant from the front lot line and, in the case of an irregular, triangular or gore-shaped lot, a line within the lot most nearly parallel to and at the maximum distance from the lot line, having a length of at least ten (10) feet.
(q)
Lot Line, Side. Any lot boundary line not a front lot line or a rear lot line.
(r)
Owner. The individual or individuals, firm, partnership or corporation having sufficient proprietary interest in the land sought to be subdivided to commence and maintain proceedings to subdivide the same under the law of the State of California and this chapter.
(s)
Parkway. The area between the curbline and the property line.
(t)
Panhandle, Keyhole or Flag Lot. A lot or parcel which has access to the abutting street by a strip or segment which is a part of said lot and which meets the requirements of this chapter as to length, width and grade; and provided that the main portion of the lot meets the requirements of this chapter as to design and area.
(u)
Parcel Map. A map prepared to facilitate the division of land not considered a subdivision, and which meets the requirements of the Subdivision Map Act of the State of California for Parcel Maps as may from time to
time be amended.
(Ord. No. 791, § 1, 3-19-74)
(v)
Pedestrian Way. An easement exclusively for pedestrian use.
(w)
Reserve Strip. A strip of land not less than one (1) foot in width deeded to the county for the purpose of regulating access to a partially dedicated or dead-end alley, street or highway, or to any arterial street.
(x)
Storm Water. Surface runoff and drainage resulting from storm events and snowmelts.
(Ord. No. 2813, § 4, 2-13-2007)
(y)
Subdivider. A person, firm, corporation, partnership or association who proposes to divide, divides or causes to be divided real property into a subdivision for himself or for others except that employees and consultants of such persons or entities, acting in such capacity, are not "subdividers."
(Ord. No. 791, § 1, 3-19-74; Ord. No. 1165, § 2, 11-4-80; Ord. No. 2813, § 3, 2-13-2007)
(z)
Tentative Map. Any map made for the purpose of showing the design of a proposed subdivision of any kind, showing the existing conditions in and around it, prepared as required in this chapter and the Subdivision Map Act.
(Ord. No. 2813, § 3, 2-13-2007)
(aa)
Subdivision. The division of any real property into lots or parcels as defined in the Subdivision Map Act of the State of California and as may be amended from time to time.
(Ord. No. 791, § 1, 3-19-74; Ord. No. 2813, § 3, 2-13-2007)
(ab)
Division of Land. Any subdivision of four (4) or fewer lots, or any subdivision for which Government Code Section 66426 does not require a tentative and final map.
(Ord. No. 664, § 4, 1971; Ord. No. 791, § 1, 3-19-74; Ord. No. 1165, § 3, 11-4-80; Ord. No. 2813, § 3, 2-13- 2007)
Get a plain-English answer with a citation back to this text.
Ask AI about this code