Part 0 — General Provisions

This chapter shall be known as the "Subdivision Ordinance of Lakewood", and may be cited as such.

Pursuant to the provisions of Division 2 of Title 7 of the Government Code of the State of California, referred to herein as the Subdivision Map Act, and pursuant to any other regulations provided by law, the regulations hereinafter set forth shall be known as the Subdivision Ordinance and shall apply to all divisions of land hereafter made of property wholly or partially within the City of Lakewood.

It is the purpose of this Chapter to supplement the provisions of the Subdivision Map Act concerning the design, improvement, and survey data of subdivisions; the form and content of Tract Maps and Parcel Maps; and the procedure to be followed in securing the official approval of the City of Lakewood regarding such maps. To accomplish this purpose, the regulations outlined in this Ordinance are determined to be necessary for the preservation of the public health, safety, and general welfare.

A person shall not sell; place a mortgage, deed of trust, or other lien upon; transfer title to; or lease any subdivision or any part thereof, or offer to do so, or contract to do so, until a tract or parcel map thereof, in full compliance with the provisions of this Ordinance and the Subdivision Map Act, has been duly recorded or filed in the office of the Recorder of this County. This prohibition does not apply to an offer or contract to sell, lease or finance, specifically contingent upon the recordation of a final tract or parcel map or Certificate of Compliance.

The following are exempt from the regulations of this Chapter:

• A. Any parcels or parcels of a subdivision offered for sale, lien, or lease, contracted for sale, lien, or lease, or sold, mortgaged, liened, leased or transferred in compliance with or exempt from any law regulating the design and improvement of subdivisions or minor land divisions in effect at the time the subdivision or minor land division was established.

• B. The financing or leasing of existing separate commercial or industrial buildings on a single parcel.

• C. The financing or leasing of any parcel of land, or any portion thereof, in conjunction with the construction of commercial or industrial buildings on a single parcel, provided that the Planning Environment Commission, without a public hearing, finds that the division of land substantially complies with the criteria for design and improvement set forth in this Chapter.

• D. Any other exemption specifically provided by law.

[Amended 11-11-2025 by Ord. No. 2025-3]

• A. Major Subdivision. The Planning Environment Commission is hereby designated as the Advisory Agency, as that term is used in the Subdivision Map Act, for major subdivisions and shall have the authority to perform the actions as set forth in this Chapter.

• B. Minor Subdivisions. The Director of Community Development or his/her designee is hereby designated as the Advisory Agency as that term is used in the Subdivision Map Act, for minor subdivisions and shall have the authority to perform the actions as set forth in this Chapter. The City Engineer or the Director of Public Works shall be the Advisory Agency having authority to approve or deny final parcel maps.

[Amended 11-11-2025 by Ord. No. 2025-3]

There is hereby created a Division of Land Committee, consisting of the following officers or their duly authorized representative as defined in Section 2140 et al.:

• A. The Director of Community Development.

• B. The City Engineer.

• C. The Fire Chief.

• D. The Director of Public Works.

• E. Such other City officers or representatives of other agencies which, in the opinion of the Director of Community Development, have an interest in a proposed subdivision. The Director of Community Development, or his/her designee, shall be the Chairperson of the Division of Land Committee.

[Amended 11-11-2025 by Ord. No. 2025-3]

A filing date of a tentative tract or parcel map shall be the date that the subdivision application has been deemed complete by the Director of Community Development or his/her designee.

Words used herein that are defined in the Subdivision Map Act but not specifically defined in this Chapter shall have the same meaning as is given to them in said Subdivision Map Act. Whenever the following words are used in this Chapter, they shall have the meaning ascribed to them in this Chapter.

ALLEY

Shall mean a public or private right-of-way primarily designed to serve as secondary access to the rear or side of those properties which principle frontage is on some other street.

BLOCK

Shall mean a group of lots or parcels of land bounded by streets or rights-of-way.

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE

Means a document describing a unit of real property and stating that the division thereof complies with applicable provisions of the Subdivision Map Act and City Ordinances enacted pursuant thereto.

DIVISION OF LAND

Means Subdivision.

DRAINAGE FACILITY

Any drainage device or structure which may be used to control or direct the flow of water and/or alleviate flood hazard, including but not limited to berms, channels, culverts, curbs, ditches, gutters, pavement, and pipes.

FLOOD HAZARD

A potential danger of life, land, or improvements due to inundation or storm water runoff having sufficient velocity to transport or deposit debris, scour the surface soil, dislodge, or damage buildings, or erode the banks of water courses.

FRONTAGE

Means that portion of a lot or parcel of property which abuts on a public street.

GEOLOGICAL HAZARD

A hazard inherent in the earth or artificially created, which is dangerous or potentially dangerous to life, property, or improvement due to the movement , failure, or shifting of earth.

LOT

Means lots, parcel, or tract of real property.

[Amended 11-11-2025 by Ord. No. 2025-3]

MAJOR SUBDIVISION

Means a subdivision of an existing lot or parcel resulting in 11 or more new lots and any housing development project on the lot proposed to be subdivided contains 11 or more residential units.

MERGER

The joining of two (2) or more contiguous parcels of land under one ownership into one (1) parcel.

[Amended 11-11-2025 by Ord. No. 2025-3]

MINOR SUBDIVISION

Means a subdivision of fan existing lot or parcel resulting in 10 or fewer parcels and the housing development project on the lot proposed to be subdivided will contain 10 or fewer residential units. Minor subdivisions shall be considered ministerially and without discretionary review or a hearing for a parcel map for a housing development project in accordance with Government Code Section 66499.41 .

OWNER

Means the individual, firm, partnership, or corporation having controlling interest in the land sought to be subdivided, or an agent thereof duly authorized to commence subdivision proceedings.

[Amended 11-11-2025 by Ord. No. 2025-3]

PARCEL MAP

A map showing a division of land resulting in 10 or fewer new parcels as required by this Chapter, or a map showing those subdivisions exempted from the requirement of a Tentative or Final Tract Map listed under Section 66426 of the Subdivision Map Act, prepared in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter and the Subdivision Map Act.

ARTERIAL STREETS

Are of two types as defined by the Circulation Element of the Lakewood General Plan, as adopted by the City:

A. MAJOR HIGHWAYS

Which shall be streets that the City Council finds to be of major importance and which have a minimum right-of-way width of 100 feet.

• B. SECONDARY HIGHWAYS

Which shall be streets that the City Council finds to be of secondary importance and which have a minimum right-of-way width of 86 feet.

COLLECTOR STREET

Shall mean a street intended to convey vehicular traffic from local streets to a major or secondary highway and should have a minimum right-of-way of 66 feet.

CUL-DE-SAC

Shall mean a street which by design is not intended to be a through street and having a closed end provided with a turning area for reversing the direction of vehicular traffic. Cul-de-sac may have 50 feet rights-of-way.

LOCAL CITY STREETS

Shall mean all other City streets having rights-of-way widths of not less than 60 feet.

SUBDIVISION MAP ACT

Means that act as set forth in Division 2 , Title 7 of the Government Code of the State of California.

TENTATIVE TRACT MAP

Means a map prepared for the purpose of showing the design of a proposed major subdivision and filed with the Planning Environment Commission precedent to the preparation and filing of a

final tract map.

TENTATIVE PARCEL MAP

Means a map prepared for the purpose of showing the design of a proposed minor subdivision and filed with the Director of Community Development precedent to the preparation and filing of a parcel map or precedent to waiver of requirement for a parcel map.

THROUGH LOT

Means a lot having frontage on two parallel or nearly parallel streets.

UNIT

Shall mean the element of the subdivision which is not owned in common with the other owners of the project to include air space or dwellings (Section 1350 of the Civil Code).