Loyalton Municipal Code Ch. 10.04 Building Code

This title is enacted to provide and implement regulations contained in the California Housing Law and Regulations adopted thereunder to provide minimum standards to safeguard life or limb, health, property and public welfare by regulating and controlling the design, construction, quality of material, use and occupancy, location, maintenance of all buildings and structures within the incorporated area of the City of Loyalton.

A permit for the construction, alteration, moving, demolition, repair and use of any building or structure shall not be issued unless and until a finding has been provided by the City Planning Department that such permit is in compliance with applicable City General and Specific Plans and City Zoning Laws.

For the purposes of this title, unless otherwise specified in the contest, certain words and phrases used in this title are defined as follows:

A. “Building Official” means that there is hereby established within the City of Loyalton the position of Building Official. (a) For the purposes of this title, the position of building official may be filled by contract with the County of Sierra, wherein the building official for the County shall be by agreement the building official for the City.

This chapter shall be inapplicable to:

(a) Construction, alteration, moving, demolition, or repair of any building for which the exclusive use is conducted for agricultural purposes within an agricultural zoning district and for which there is neither human habitation or a place of employment where agricultural products are processed, treated or packaged, or public use of the building; and (b) Commercially premanufactured storage structure of one hundred (100) square feet or less; and (c) Fences, not including walls, under six (6) feet in height which are non-structural and non- retaining and are not supported by continuous footing; and (d) Cases, coaters and partitions not over five (5) feet in height; and (e) Painting, papering and similar finish work; and

(f) Prefabricated swimming pools accessory to a Group R, Division 3 Occupancy, in which the pool walls are entirely above the adjacent grade and if the capacity does not exceed 5000 gallons; and (g) Retaining walls which are not over four (4) feet in height measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall unless supporting a surcharge or impounding flammable liquids; and (h) Walkways and driveways not more than thirty (30) inches above grade.

The provisions of this chapter shall be administered by the City Planning Department. The City Building Official may approve alternate materials, designs, or methods of construction which are substantially equivalent to these prescribed herein and do not materially affect the health and safety standards established herein.

A permit, issued by the City Building Official shall be required for the construction, erection, enlarging, alteration, repair, demolition, conversion, moving, improvement, and use of any building or structure.
Building or structure includes, but is not limited to any structure having a roof supported by columns and/or by walls and intended for the shelter, housing, and/or enclosure of any person, animal, cattle, or mechanical equipment or that which is built or constructed, as office or building or any kind, or any piece of work artificially built up or composed of parts joined together in some definite manner, including but not limited to garages, carports, bridges, installation of road culverts, playhouses, kennels, tool sheds, garden houses, storage buildings, decks, fences in excess of six (6) feet in height, retaining walls and signs.

A separate permit shall be required for each house or building except that a private garage on the same lot with a residence may be included in the initial permit for the residence.

Every permit issued by the City Building Official shall expire by limitation and become null and void if the work authorized by such permit is not commenced within a period of 120 days.

The City Building Official may extend this date upon written application by the permittee which must contain a showing of good cause therefor.

When a permit has expired and becomes null and void, no work shall be performed until a second permit has been issued by the City Building Official.

An application for building construction permit, provided on a form furnished by the City Building Official, shall be completed and returned by the applicant and shall be accompanied by the following:

(a) A detailed plot plan containing data required by the City Building Official; and (b) Two (2) copies of set plans, diagrams, specifications, computations, and any other data required by the City Building Official or this chapter; and 10.04.040 (Continued) – 10.04.070

(c) Evidence that all persons having a record title interest in the parcel of land upon which the building/construction permit affects, have consented to the issuance of a building/construction permit; and (d) The assessor parcel number for the parcel which is subject to the application for a permit.

A permit may not be issued by the City Building Official unless and until the following has been provided:

(a) Approval by the City Planning Department as to compliance of the application for permit with applicable City general and specific plans, City zoning laws, and the California Environmentals Quality Act; and

(b) The application for building/construction permit complies with the provisions of this part.

The following codes, standards, and regulations are adopted as if fully set forth herein, and may be cited as City of Loyalton Codes: A. Uniform Building Code, 1997 edition, as adopted by the international Conference of Building Officials; B. Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings, 1997 edition, as adopted by the International Conference of Building Officials; C. National Electric Code, 1997 edition, as adopted by the international Conference of Building Officials; D. Uniform Fire Code, 1997 edition, as adopted by the international Conference of Building Officials; E. Uniform Housing Code, 1997 edition, as adopted by the international Conference of Building Officials; F. Uniform Mechanical Code, 1997 edition, as adopted by the international Conference of Building Officials; G. Uniform Plumbing Code, 1997 edition, as adopted by the international Conference of Building Officials; and H. Uniform Sign Code, 1997 edition, as adopted by the international Conference of Building Officials.

No reduction below fifty (50) percent of the design-live snow-load will be permitted. The following snow-load requirements shall be used unless a design is provided and signed by a registered structural engineer or a registered civil engineer and approved by the City Engineer and the City Building Official:

The snow load for the City of Loyalton is:

Loyalton Elevation – 4960 Snow Load Design Requirements

50 (lbs./sq.ft.)

The following fees shall be established to implement this Part:

(a) Permit Fee – A minimum permit fee of $5.00 (b) Issuance Fee – A minimum issuance fee of $10.00 charged each time one or more permits are to be issued. (c) Electrical Fee – A fee shall be charged for all electrical work for residential construction on the basis of $1.50 for each 100 square feet of floor area or, at the discretion of the City Building Official, as itemized below: (1) New Service less than 200 A or 600 V: $5.00 (2) New Service over 200 A or 600 V: $7.50 (3) Outlets and fixtures: $0.20 each (4) Power apparatus up to 1 HP, 1 KW or 1 KVA: $1.00 (5) Power apparatus for each additional HP, KW, or KVA over one (1): $0.50 (6) Signs, each branch circuit: $5.00 (7) Each addition of a branch circuit: $1.00 (8) Space heaters: $2.00 (9) Range, water heater, or dryer: $1.50 each (10) Each appliance other than those itemized above: $1.00 (d) Fee Exemptions – A governmental agency shall be exempt from all permit fees established in this chapter. (e) Inspections on behalf of the United States Government, Department of Agriculture, Forest Service for a charge in occupancy of a residence located in a summer-home tract shall be $5.00.

The County Health Office, City Planning Director, City Building Official, and the Fire Chief are hereby authorized to make inspections and take such actions as may be required to enforce the provisions of this part and the provisions of the City Zoning Code.

Whenever necessary to make an inspection to enforce any of the provisions of this chapter, or whenever the Building Official or his authorized representative has reasonable cause to believe that 10.04.100 (Continued) – 10.04.200

there exists in any building or premises unsafe, dangerous or hazardous, the Building Official or his authorized representative may enter such building or premises at all reasonable times to inspect the same or to perform any duty imposed upon the Building Official by this chapter, provided that if such building or premises be unoccupied, he shall first make a reasonable effort to locate the owner or other persons having charge or control of the building or premises and request entry. If such entry is refused, the Building Official or his authorized representative shall have recourse to every remedy provided by law to secure entry.

When the Building Official or his authorized representative shall have first obtained a proper inspection warrant or other remedy provided by law to secure entry, no owner or occupant or any other persons having charge, care or control of any building or premises shall fail to neglect, after proper request is made as herein provided, to promptly permit entry therein by the Building Official or his authorized representative for the purpose of inspection and examination pursuant to this chapter.

Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, the members of the Council of the city of Loyalton shall constitute the Housing Advisory Board and Board of Appeals.

The landowner or his authorized representative or any interested party may appeal the decision of the Housing Advisory Board and Board of Appeals to the Sierra County Board of Supervisors by filing an appeal in writing with the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within ten (10) days of such decision. The decision of the Board of Supervisors shall be final.

When the City Building Official has knowledge that construction, alteration, moving, demolition, repair, and use of any building or structure has occurred or is occurring without a permit issued in compliance with this chapter, the City Building Official shall cause a “Stop-Work Notice” to be posted at the site of the violation and it shall be the sole responsibility of the landowner and/or person performing said violation to immediately seek an application for permit for said violation.

The City Building Official shall cause to be assessed, a double permit fee to any person who has commenced work on any building or structure without first having obtained a permit for said work.

It shall be unlawful and punishable as an infraction in compliance with City Code section 1.20.010 for any person, firm, partnership, corporation, or association to erect, construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, improve, remove, convert or demolish, equip, use, occupy or maintain any building or structure or cause or permit same to be performed contrary to any of the provisions of this chapter.