Nevada County Municipal Code Ch. 8 Road Standards, Purpose and Definitions

It is the purpose of these improvement standards to set design and construction standards for public and private works under the jurisdiction of the County of Nevada in order to provide for the coordinated development of facilities to be used by and for the protection of the public. These Nevada County Road Standards shall set the guidelines for the design, plan preparation and construction of roads, drainage and related improvements. These Nevada County Road Standards are not meant to apply to work within any other governmental jurisdiction's highways, streets, or roads unless adopted separately or by reference by that jurisdiction. These Nevada County Road Standards shall apply to applications deemed complete after February 15, 2021.

(Ord. 2488. (01/12/2021); Ord. 2531. (10/24/2023))

This Chapter shall be known as and may be referred to as "Nevada County's Road Standards" or "Road Standards." Unless modified by these Road Standards, design and construction shall be performed in accordance with the latest editions of the State of California, Department of Transportation's "Highway Design Manual," "Traffic Manual," "Standard Specifications" and "Standard Plans." References in the State Standards to State maintained roads shall be construed to apply to County roads unless different provisions are specified in these Nevada County Road Standards.

Any details of road construction not specifically included in these road standards, including the above-referenced state standards, shall be designed in accordance with accepted engineering practice, subject to approval by the engineer. The Board of Supervisors may adopt by separate Resolution "Nevada County Standard Drawings" or "Standard Drawings" for the purpose of delineating what constitutes accepted practices for those minor details of road construction not set forth in this Chapter, but necessary for complete design of improvements. The standard drawings, in supplementing the road standards, may also graphically depict said road standards, but shall not supersede them and in the case of conflict, the provisions of this Chapter shall prevail. All construction shall comply with the standards of this Chapter as supplemented by the standard drawings adopted by resolution, unless a Petition for Exception, pursuant to Section 16.10.120, has been granted for a specific standard.

A. Precedence. These standard specifications and standard plans, CALTRANS Standard Specifications and Plans, and any special provisions or supplementary documents are essential parts of Nevada County's Standard Specifications, and a requirement occurring in one is as binding as though occurring in all. They are intended to be complementary and to describe and provide for a complete work.

Nevada County's Road Standards and Construction Specifications shall govern over CALTRANS' Standard Specifications and Plans in right-of-way under Nevada County's jurisdiction. Special provisions shall govern over both of these standard specifications in right-of-way under Nevada County's jurisdiction.

In the event of any discrepancy between any drawing and the figures written thereon, the figures shall be taken as correct. Detail drawings shall prevail over general drawings.

(Ord. 2488. (01/12/2021); Ord. 2531. (10/24/2023))

In these Standards, the intent and meaning of the terms that are used shall be defined in Section I of the State Specifications except as modified or added herein.

A. Average Daily Traffic, or Average Daily Trips ("ADT") means the weighted average vehicle traffic or trips occurring during a 24-hour period on a weekday. The future ADT shall be computed using the sum of the existing traffic, plus any additional traffic generated from land uses allowed under the County's General Plan and Zoning Provisions of this Code. A vehicle trip is a single or one-direction vehicle movement.

B. Collector Road means an urban road connecting principal and minor arterial roads to local roads. Equivalent in function to a (rural) major collector road.

C. Consulting Engineer means any person or persons, firm, partnership or corporation legally authorized to practice engineering in the State of California. For the purpose of this Chapter, "Consulting Engineer" shall refer to an engineer retained by a project proponent or developer.

D. County means the County of Nevada.

E. Dead End Road means a road which has only one (1) point of vehicular ingress/egress, including cul-de-sac and looped roads.

F. Department means the Nevada County Department of Public Works.

G. Developer means any person or persons, firm, partnership, corporation or combination thereof financially responsible for the improvements.

H. Director means the Director of the Department of Public Works of the County of Nevada.

I. Driveway means a vehicular access constructed pursuant to Title 4, Fire Safety Regulations, of the County of Nevada Code, that serves up to two (2) parcels with no more than two (2) residential units and any number of non-commercial or industrial buildings on each parcel.

J. Engineer means the Director of the Department of Public Works of the County of Nevada or their designee.

K. Fire Standard Access Road means minimum standard road for new construction. A Fire Standard Access Road serves more than two (2) parcels with no more than two (2) dwellings on each, and any number of accessory buildings.

L. Fuel Modification Area means an area where the volume of flammable vegetation has been reduced, providing reduced fire intensity and duration.

M. Gate means a means of vehicular entrance or exit to a parcel or dwelling, including an opening in a wall, fence, or driveway abutments. A security gate is defined as a gate that is manually or electronically secured.

N. Hammerhead/T means a road or driveway that provides a "T"-shaped, three-point turnaround space for emergency equipment, being no narrower than the road that serves it.

O. Improvement means work performed in accordance with these road standards.

P. Interstate Highways and Freeways means limited access highways.

Q. Laboratory means any testing agency or testing firm which has been approved by the Department.

R. Local Road means a road that functions primarily to provide access to individual properties.

S. Major Collector Road means a (rural) road connecting local roads and (rural) minor collector roads to arterial roads.

T. Minor Arterial Road means a road providing primary access from freeways and principal arterials to major origins and destinations.

U. Minor Collector Equivalent Local Road means a local road that is projected to serve a buildout volume in excess of two thousand (2,000) Average Daily Trips but is not classified as a minor collector on the General Plan Circulation Plan Map.

V. Minor Collector Road means a rural road connecting local roads to major collector and arterial roads

W. Principal Arterial Road means a road carrying some regional traffic and connecting the major population centers within the County or immediate counties.

X. Project means the proposed improvements by the County or others.

Y. Residential Unit means any building or portion thereof which contains living facilities, including provisions for sleeping, eating, cooking and/or sanitation for one (1) or more persons. Manufactured homes, mobilehomes, and factory-built housing are considered residential units for the purposes of mandatory measures required in Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 14 § 1270.01 (c).

Z. Roads means vehicular access to more than two (2) parcels; more than four (4) residential units; or access to any industrial or commercial occupancy. Includes private streets and lanes under the jurisdiction of the County of Nevada.

AA. Roadway means any surface designed, improved, or ordinarily used for vehicle travel.

BB. Roadway Structures means bridges, culverts, and other appurtenant structures which supplement the roadway bed or shoulders.

CC. Shoulder means roadbed or surface adjacent to the traffic lane.

DD. Special Circumstances means unusual circumstances not covered by these road standards which require additional specific review and evaluation by the engineer in order to determine appropriate design standards.

EE. Special Provisions means specific clauses setting forth conditions or requirements peculiar to the work and supplementary to these road standards.

FF. Specifications means the directions, provisions and requirements contained in these road standards.

GG. Standard Drawings means the latest edition of the Nevada County Standard Drawings kept on file in the Department of Public Works and adopted by a Resolution of the Nevada County Board of Supervisors.

HH. State Specifications Shall mean the latest edition of the State of California, Department of transportation (CALTRANS) Standard Specifications and Standard Plans, the CALTRANS Highway Design Manual, and the CALTRANS Traffic Manual.

II. Telecommunication refers to data, voice, video or other information provided by wire, fiber optic cable or other technology.

JJ. Traffic Lane means the portion of a roadway that provides a single line of vehicle travel.

KK. Turnaround means a roadway, unobstructed by parking, which allows for a safe opposite change of direction for emergency equipment. Design of such area may be a hammerhead/T or terminus bulb.

LL. Turnout means a widening in a road or driveway to allow vehicles to pass. Minimum twelve (12') feet wide and thirty (30') feet long with a twenty-five (25')-foot taper on both ends.

MM. Vertical Clearance means the minimum specified height of a bridge or overhead projection above the roadway.

(Ord. 2239. (05/29/2007); Ord. 2474. (01/14/2020); Ord. 2488. (01/12/2021); Ord. 2531. (10/24/2023))