Oakland Municipal Code Art. II UDCB Permit Requirement and Process

A. With the exception of UDCBs described in Subsection B, below, it is unlawful to place, operate, maintain or allow a UDCB on any real property unless the parcel owner/agent and/or operator first obtain an annually renewable UDCB permit from the City. A separate UDCB permit is required for each UDCB unless a second UDCB is required for overflow items per Subsection 5.19.120(H), in which case the permit for the first UDCB can include the second UDCB on a parcel.

B. UDCBs that are either enclosed within a principal building or are accessory to a principal activity on a property owned or leased by the bin operator shall not require a UDCB permit. However, UDCBs that are accessory to a principal activity on a property owned or leased by the bin operator shall meet all other requirements of this chapter except the requirements contained in Subsection 5.19.120(A), (B) and/or (C).

C. The UDCB permit applicant shall be the UDCB operator and the permit may not be transferred, conveyed or otherwise assigned to another person or entity.

D. Decisions regarding UDCB permit applications shall be made by the Director and the Director shall be considered the investigating official acting for the City Administrator.

(Ord. No. 13335, § 2(Exh. A), 10-20-2015)

The UDCB permit application shall be made on a form provided by the Bureau of Planning and Zoning. All applications shall be filed with the Bureau of Planning and Zoning and shall include:

A. A signed agreement stating that the parcel owner/agent and operator will abide by all the processes and requirements described in this chapter and an expedited code enforcement process;

B. A non-refundable application fee in an amount set by the master fee schedule;

C. For permit applications for existing UDCBs, a signed affidavit, under penalty of perjury, stating that the UDCB existed at the proposed location prior to the adoption of Ordinance No. 13225 C.M.S. on April 22, 2014;

D. A signed authorization from the parcel owner/agent to allow placement of the UDCB;

E. A signed acknowledgement of responsibility from the parcel owner/agent and the operator for joint and several liability for violations of conditions or regulations, and/or blight relating to the UDCB;

F. Proof of general liability insurance of at least $1,000,000.00 covering the applicant's UDCB and naming the City of Oakland as an additional insured;

G. For nonprofit operators, evidence that the nonprofit has been registered as a non-profit organization with the City of Oakland, is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as such, and complies with California Welfare and Institutions Code Section 148 et seq. as it may be amended;

H. For for-profit operators, proof of an active business tax certificate with the City of Oakland;

I. The name, address, email, website (if available) and telephone number of the UDCB operator and parcel owner, including 24-hour contact information;

J. A vicinity map showing 1) the proposed location of the UDCB; and 2) the distance between the site and all existing UDCBs within 1,000 feet of the proposed UDCB location;

K. Photographs of the location and adjacent properties;

L. A site plan containing:

1. Location and dimensions of all parcel boundaries;

2. Location of all buildings;

3. Proposed UDCB location;

4. Distance between the proposed UDCB and parcel lines buildings; and

5. Location and dimension of all existing and proposed driveways, garages, carports, parking spaces, maneuvering aisles, pavement and striping/marking;

M. Elevations showing the appearance, materials, and dimensions of the UDCB, including the information required in this chapter to be placed on the UDCB and notice sign;

N. A description and/or diagram of the proposed locking mechanism of the UDCB;

O. A maintenance plan (including graffiti removal, pick-up schedule, and litter and trash removal on and around the UDCB) that is sufficient to prevent/eliminate blight-related conditions; and

P. Any other reasonable information regarding time, place, and manner of UDB operation, placement, and/or maintenance that the Director requires to evaluate the proposal consistent with the requirements of this chapter.

(Ord. No. 13335, § 2(Exh. A), 10-20-2015)

A. Unless renewed as described in Subsection B, below, each UDCB permit shall expire and become null and void annually on the anniversary of its date of issuance.

B. A UDCB operator may apply for permit renewal by submitting to the Bureau of Planning at least one month prior to the expiration of the active UDCB permit. The UDCB permit renewal application shall be made on a form provided by the Bureau of Planning and Zoning. All applications shall be filed with the Bureau of Planning and Zoning and shall include:

1. A signed agreement stating that the parcel owner/agent and operator will abide by all the processes and requirements described in this chapter and an expedited code enforcement process;

2. Photographs of the existing UDCB;

3. A non-refundable application fee in an amount set by the master fee schedule;

4. A signed authorization from the parcel owner/agent to allow placement of the UDCB;

5. A signed acknowledgement of responsibility from the parcel owner/agent and the operator for joint and several liability for violations of conditions or regulations, and/or blight relating to the UDCB;

6. Proof of general liability insurance of at least $1,000,000.00 covering the applicant's UDCB and naming the City of Oakland as an additional insured;

7. For nonprofit operators, evidence that the nonprofit has been registered as a non-profit organization with the City of Oakland, is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as such, and complies with California Welfare and Institutions Code Section 148 et seq. as it may be amended;

8. For for-profit operators, proof of an active business tax certificate with the City of Oakland;

9. Name and telephone number of any entity that may share or profit from items collected via the UDCB;

10. The name, address, email, website (if available) and telephone number of the UDCB operator and parcel owner, including 24-hour contact information; and

11. Any other reasonable information regarding time, place, and manner of UDB operation, placement, and/or maintenance that the Director requires to evaluate the proposal consistent with the requirements of this chapter.

C. The Director shall either approve or deny the renewal of a UDCB permit within 60 days of receipt of the complete renewal application and payment of the renewal fee. The failure of the Bureau of Planning to act within this timeframe shall constitute approval of the UDCB permit renewal.

D. The Director shall approve the renewal of a UDCB permit if he or she finds that no circumstances existed during the term of the UDCB permit or existed at any time during the review of the application for renewal that are inconsistent with any criteria required for approval of a new UDCB permit as specified in Section 5.19.090 or that would justify the revocation of the UDCB permit as specified in Subsection 5.19.170(G).

E. See Section 5.19.110 for the appeal and petition processes for UDCB permit decisions, including decisions regarding renewal.

(Ord. No. 13335, § 2(Exh. A), 10-20-2015)

The Director shall not issue a UDCB permit or renewal unless each of the following is true:

A. The applicant has submitted a complete and accurate application accompanied by the applicable fee;

B. There are no open citations, unpaid fines or unresolved violations or complaints related to any UDCB managed by the proposed operator;

C. All existing unpermitted UDCBs that are managed by the proposed operator have been removed;

D. Reserved.

E. Any verified blight on the subject property has been abated and any case of a complaint to the City regarding blighted conditions on the subject property has been closed; and

F. The proposal is consistent with all the requirements of this chapter.

G. For renewals, the site does not have a history of being an attractive nuisance even if incidents of blight were abated. For the purpose of this subsection, "history of attractive nuisance" means three verified blight complaints in the previous 12 months.

(Ord. No. 13335, § 2(Exh. A), 10-20-2015)

The Director shall provide a written decision regarding the placement of a UDCB within 60 days of the submission of a complete application for a UDCB permit.

(Ord. No. 13335, § 2(Exh. A), 10-20-2015)

A. Within ten calendar days after the date of a decision by the Director on an application for a UDCB permit or a renewal of such, an appeal from said decision must be filed by the applicant or any other interested party. The appeal shall be submitted to the Bureau of Planning at 250 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, 2 nd Floor, Oakland, CA 94612. In the event the last date of appeal falls on a weekend or holiday when City offices are closed, the next date such offices are open for business shall be the last date of appeal. Such appeal shall be made on a form prescribed by the Bureau of Planning and shall be filed with such Department, along with the appropriate fees required by the City's master fee schedule. The appeal application must be complete and shall state specifically wherein it is claimed there was an error or abuse of discretion by the Director or wherein his or her decision is not supported by the evidence in the record. The appeal itself must raise each and every issue that is contested, along with all the arguments and evidence in the record, which supports the basis of the appeal; failure to do so will preclude the appellant from raising such issues during the appeal and/or in court.

If a hearing is held on the appeal, then during such hearing, the appellant will be limited to issues and/or evidence previously raised in the appeal itself. The appellant shall not be permitted to present any other issues and/or oral, written and/or documentary evidence during the appeal process.

In considering the appeal, the City Administrator shall determine whether the proposal conforms to the requirements of this chapter, and may grant or deny a permit or require such changes in the proposed use or impose such reasonable conditions of approval as are in its judgment necessary to ensure conformity to said criteria. The written decision of the City Administrator shall be final and shall be made within 60 days of the submission of the appeal.

B. The applicant seeking placement of a UDCB which would be affected by this chapter and who contends that the ordinance as applied to him or her would be unlawful under and/or conflict with federal, state, or local law or regulation, must submit a petition to the City Administrator requesting relief from the ordinance. Petitions must be on the appeal form provided by the Bureau of the Planning and submitted to the Bureau at 250 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Suite 2114. Failure to submit such a petition will preclude such person from challenging the ordinance as applied in court. The Petition shall identify the name and address of the applicant and property owner, the affected application number, and shall state specifically and completely how the ordinance as applied to him or her would be unlawful under and/or in conflict with federal, state, or local law or regulation, and shall include payment of fees in accordance with the City's master fee schedule. Failure to raise each and every issue that is contested in the petition and provide appropriate supporting evidence will be grounds to deny the petition and will also preclude the petitioner from raising such issues in court.

If a hearing is held on the petition, then during such hearing, the petitioner will be limited to issues and/or evidence previously raised in the petition itself. The petitioner shall not be permitted to present any other issues and/or oral, written and/or documentary evidence during the petition process.

Within 60 calendar days of receipt of the completed petition, the City Administrator, or designee, shall mail to the applicant a written determination accepting or rejecting the petition. The written decision of the City Administrator is final. The City Administrator will utilize reasonable time, place and manner criteria to determine if the petition should be granted or denied consistent with this chapter. If the petition is granted, the City may impose reasonable time, place and manner-related conditions on the UDCB consistent with this chapter.

(Ord. No. 13335, § 2(Exh. A), 10-20-2015)