Palmdale Municipal Code Art. II New Construction

Except as otherwise provided in this article, no building permit shall be issued for the construction of a building, nor shall any site plan be approved, nor any tract or parcel map be recorded, unless the Public Works Department has approved plans which show that the building or development will comply with the provisions of this article.

(Ord. 724 § 4, 1988)

Except as otherwise provided in this article, all utility facilities shall be installed underground if they are located on or adjacent to a lot being developed.

For the purposes of this section, utility facilities shall be deemed "adjacent" to a lot if they are located in a public right-of-way contiguous to the lot, including, but not limited to, a public utility right-of-way, flood control or drainage channel, or street or alley.

(Ord. 724 § 4, 1988)

Notwithstanding the provisions of PMC § 12.04.150, the following facilities and equipment shall not be required to be placed underground:

(A) Utility facilities approved by the Director of Building Services to be installed and maintained for a period not to exceed 30 days in order to provide emergency service;

(B) Temporary utility facilities used, or to be used, in conjunction with construction projects;

(C) Utility facilities used for the transmission of electric energy at voltages in excess of 50,000 volts;

(D) Equipment appurtenant to underground facilities, such as surface-mounted transformers, pedestal-mounted terminal boxes, meter cabinets and concealed ducts;

(E) Wires and enclosures attached to the exterior walls of a building for the purpose of interconnecting communication functions within the building;

(F) Street lighting, fire alarm devices, and traffic control apparatuses; and

(G) Utility facilities which are prohibited from being placed underground by rules and regulations of the Commission.

(Ord. 724 § 4, 1988)

If the City Engineer finds that location, topography, soil conditions, or other factors make undergrounding technically or economically infeasible at the time of construction of the development, then the City Engineer may authorize deferment of the undergrounding of utility facilities, subject to the following conditions:

(A) Undergrounding shall not be deferred unless a security of a type specified in California Government Code Section 66499 is posted in an amount equal to the estimated cost of the undergrounding. The security instrument shall be approved by the City Attorney as to form and legal sufficiency.

(B) The City Engineer shall determine the estimated cost of undergrounding based on an estimate of the cost of undergrounding provided by the developer who shall bear the expense of preparing such estimate. Cost estimates shall account for inflation and cost increases, and shall include a separate item for contingencies in the amount of 15 percent of the estimated cost.

(Ord. 724 § 4, 1988)

Undergrounding of utility facilities "adjacent" to property being developed, as "adjacent" is defined in PMC § 12.04.150, shall not be imposed as a condition upon the development of a single-family residential lot, the division of land resulting in four or fewer parcels, or the merger of four or fewer parcels, if the development, division, or merger is located in an area currently served by utility facilities. This section shall not restrict the City's ability to require undergrounding of utility facilities located "on" a property.

(Ord. 724 § 4, 1988)

All undergrounding, including the undergrounding of service laterals, required by PMC § 12.04.150 shall be completed prior to the paving of streets; provided, however, that the City Engineer may waive this requirement if the undergrounding will not require reconstruction or repair of streets, or if unusual circumstances warrant such waiver. Furthermore, upon approval of a proposed tentative tract map, the Planning Commission may waive this requirement if this requirement imposes an undue hardship due to the physical condition of the subdivision.

The developer shall be responsible for undergrounding or relocating utility facilities and cooperating with the utilities involved, subject to the applicable rules, regulations and tariffs of the utilities on file with the Commission.

(Ord. 724 § 4, 1988)

Plans detailing the location of all utility facilities required by PMC § 12.04.150 to be installed underground shall be submitted for approval to the Public Works Department. The Public Works Department shall approve such plans if they meet the requirements of this article and other applicable provisions of this code.

The Public Works Department shall inspect each underground utility facility installation to ensure that such installation complies with City-approved plans. The developer installing the utility facilities shall bear the cost to the City of such inspections.

(Ord. 724 § 4, 1988)

The City Council or the Planning Commission may waive the requirements of PMC § 12.04.150 upon a finding that compliance with the requirements of that section would be technically or economically infeasible due to geologic, soil, or topographic conditions.

The City Council or the Planning Commission may condition such waiver as it deems necessary to effectuate the purposes and intent of this article.

(Ord. 724 § 4, 1988)

The placement or location of all utility facilities exempted from the provisions of this article pursuant to PMC § 12.04.160 or 12.04.210 shall require approval by the Director of Planning. The Director shall not approve any location if the City Engineer determines that placement of a utility facility at the proposed location will unreasonably interfere with travel along a public right-of-way.

(Ord. 724 § 4, 1988)