Plumas County Municipal Code Art. 5 Minimum Design Standards

(a) For purposes of this section, these terms are designed as follows:

(1) "Surfaced" means pavement unless otherwise specified.

(2) "Shoulder" means rocked (class 2 aggregate base) shoulder unless otherwise specified.

(3) "Total shoulder width" means the sum of the widths of the shoulders on both sides of the road.

(4) "Clearing limit" means clearing limit measured from the outer limit of construction; or in flat land from the bottom of the ditch.

(b) Minimum road design standards for each class of public and private road defined in Article 4 of this chapter shall be as follows:

Class 1: Projected traffic + 7,500 ADT

Surfaced traveled way forty-eight (48') feet (four (4) lanes); total paved shoulder width—sixteen (16') feet, with four (4') feet (total) rocked shoulders. Curb and gutter can substitute for rocked shoulder; roadbed sixty-eight (68') feet; right-of-way eighty (80) feet for parallel parking, ninety-eight (98') feet for diagonal parking; no clearing limit. An additional nine (9) feet of paved shoulder is required for each side where diagonal parking will be placed.

Class 2: Projected traffic + 5,000—7,000 ADT

Surfaced traveled way thirty-six (36') feet (three (3) lanes with center lane to be either a passing lane, a left turn lane, or a combination of the two (2)); total paved shoulder width sixteen (16') feet; width four (4') feet (total) rocked shoulder. Curb and gutter can substitute for rocked shoulder; roadbed fifty-six (56') feet; right-of-way eighty (80') feet for parallel parking, ninety-eight (98') feet for diagonal parking; no clearing limit. An additional nine (9') feet of paved shoulder is required for each side where diagonal parking will be placed.

Class 3: Projected traffic—5,000 ADT

Surfaced traveled way twenty-two (22') feet; total paved shoulder width sixteen (16') feet, with four (4') feet (total) rocked shoulders. Total shoulder width may be reduced to six (6') feet where no on-street parking is permitted and where no special maneuvering areas are necessary for traffic safety and ADT is less than 1,000. Curb and gutter can substitute for rocked shoulder; roadbed forty-two (42') feet; right-of-way sixty (60') feet for parallel parking, seventy-eight (78') feet for diagonal parking; no clearing limit. An additional nine (9') feet of paved shoulder is required for each side where diagonal parking will be placed.

Class 4A: Projected traffic + 1,000 ADT

Surfaced traveled way twenty-four (24') feet; total shoulder width sixteen (16') feet; roadbed forty (40') feet; right-of-way sixty (60') feet; clearing limit four (4') feet.

Class 4B: Projected traffic 400—1,000 ADT

Surfaced traveled way twenty-four (24') feet; total shoulder width eight (8') feet; roadbed thirty-two (32') feet; right-of-way sixty (60') feet; clearing limit four (4') feet.

Class 4C: Projected traffic—400 ADT

Surfaced traveled way twenty (20') feet (rocked); total shoulder width four (4') feet; roadbed twenty-four (24') feet; right-of-way sixty (60') feet; clearing limit two (2') feet.

Class 5: Projected traffic + 1,000 ADT

Surfaced traveled way twenty-two (22') feet; total shoulder width eighteen (18') feet; roadbed forty (40') feet; right-of-way sixty (60') feet; clearing limit four (4') feet.

Class 6: Projected traffic + 400—1,000 ADT

Surfaced traveled way twenty-two (22') feet; total shoulder width eight (8') feet; roadbed thirty (30') feet; right-of-way sixty (60') feet; clearing limit four (4') feet.

Class 7: Projected traffic—400 ADT

Surfaced traveled way twenty-two (22') feet; total shoulder width four (4') feet; roadbed twenty-six (26') feet; right-of-way fifty (50') feet; clearing limit two (2') feet.

Class 8

Surfaced traveled way twelve (12') feet (one-way); total shoulder width eight (8') feet; roadbed twenty (20') feet; right-of-way forty (40') feet clearing limit two (2') feet.

Class 9

Surfaced traveled way twenty (20') feet (rocked); total shoulder width four (4') feet, but zero feet if exception is granted under Section 9-9.202 of this Code; roadbed twenty-four (24') feet, right-of-way forty (40') feet; clearing limit two (2') feet.

Class 10

Surfaced traveled way twenty (20') feet (graded); total shoulder width four (4') feet, but zero feet if exception is granted under Section 9-9.202 of this Code; roadbed twenty-four (24') feet; right-of-way forty (40') feet; clearing limit two (2') feet.

Class 11

Surfaced traveled way ten (10') feet (graded); total shoulder width four (4') feet; roadbed ten (10') feet; right-of-way twenty (20') feet, where right-of-way is needed; unobstructed horizontal clearing limit of fourteen (14') feet and unobstructed vertical clearing limit of fifteen (15') feet.

(c) Roadway surfaces on classes of public and private roads (Class 1 through Class 10, inclusive), shall be designed and maintained to support an imposed load of fire apparatus weighing at least 75,000 pounds as required by Vehicle Code Sections 5-35250 and 35550 through 35796. Roadway surfaces shall provide an all-weather aggregate base. All bridges, culverts, and other appurtenant structures which supplement the roadway bed or shoulders shall be constructed to carry at least the maximum load and provide the minimum vertical clearance as required by Vehicle Code Sections 35250 and 35550 through 35796. Applicant shall provide engineering specifications to support design, if requested by the County Engineer.

(d) Class 11 roadways (residential driveways) shall be designed to support an imposed load of fire apparatus weighing at least 40,000 pounds as required by Vehicle Code Sections 35250 and 35550 through 35796. Driveway surfaces shall provide an all-weather base.

(e) All roadways shall provide a minimum vertical clearance of fifteen (15') feet.

(§ 1, Ord. 87-662, eff. June 4, 1987, as amended by Ord. 87-668, eff. July 9, 1987, § 1, Ord. 91-762, eff. October 3, 1991, and § 1, Ord. 92-783, eff. July 9, 1992, § 1, Ord. 93-802, eff. March 4, 1993, and § 3, 02-975, adopted September 3, 2002; § 1(Exh. A), Ord. 2018-1114, adopted October 9, 2018)

Turnouts shall be a minimum of twelve (12') wide and thirty (30') feet long with a minimum twenty-five (25') foot taper on each end.

(§ 1, Ord. 91-762, eff. October 3, 1991; § 1(Exh. A), Ord. 2018-1114, adopted October 9, 2018)

(a) The turnaround area at the end of dead-end roads shall be improved with subbase and base as required by the road classification for a diameter of eighty (80') feet and shall be provided with shoulders as required for the class of road served. The turnaround area at the end of dead-end paved roads shall be paved for a diameter of sixty (60') feet. Right-of-way for turnarounds shall be a minimum diameter of twenty (20') feet more than the diameter of the required surfaced area and shoulder.

(b) T turnarounds.

(1) T turnarounds shall be permitted at the end of driveways.

(2) T turnarounds may be permitted through an exception granted as provided in Section 9-9.202 of Article 2 of Chapter 9 of Title 9 of this Code.

(3) The top of the "T" of a T turnaround shall be at least sixty (60') feet long.

(4) The components of a T turnaround shall be no narrower than the roadway which serves it and shall be constructed to the same standards.

(5) The top of the "T" of a T turnaround at the end of a driveway shall be no narrower than twenty (20') feet and shall be constructed to the same standard as the driveway.

(c) Provisions shall be made for adequate snow storage areas at cul-de-sacs or turnarounds. These areas shall be free of above ground utility equipment and driveways. The areas shall be a minimum of thirty (30') feet wide by twenty (20') feet deep and be located behind surface drainage improvements.

(§ 1, Ord. 91-762, eff. October 3, 1991, as amended by § 1, Ord. 92-783, eff. July 9, 1992, and § 2, Ord. 93-802, eff. March 4, 1993; § 1(Exh. A), Ord. 2018-1114, adopted October 9, 2018)

Gate entrances shall be at least two (2') feet wider than the width of the traffic lanes serving that gate. Minimum width of gate entrances shall be of a minimum width of fourteen-foot unobstructed horizontal clearance and fifteen-foot vertical clearance.

All gates providing access from a road to a driveway shall be located at least thirty (30') feet from the roadway and shall open to allow a vehicle to stop without obstructing traffic on that road.

Security gates shall not be installed without approval of the Building Official, who may consult with emergency services providers prior to issuance of the approval. Security gates and the emergency operation shall be maintained operational at all times.

The regulations in this section do not apply to gates serving agricultural and/or timber harvesting uses.

(§ 1(Exh. A), Ord. 2018-1114, adopted October 9, 2018)