Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code Ch. 17.06 Attached Unit Development Standards

This chapter provides supplemental development standards which shall apply to all residential structures which are constructed with common walls and/or floor/ceiling assemblies (attached single-family, multiple-family, condominiums, stock cooperatives, community apartment houses, etc.).

(Code 1981, § 17.06.010; Ord. No. 78(part), 1975; Ord. No. 320, § 7(part), 1997)

A. Attenuation of noise and vibration.

1. No plumbing fixture or other such permanent device which generates noise or vibration shall be attached to a common wall adjacent to a living room, family room, dining room, den or bedroom of an adjoining unit. All plumbing fixtures or similar devices shall be located on exterior walls, on interior walls within the unit or on common walls, if adjacent to a similar fixture or device.

2. All water supply lines within common walls and/or floors/ceilings shall be isolated from wood or metal framing with pipe isolators specifically manufactured for that purpose and approved by the city's building official. In multistory residential structures, all vertical drainage pipes shall be surrounded by three-quarter-inch thick dense insulation board or full thick fiberglass or wool blanket insulation for their entire length, excluding the sections that pass through wood or metal framing. The building official may approve other methods of isolating sound transmission through plumbing lines where their effectiveness can be demonstrated.

3. All common wall assemblies which separate attached single-family units shall be of a cavity-type construction.

4. All common wall assemblies which separate all other attached dwelling units (multiple-family condominiums, stock cooperatives, community apartment houses) or a dwelling unit and a public or quasi-public space shall be of a staggered-stud construction.

5. All common wall assemblies which separate dwelling units from each other or from public or quasi-public spaces (interior corridors, laundry rooms, recreation rooms and garages) shall be constructed with a minimum rating of 55 STC (sound transmission class).

6. All common floor/ceiling assemblies which separate dwelling units from each other or from public or quasi-public spaces (interior corridors, laundry rooms, recreation rooms and garages) shall be constructed with a minimum rating of 50 STC (sound transmission class) and a minimum rating of 55 IIC (impact insulation class). Floor coverings may be included in the assembly to obtain the required ratings but must be retained as a permanent part of the assembly and may only be replaced by another insulation.

7. STC and IIC ratings shall be based on the result of laboratory measurements and will not be subjected to field testing. The STC rating shall be based on the American Society for Testing and Materials system specified in ASTM number 90-66t or equivalent. The IIC rating shall be based on the system in use at the National Bureau of Standards or equivalent. Ratings obtained from other testing procedures will require adjustment to the above rating systems. In documenting wall and floor/ceiling compliance with the required sound ratings, the applicant shall either furnish the city's building official with data based upon tests performed by a recognized and approved testing laboratory or furnish the building official with verified manufacturer's data on the ratings of the various wall and floor/ceiling assemblies utilized.

B. Utility easements over private streets and other areas. If private streets are involved, a provision shall be made for public utility easements over the entire private street network. The director and/or planning commission may also require public utility easements adjacent to public streets or over other areas to accommodate fire hydrants, water meters, street furniture, storm drainage, sanitary sewers, water and gas mains, electrical lines and similar urban infrastructure. The director and/or planning commission may also require access routes necessary to ensure that firefighting equipment can reach and operate efficiently in all areas.

(Code 1981, § 17.06.020; Ord. No. 78(part), 1975; Ord. No. 149, §§ 6, 7, 1982; Ord. No. 320, § 7(part), 1997; Ord. No. 463, § 8, 2007)