Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code Ch. 17.56 Environmental Protection

This chapter protects properties and persons from environmental nuisances and hazards and sets tolerance levels for adverse environmental effects created by any use or development of land.

(Code 1981, § 17.56.010; Ord. No. 78(part), 1975; Ord. No. 320, § 7(part), 1997)

A. Dust control. All grading, landscaping and construction activities shall exercise effective dust control techniques, either through screening and/or watering. It is unlawful to cause or allow airborne dust or particles to leave a property and settle on, or otherwise significantly impact in any way, surrounding properties. Dry sand-blasting shall be prohibited. Only wet sand-blasting methods which meet the standards of the Southern California Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) shall be utilized.

B. Hours of operation. It is unlawful to carry on construction grading or landscaping activities or to operate heavy equipment except between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and between 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. No such activity shall be permitted on Sunday or the legal holidays listed in section 17.96.920 (Holiday, Legal) of this Code, unless a special construction permit is obtained from the director. Said special construction permit must be requested at least 48 hours before such work is to begin. Emergency work, as defined in section 17.96.630 (Emergency Work), and typical residential activities, such as lawn mowing, gardening (without the use of weed and debris blowers), and minor home repair/maintenance, shall be exempted from these time and day restrictions. The hours of operation for weed and debris blowers are specified in chapter 8.16 (Weed and Debris Blowers) of this Code.

C. Temporary construction fencing. Construction projects that are accessible from a street right-of-way or an abutting property and which remain in operation or expect to remain in operation for over 30 calendar days shall provide temporary construction fencing, as defined in section 17.96.710 (Fence, temporary construction). Unless required to protect against a safety hazard, temporary construction fencing shall not be erected sooner than 15 days prior to commencement of construction. Once erected, temporary construction fencing shall be subject to the following standards and conditions:

1. The temporary construction fencing shall surround all safety hazards, as required by the building official, and shall prevent unauthorized entry to the subject parcel;

2. During construction, the subject temporary fencing shall be maintained in a condition that is consistent with the city's property maintenance standards described in chapter 8.24 (Property Maintenance) of this Code; and

3. Temporary construction fencing shall be maintained in a condition that is consistent with the city's property maintenance standards, which are set forth in chapter 8.24 (Property Maintenance), and shall be removed, unless such removal would create a safety hazard, as determined by the director or the city's building official, within 30 days of the following occurrences:

a. The expiration or withdrawal of the building/grading permit for development of the fenced parcel; or

b. Issuance of the final building/grading permit approval or certificate of occupancy for the development of the fenced parcel.

4. If temporary construction fencing is determined by the director or the city's building official to be necessary to protect against a safety hazard or attractive nuisance, the temporary fencing may be erected for a period of 180 days or for a longer period, as permitted by the building official until the hazard or nuisance is abated, after which the property owner shall either remove the temporary fencing or replace the temporary fencing with permanent fencing.

D. Construction site maintenance. All construction sites shall be maintained in a secure, safe, neat and orderly manner, to the satisfaction of the city's building official. All construction waste and debris resulting from a construction, alteration or repair project shall be removed on a weekly basis by the contractor or property owner. Existing or temporary portable bathrooms shall be provided during construction. Portable bathrooms shall be placed in a location that will minimize disturbance to the surrounding property owners, to the satisfaction of the city's building official. Trash dumpsters placed in the public right-of-way shall require prior approval from the city's department of public works.

E. Construction-related cargo containers. Cargo containers may be used in any zone for temporary storage in conjunction with construction allowed through an active building permit, provided that the city's building official determines that the active building permit warrants the use of a cargo container for temporary storage and is needed to facilitate construction. For purposes of this section, an active building permit shall mean a building permit that has not expired, has not been revoked, and has not been finaled. In the event that an active building permit is finaled, revoked, or expired, any cargo containers used for temporary storage shall be removed from the property within ten calendar days of said expiration, revocation, or finalization. The number and location of cargo containers on construction sites shall be subject to the approval of the city's building official and shall be placed in a location that will minimize disturbance to the surrounding property owners to the satisfaction of the city's building official.

F. Construction vehicles. During demolition, construction and/or grading operations, trucks shall not park, queue and/or idle at the project site or in the adjoining street rights-of-way before 7:00 a.m. Monday through Friday and before 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, in accordance with the permitted hours of construction stated in subsection B of this section. When feasible to do so, the construction contractor shall provide staging areas on-site to minimize off-site transportation of heavy construction equipment. These areas shall be located to maximize the distance between staging activities and neighboring properties, subject to approval by the building official.

(Code 1981, § 17.56.020; Ord. No. 555, § 5, 2-4-2014)

No outdoor lighting shall hereafter be installed or used in the single-family residential (RS) or multiple-family residential (RM) zones, except in accordance with the provisions of this section.

A. Except as hereinafter provided, no outdoor lighting shall be permitted where the light source is directed toward or results in direct illumination of a parcel of property or properties other than that upon which such light source is physically located. Individual, nonreflective light bulbs, not exceeding 2,200 lumens each, or an aggregate of 16,000 lumens for each lot or parcel shall be permitted. On lots exceeding 15,000 square feet, an additional 1,600 lumens in the aggregate shall be permitted for each 1,500 square feet of area or major fraction thereof, by which the lot or parcel exceeds 15,000 square feet, provided that in no event shall the aggregate exceed 32,000 lumens. As used herein, the term "lumen" is irrespective of the voltage.

B. No outdoor lighting shall be permitted where the light source or fixture, if located on a building, above the line of the eaves, or if located on a standard or pole, more than ten feet above grade.

C. Notwithstanding the requirements of this section, outdoor lighting may be installed and used in a manner not permitted by this section upon the issuance of a conditional use permit pursuant to chapter 17.60 (Conditional Use Permits).

(Code 1981, § 17.56.030; Ord. No. 78(part), 1975; Ord. No. 320, § 7(part), 1997; Ord. No. 667, § 2, 11-1-2022)

A. In order to protect the semi-rural character of the city and reduce excessive glare, light trespass, or over-lighting, no outdoor lighting shall be installed in any nonresidential district, including city parks and city facilities, except in accordance with the provisions of this section.

B. Prior to installation of any new lighting, a lighting plan shall be reviewed and approved by the director. Said lighting plan shall include a photometric plan identifying the areas designed and intended for lighting and indicating the maximum illumination levels of less than a 0.01 footcandle at all property lines. Additionally, the lighting plan shall provide lighting descriptions, including manufacturers catalog specifications, for all proposed light fixtures, lamps and poles. The lighting plan shall be prepared by a lighting contractor, and shall include the location, height, number of lights on the entire property, lumens of each light bulb, and shall be in conformance with the following standards and criteria:

1. Fixture orientation. No outdoor lighting shall be permitted where the light source is directed toward or results in direct illumination of a parcel of property or properties, other than that upon which such light source is physically located. Accent lighting of buildings, trees or other landscape features may be permitted, provided the lighting only accentuates those individual features, and not an entire structure or landscaped area. Said accent lighting shall be directed onto the building facade or tree, with no spillover beyond the facade of the building or tree, and all lighting fixtures shall be fully shielded and mounted as close as possible to the architectural feature of the building or tree being illuminated.

2. Illumination limits. No one fixture or luminaire shall exceed 1,600 lumens. Accent lighting described in subsection (B)(1) of this section shall not exceed 800 lumens.

3. Correlated color temperature (CCT). All outdoor lighting shall be of a low color temperature, commonly referred to as neutral or warm color temperature. The maximum CCT for each luminaire shall not exceed 4,000 Kelvin (K). Outdoor lights that exceed 4,000 K, commonly referred to as cool color temperatures, are strictly prohibited.

4. Fixture height. No outdoor lighting shall be permitted where the light source or fixture, if located on a building, is above the line of the eaves. If the light source or fixture is located on a building with no eaves, or if located on a standard or pole, the light source or fixture shall not be more than 16 feet above existing grade, adjacent to the building or pole.

5. Light trespass. The maximum illumination level at any property line shall be less than a 0.01 footcandle, as measured at grade. Light trespass that results in glare to neighboring properties or public/private streets is prohibited unless the director determines that there is no other alternative to provide security lighting required by the California Building Code, or approves the use of alarm or motion-activated security lighting. For the purposes of this section, the term "glare" means stray, unshielded light striking the eye that results in discomfort, such as bright light causing squinting of the eyes; and/or disabling glare, such as bright light that reduces the ability to drive or see into shadows in certain instances where the glare from a light fixture will create an impact to neighboring properties or public/private streets, the applicant shall be required to comply with these standards to the fullest extent possible. All estimates or testing shall be done with the entire facility illuminated.

6. Fixture types. All light fixtures, including pole-mounted and wall-mounted light fixtures, shall be fully shielded so that the light bulb is not visible from the adjacent neighbors or streets. Said light fixtures shall be cut off where lenses, refractors or lamp sources do not extend below the surface of the fixture housing, and no light shall be directed at or above the lowest horizontal plane of the light fixture, as depicted in the examples established by this section, or as approved by the director. Louvered light fixtures shall not qualify as fully shielded fixtures.

7. Extinguishment of lights. With the exception of approved security lighting, or operational lighting conditions approved through a conditional use permit, all exterior lighting and parking lot lighting shall be extinguished by 10:00 p.m.

C. Exemptions. The following outdoor lights shall be exempted from the requirements of this section:

1. Temporary construction or emergency lighting.

2. Holiday lighting.

3. Exterior lighting for a temporary activity that is permitted through a special use permit, pursuant to chapter 17.62 (Special Use Permits).

4. Low voltage, landscape lighting that does not require a permit from building and safety.

D. The planning commission may approve deviations which exceed the standards set forth in subsections (A)(1) through (4) of this section when the planning commission finds that such deviations are required for public safety, pursuant to the California Building Code. Said lighting shall be depicted on a security lighting plan that is reviewed and approved by the planning commission through a site plan review application, prior to installation of said security lighting.

(Code 1981, § 17.56.040; Ord. No. 320, § 7(part), 1997; Ord. No. 579, § 2, 3-15-2016; Ord. No. 667, § 3, 11-1-2022)

A. No commercial vehicles weighing in excess of 6,000 pounds shall be parked or stored in any residential district, except during residential construction or in conjunction with residential deliveries within the hours stated in subsection (B) of this section.

B. Deliveries involving commercial vehicles weighing in excess of 6,000 pounds shall be allowed in residential districts only between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

C. No building materials, machinery or other materials or equipment shall be stored outdoors in any residential district, except during construction on the lot.

D. All mechanical equipment, such as air conditioners, heaters and exposed ducts or plumbing located in residential districts shall be screened from view of the public right-of-way and adjacent properties to the satisfaction of the director.

E. Except for mechanized skylights and/or solar panels allowed pursuant to section 17.48.050 (Building Height), vents or ducts required by the California Building Code, and satellite dish antennas allowed pursuant to section 17.76.020(B), no mechanical equipment, such as air conditioning/heating units, shall be placed on the roof of a main building or accessory structure in residential districts.

(Code 1981, § 17.56.050; Ord. No. 78(part), 1975; Ord. No. 320, § 7(part), 1997)

It is unlawful for any person owning, leasing, occupying or having possession of any property in the city on which a slope drain exists to interfere with, impede the flow of, or reduce the effectiveness in any manner, of said slope drain. The construction of any structure over a slope drain and the accumulation of trash, debris, overgrown vegetation, earth or any other materials within a slope drain is prohibited.

(Code 1981, § 17.56.060; Ord. No. 320, § 7(part), 1997)