Rolling Hills Estates Municipal Code Ch. 15.04 Building Code

Footnotes:

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Editor's note— Ord. No. 692, § 1, adopted Feb. 11, 2014, repealed the former Ch. 15.04, §§ 15.04.010—15.04.100, and enacted a new Ch. 15.04 as set out herein, pertaining to similar subject matter. See code comparative tables for complete derivation.

A. The Los Angeles County Building Code (CBC), codified as Title 26 of the Los Angeles County Code, as such code may be amended from time to time, except as amended by this chapter, is adopted by reference as the building code of the city.

B. The Los Angeles County Residential Code, codified as Title 30 of the Los Angeles County Code, as such code may be amended from time to time, except as amended by this chapter, is adopted by reference as the residential code of the city.

C. The Los Angeles County Green Building Standards Code, codified as Title 31 of the Los Angeles County Code, as such code may be amended from time to time, except as amended by this chapter, is adopted by reference as the green building standards code of the city.

D. If any provision of the County Building Code, Residential Code or Green Building Standards Code conflicts with any provision of the city's municipal code, the provisions of the municipal code will prevail.

E. One copy of the current Los Angeles County Building Code (Title 26), Residential Code (Title 30), and Green Building Standards Code (Title 31) will be at all times maintained by the city clerk and/or the building official for the city for examination by the public.

(Ord. No. 692, § 1, 2-11-2014)

No person may erect, construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, improve, remove, connect, or demolish any building or structure or cause the same to be done, without first obtaining a separate permit for each such building, or structure from the building official. Prior to any permit being granted by the building official, a zone clearance must be obtained from the city's planning department.

(Ord. No. 692, § 1, 2-11-2014)

All fees stated in Title 26 of the Los Angeles County Code (Building Code), as amended from time to time, are the fees charged for any plan check, permit, site inspection, etc., performed for work by the building department for the city. All such fees are also subject to adjustment by city council resolution, which may set forth additional city-overhead charges for all building department related services that will be collected by the building department at the time of rendering service. Any person doing work within the city without first lawfully obtaining a permit is subject to a double permit fee in accordance with city council resolution (fee and charges).

(Ord. No. 692, § 1, 2-11-2014)

In accordance with Title 26 of the Los Angeles County Code (Building Code) and Title 32 of the Los Angeles County Code (Fire Code), portions of the city are located in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ), as designated by the state of California. Regardless of location within the city, all structures and buildings are subject to the codes required under the VHFHSZ. As such, no roof covering for any building or structure is permitted in the city that provides a classification below a Class "A" fire-retardant rating. Further, wood shakes and wood shingles are specifically prohibited as a permitted roofing material for repairs, new construction and/or additions to any building or structure. Any repair or addition to an existing wood shake or wood shingle roof is prohibited, and at such time, such roof must be completely re-roofed with a Class "A" material covering and must conform to all fire-related building requirements of this code for new buildings and structures. In the event that asphalt shingles are used on any building or structure in the city (unless prohibited by a development's applicable covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs)), the asphalt shingles must be a "life-time" or "fifty-year" architectural dimensional shingle with a minimum exposure or reveal between shingles of at least one-quarter inch in thickness.

(Ord. No. 692, § 1, 2-11-2014)

In addition to the building code requirements set forth in Title 26 of the County Code, the following requirements also apply:

In accordance with Title 26 of the Los Angeles County Code (Building Code) and Title 32 of the Los Angeles County Code (Fire Code), portions of the city are located in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ), as designated by the state of California. Regardless of location within the city, all structures and buildings are subject to the codes required under the VHFHSZ. As such, the county codes stipulate fire-retardant requirements for exterior finish materials, doors, windows, roofs, etc., for all structures and buildings, applying to any repair, addition or new construction. Any repair, addition or new construction to any structure or building in the city is subject to neighborhood compatibility (residential) and precise plan of design (nonresidential) requirements as set forth in Chapters 17.62 and 17.58, respectively, of this code and must conform to all fire-related requirements of this code for new structures and buildings.

(Ord. No. 692, § 1, 2-11-2014)

Any discretionary decision of the building official may be appealed to the city council or by the city council on its own motion. The decision of the building official must be directed to the attention of the city council a minimum of five days prior to such decision being made to enable the city council to determine if review of such decision is required.

(Ord. No. 692, § 1, 2-11-2014)

Notwithstanding any provisions of the County Building Code to the contrary, overhead utility services may not be installed, except to supply temporary service poles used for construction. All permanent utility services must be installed underground. Underground services from service utilities overhead or underground systems and laterals located on private property must be installed to conform with utility company requirements and standards. Utility services must be installed in a manner consistent with Title 27 of the County Code (Electrical Code). The planning director may waive compliance with any or all provisions of this section if the director finds one or more of the following:

1. That an existing building is being renovated, reconstructed, repaired or added to at an aggregate cost which does not exceed fifty percent of the reasonable replacement value of such building prior to such renovation, reconstruction, repair or addition.

2. That the waiver will not result in a significant change in the existing visual pattern created by existing overhead service lines.

3. That imposing the undergrounding requirement would impose undue financial hardship.

4. That the undergrounding requirement requires going onto a neighboring property or under the street, where the pole may be located across the street from the subject property.

In the event that the planning director is unable to grant a waiver for undergrounding of overhead utility services, the applicant may appeal the director's decision to the planning commission within ten days of a written decision being provided by the director. An appeal fee in the amount of three hundred dollars (or such other amount that may be established by city council resolution) must be paid to the city for such appeal.

(Ord. No. 692, § 1, 2-11-2014)

In addition to the building code requirements as set forth in Title 26 of the County Code, the following requirements also apply:

A. Prior to commencing construction on a new building, addition or remodel to an existing building, or any type of large scale grading or construction project, the applicant must erect a six-foot-high security fence around the property to the satisfaction of the planning director and building official. The site must be maintained in a clean sanitary manner at all times during and after construction.

B. Prior to construction, construction signs, provided by the city, must be conspicuously posted on the fence adjacent to the street of the project or adjacent to all entrances of the project, which must remain in place and be legible at all times during the entire construction of the project, stating the following information: job address, job description, permit number, contractor and owner names, telephone numbers (including emergency numbers of contractor/owner, building, code enforcement, sheriff and fire departments), construction start date, city construction rules and regulations (including hours/days and noise requirements), parking regulations, property maintenance standards, and dumpster container rules and regulations.

C. Prior to granting a final permit or certificate of occupancy, all excess construction materials and debris must be fully removed from the site. Further, all required hardscape and landscaping (including necessary irrigation) must be installed, to the satisfaction of the planning director and building official, so as to not constitute a violation of this code or Title 26 of the County Code (Building Code).

D. Any new residential construction, including an addition to a residential structure of greater than fifty percent of the existing floor area, including the primary garage, or any demolition of greater than fifty percent of the lineal walls of a residential structure within a twelve-month period, will require the installation of a two hundred forty volt dedicated electrical outlet in the garage for the purposes of charging an electric vehicle.

(Ord. No. 692, § 1, 2-11-2014)

Any violation of this chapter is subject to all violation and penalty clause provisions as set forth in Title 26 of the Los Angeles County Code (Building Code).

(Ord. No. 692, § 1, 2-11-2014)