Sacramento Municipal Code Art. III Utility Facilities

The purpose of this article is to promote the general health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the city of Sacramento by:

A. Establishing guidelines for the placement in the public right-of-way or private property of utility poles, boxes, cabinets, vaults and related facilities;

B. Establishing guidelines for the visual appearance of utility poles, boxes, cabinets, vaults and related facilities in order to insure that their appearance will not adversely impact the aesthetic quality of city neighborhoods;

C. Establishing guidelines to ensure compliance with disability access laws and safe passage of pedestrian and vehicular traffic;

D. Establishing guidelines to ensure the public is notified of proposed utilities on or adjacent to their property. (Ord. 2009-022 § 2)

No person shall install any utility pole, cabinet, vault or box or related facilities in any street without first obtaining an encroachment permit from the city; pay any fees and post any security required by the city; and in the course of constructing, installing, replacing, maintaining or repairing any utility pole, box, vault, cabinet or related facilities, comply with all applicable requirements of the city and any terms or conditions of encroachment permits, licenses, authorizations or approvals.

For large scale or long term projects, the director shall be authorized to establish special fees and payment plans to defray the costs incurred by the department of public works to supervise and regulate the installation of utility boxes and utility cabinets within the streets of the city. The director is authorized to approve reasonable schedules for installation of utility boxes and utility cabinets within the city streets for the purpose of promoting safety, reducing inconvenience to the public, and insuring adequate restoration and repair of the streets. A person and its officers, agents, contractors and subcontractors shall comply with any and all such schedules. (Ord. 2015-0015 § 4; Ord. 2009-022 § 2)

Each utility pole, box, vault, cabinet and related facilities, shall be located, installed and maintained so that none of the facilities: endanger the lives or safety of persons; interfere or damage public improvements; unnecessarily hinder or obstruct the free use of public rights-of-way or other public property; or cause any interference with the rights and reasonable convenience of property owners who adjoin any of the streets or other public property where the utility pole, box or cabinet is located.

The following standards shall constitute minimum standards for the location and appearance of above ground utility poles, boxes, vaults, cabinets and related facilities unless otherwise approved by the director.

A. Interference.

1. Utility cabinets shall not be placed at locations where the city traffic engineer determines based on engineering standards, that such placement would create a hazard. These locations include driveways, intersections, and road tapers where stopping sight distance is required.

2. Utility cabinets shall not be placed in planter strips between the sidewalk and the curb.

3. Utility boxes and cabinets shall be placed at property lines whenever possible.

4. Utility vaults installed for private development should be installed on private property to avoid diminishing planter or mow strips.

5. To the extent practicable and reasonable, each company shall accommodate the desires of any property owner respecting location within easements or rights-of-way traversing private land of the property owner.

B. Appearance.

1. Utility cabinets shall be no higher than six feet unless otherwise approved by the director.

2. No exposed conduit or raceways will be permitted and all conductors, transformers, and other related equipment shall be concealed, except pole risers or drops.

3. Utility cabinets requiring power shall have the power pedestals attached to the utility cabinets.

4. No more than one utility cabinet per lot and adjacent sidewalk shall be allowed unless otherwise approved by the director.

5. Utility boxes placed in sidewalks shall be centered in sidewalk flags.

6. Utility vaults should be located behind the curb and not within the sidewalk whenever possible.

7. Colors shall be from earth tone ranges and utility cabinet coatings shall be graffiti resistant.

C. Accessibility.

1. Utility poles and utility cabinets shall not be placed within the sidewalk or within any element of a pedestrian ramp and shall comply with disability access laws.

2. Utility poles shall be located behind sidewalks and out of pedestrian travel ways whenever possible.

3. All utility box grates and covers shall be non-slip, withstand heavy vehicular loading, and be adjustable to grade unless otherwise approved.

4. Utility box ventilation grates shall be of a non-slip, heal-safe design, and shall not be located in high volume pedestrian areas whenever possible. (Ord. 2009-022 § 2)

Any disturbance by a person of pavement, sidewalk, driveways, landscaping, striping or other surfaces shall be restored, repaired or replaced to the condition existing prior to the disturbance as determined by the director.

Any disturbance of landscaping, fencing or other improvements upon private property, including private property traversed by easements or rights-of-way utilized by a person, shall, at the sole expense of the person, be promptly repaired, restored, or replaced to the reasonable satisfaction of the property owner as soon as possible. Each person shall, through authorized representatives, make a reasonable attempt to personally contact the owners or occupants of private property in advance of entering such property for the purpose of commencing any installation of facilities within easements or rights-of-way traversing such property. (Ord. 2009-022 § 2)

Except as otherwise permitted by law, franchise or elsewhere in this code, no company shall be authorized to construct or install new poles or new wire-holding structures for commercial uses on or within public rights-of-way or city owned property for the purpose of placing overhead cables, wires, lines or other facilities unless approved by the director. (Ord. 2009-022 § 2)

Except as otherwise permitted by law, franchise or elsewhere in this code, in all areas of the city where the cables, wires and other similar facilities of a utility company are placed underground, each utility company shall construct and install its cables, wires and other facilities underground. Utility cabinets may be placed above ground if existing technology reasonably requires, but shall be of such size and design and shall be so located as not to be unsightly or unsafe as determined by the director. In any area of the city where there are certain cables, wires and similar facilities of a utility company underground and at least one operable cable, wire or like facility of a utility company suspended above ground from poles, a utility company may construct and install its cables, wires and other facilities from the same poles.

With respect to any cables, wires and similar facilities constructed and installed by a utility company above ground, the company shall, at its sole expense, reconstruct and reinstall such cables, wires or other facilities underground pursuant to any project under which the cables, wires or other like facilities of such utilities are placed underground within an area. The duty of a utility company to underground shall arise if all existing above ground like facilities of such utilities are required to be placed underground. (Ord. 2009-022 § 2)

Upon dissolution or termination of a permittee, the permittee, at its sole expense, shall, unless relieved of the obligation by the city, remove from the streets all aboveground facilities, and properly abandon underground facilities as determined by the city, including, but not limited to, utility poles, boxes, vaults, cabinets, cables attached to or suspended from poles, which are not purchased by another company and any related facilities. (Ord. 2009-022 § 2)

Any person acquiring the assets or facilities of a dissolved or terminated permittee, shall apply for and obtain such encroachment permits, licenses, authorizations or other approvals and pay such fees and deposit such security as required by the city, shall conduct and complete the work of removal in compliance with all such requirements, and shall restore the streets to the same condition they were in before the work of removal commenced. The work of removal shall be completed not later than one year following the date of termination or dissolution of the prior permittee. (Ord. 2009-022 § 2)

The permittee shall maintain their above ground utilities and utility cabinets in good condition and repair. (Ord. 2009-022 § 2)