Santa Barbara County Municipal Code Div. 8 Services, Utilities and Other Related Facilities

The purpose of this Division is to provide for the siting of small scale public works, utilities and private service facilities in all zone districts, excluding communication facilities governed by and specified in Section 35-144F, Communication Facilities. The intent is to ensure that these facilities are sited and designed in a manner consistent with the provisions of this Article and compatible with surrounding land uses.

(Amended by Ord. 4084, 12/15/1992; Ord. 4263,0 6/24/1997)

1. With the exception of those public works, utilities, private service, or energy facilities which are subject to the Division 4. PU Public Works, Utilities and Private Service Facilities District, Section 35-88, or energy facilities regulated by Division 9. Oil and Gas Facilities, Section 35-150, or Transportation Related Public Works regulated by Division 4. Transportation Corridor, Section 35-93, the provisions of this Division shall apply to public works, utilities, and private service facilities as follows:

Any development, except repair and maintenance and certain utility connections, as allowed pursuant to the County Guidelines on Repair and Maintenance and Utility Connections to Permitted Development (Section 35-169.10) undertaken by a business organization, person, private entity, the County of Santa Barbara, a public agency, public utility, a special district, or a mutual water company shall be subject to the permits outlined in this Division.

(Amended by Ord. 4084, 12/15/1992)

2. Facilities subject to the provisions of this Division shall be permitted in all zone districts, except above ground electrical transmission lines shall not be permitted in the View Corridor Overlay District. Facilities which require only a Coastal Development Permit for approval shall be considered principal permitted uses. Projects which require a Minor or Major Conditional Permit or Special Use Permit shall be considered conditional uses.

(Amended by Ord. 4084, 12/15/1992; Ord. 4171, 10/25/1994)

(Amended by Ord. 4888, 10/10/2014)

No permits for development subject to the provisions of this Division shall be issued except in conformance with the following:

1. Development that requires a Coastal Development Permit issued in compliance with Section 35-169 (Coastal Development Permits) shall include the development listed below:

(Added by Ord. 4084, 12/15/1992)

a. Development that is less than 20,000 square feet of total development area as listed below.

1. Drainage channels, water courses or storm drains.

2. Reservoirs.

3. Distribution and collection lines for water, reclaimed water and wastewater.

4. Roads or streets.

5. Flood control projects.

b. Unless otherwise provided for in specific districts' regulations, agricultural water wells and appurtenant fixtures and structures.

c. Water wells, water storage tanks and appurtenant fixtures and structures to serve one domestic, commercial, industrial or recreational connection.

d. Utility lines for gas, electricity, television, telephone, or other similar utilities, proposed to serve less than five connections.

e. Pump or lift stations.

f. Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems, individual, conventional and Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems, individual, supplemental on all lots not located in designated Special Problem Areas for sewage disposal, except for performance testing and installation of dry wells that are exempt from the issuance of a Coastal Development Permit in compliance with Section 35-51B (Exemptions from Planning Permit Requirements).

(Amended by Ord. 4964, 12/14/2017)

2. Development that requires a Minor Conditional Use Permit in compliance with Section 35-172 (Conditional Use Permits) and a Coastal Development Permit issued in compliance with Section 35-169 (Coastal Development Permits):

(Added by Ord. 4084, 12/15/1992)

a. Development that is 20,000 square feet or more of total development area including:

1. Drainage channels, water courses or storm drains.

2. Reservoirs.

3. Distribution and collection lines for water, reclaimed water and wastewater.

4. Roads or streets.

5. Flood control projects.

b. Water production, storage, and treatment systems, including multi-parcel water systems, state small community water systems, water treatment plants, water package plants and appurtenant fixtures and structures associated with water wells and water storage tanks, proposed to serve from two to 199 domestic, commercial, industrial or recreational connections.

c. Seawater desalination projects including intake, storage, treatment, distribution lines and ancillary facilities, proposed to serve less than 15 domestic, commercial, industrial, or recreational connections, or agricultural operations.

d. Commercial water trucking facilities involving extraction and storage operations in the RR, R-1/E-1, R-2, EX-1, DR, PRD, SR-M, SR-H and MHP zoning districts.

e. Water diversion projects.

f. Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems, including dry wells on a lot located in a Special Problem Area that is designated as such due to sewage disposal constraints.

(Amended by Ord. 4964, 12/14/2017)

g. Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems, individual, alternative.

(Amended by Ord. 4811, 11/14/2013; Amended by Ord. 4964, 12/14/2017)

h. Utility lines for gas, electricity, television, or other similar utilities, proposed to serve five or more connections.

i. Electrical substations subject to the performance standards and district requirements of the Public Works, Utilities and Private Service Facilities District, Section 35-88, excluding major electric transmission substations.

j. Uses, buildings, and structures accessory and customarily incidental or similar to the above uses.

3. Development that requires a Major Conditional Use Permit in compliance with Section 35-172 (Conditional Use Permits) and a Coastal Development Permit issued in compliance with Section 35-169 (Coastal Development Permits):

(Added by Ord. 4084, 12/15/1992)

a. Seawater desalination projects including intake, storage, treatment, distribution lines and ancillary facilities, proposed to serve from 15 to 199 domestic, commercial, industrial, or recreational connections.

b. Bulk water importation facilities, including but not limited to, those associated with ocean going vessels, or other similar facilities.

c. Wastewater treatment plants, wastewater package plants, reclamation facilities, or other similar facilities, proposed to serve up to 199 connections.

d. Electrical transmission lines.

e. Uses, buildings, and structures accessory and customarily incidental to the above uses.

1. Utility lines.

a. Utilities, including television, shall be placed underground in new developments in accordance with the rules and regulations of the California Public Utilities Commission, except where cost of undergrounding would be so high as to deny service.

b. Annexation of a rural area(s) to a sanitary district or extensions of sewer lines into rural area(s) as defined on the Coastal Land Use Plan maps shall not be permitted unless required to prevent adverse impacts on an environmentally sensitive habitat, to protect public health, or as a logical extension of services.

c. Water, gas, sewer, or electrical transmission and distribution lines which cross fault lines shall be subject to additional safety standards, including emergency shutoff where applicable, in accordance with appropriate P.U.C. Regulations.

(Amended by Ord. 4084, 12/15/1992)

2. Electrical Transmission Lines.

a. Transmission line rights-of-way shall be routed to minimize impacts on the viewshed in the coastal zone, especially in scenic rural areas, and to avoid locations which are on or near habitat, recreational, or archaeological resources, whenever feasible. Scarring, grading, or other vegetative removal shall be repaired, and the affected areas revegetated with plants similar to those in the area to the extent safety and economic considerations allow.

b. In important scenic areas, where above-ground transmission line placement would unavoidably affect views, undergrounding shall be required where it is technically and economically feasible unless it can be shown that other alternatives are less environmentally damaging. When above-ground facilities are necessary, design and color of the support towers shall be compatible with the surroundings to the extent safety and economic considerations allow.

3. Water Wells.

a. In the furtherance of better water management, the County may require applicants to install meters on private wells and to maintain records of well extractions for use by the appropriate water district.

b. Within designated urban areas, new development other than that for agricultural purposes shall be serviced by the appropriate public sewer and water district or an existing mutual water company, if such service is available.

4. Lot Size. Subject to the issuance of a Minor Conditional Use Permit, Section 35-172, lots may be reduced in size below the area and width requirements of the specific district regulations when the use of such lots is limited to facilities subject to the provisions of this Division.