Simi Valley Municipal Code Art. 4 Excavations and Encroachments

The provisions of this article shall apply to permits issued pursuant to the provisions of Section 7-1.205 of Article 2 of this chapter for making, or causing to be made, excavations in any street and for placing, constructing, repairing, changing, or removing encroachments.

(§ 12401, S.V.M.C.)

Each applicant for an excavation or encroachment permit shall file with the application a plat in triplicate showing the streets in which the proposed excavation or encroachment will be placed, the exact location and dimensions of the proposed excavations or the specifications and characteristics of the encroachment, and any other details which the Director of Public Works shall require. When excavations are made for service connections, or for the location of trouble in conduits, cables, or pipes, or for making repairs thereto, the Director of Public Works may waive the filing of a plat. Approved plats shall become public records.

(§ 12402, S.V.M.C.; as amended by § 3, Ord. 847, effective October 19, 1995)

All materials excavated from trenching or other encroachment operations in the right-of-way shall be piled compactly, kept trim, and be maintained in such a manner as not to endanger either the workers or the general public and to cause as little inconvenience as possible to those using the right-of-way or adjacent property. In areas too narrow to permit the proper storage of materials, the Director of Public Services may require that the permittee remove the materials from the encroachment site.

(§ 12403, S.V.M.C.)

A monument set for the purpose of preserving survey points, lines, or elevations shall not be removed or disturbed without first obtaining permission from the Director of Public Services. The replacement of a removed or disturbed monument shall be done by a registered civil engineer or a licensed land surveyor and shall be at the expense of the permittee.

(§ 12404, S.V.M.C.)

If the encroachment work interferes with the established drainage, the permittee shall provide for proper drainage in a manner approved by the Director of Public Services.

(§ 12406, S.V.M.C.)

In any trenching operation, the open trench shall not be in excess of one day's work ahead of the trench work proper, unless specifically authorized by the Director of Public Services.

(§ 12405, S.V.M.C.)

The backfilling and compaction of an excavation shall be in accordance with the standards established by the Director of Public Services and adopted by resolution of the Council, both as to materials and methods. Backfilling shall commence within forty-eight (48) hours after work in a trench is completed.

(§ 12411, S.V.M.C.)

Laterals, services, and other small diameter pipes shall be jacked, bored, or driven beneath a paved surface, unless other methods are approved by the Director of Public Services.

(§ 12407, S.V.M.C.)

The minimum cover over any pipe or conduit installed under any public street shall be thirty (30″) inches of material measured vertically from the existing or proposed flow line of the nearest gutter to the top of the pipe or conduit. If a gutter flow line is not established, the cover shall be thirty (30″) inches of material measured from the surface of the nearest outermost edge of the traveled way to the top of the pipe or conduit. Where there are existing curbs and gutters or where curbs and gutters are under construction, utilities may maintain a minimum sixteen (16″) inches of cover starting one foot back of the curb line in the parkway or sidewalk areas. The Director of Public Services may permit the installation of pipes or conduits at lesser depths where the required cover cannot be provided.

(§ 12408, S.V.M.C.)

With the concurrence of the permittee or as an emergency measure, the Director of Public Works shall have the power to order the paving by City forces of any excavation up to 100 feet in length. The permittee shall reimburse the City in accordance with the schedule of charges adopted by the Council.

(§ 12409, S.V.M.C.; as amended by § 3, Ord. 847, effective October 19, 1995)

Immediately after the completion of the work, the permittee shall clean up and remove all materials, earth, and debris of any kind. If the permittee fails within twenty-four (24) hours after having been notified to do so by the Director of Public Works, the work may be done by the Director of Public Works, and the permittee shall be charged for such work in accordance with the schedule of charges adopted by the Council. When a pole, guy-stub, or similar timber is removed and not replaced, the entire length thereof shall be removed from the ground, and the hole shall be backfilled and compacted.

(§ 12410, S.V.M.C.; as amended by § 3, Ord. 847, effective October 19, 1995)

Every application for any permit required by the provisions of Section 7-1.205 of Article 2 of this chapter shall contain a statement, signed by the applicant, that if any tank, pole, pipe, cable, conduit, duct, obstruction, or tunnel placed in the excavation or the encroachment for which the permit is issued interferes with the future surface use of the street by the general public, the applicant, or his successors or assigns, will, at his own expense, remove or relocate to a location satisfactory to the Director of Public Services such tank, pole, pipe, cable, conduit, duct, tunnel, or obstruction. Such statement shall not apply in cases where the applicant has an easement superior to the street easement at the time of such application and can furnish evidence, when required, of such superior easement.

(§ 12412, S.V.M.C.)

The provisions of this article shall not prohibit any person from maintaining, by virtue of any law or permit, any pipe, cable, or conduit in any street or from making such excavations as may be necessary for the preservation of life or property if the person making such excavations applies for a permit not later than the next business day.

(§ 12413, S.V.M.C.)

The Director of Public Services shall require all lines for the transmission and distribution of standard television or audio signals to be placed underground in streets when all power and telephone lines are underground and shall also require underground installations in all instances, except where the applicant provides satisfactory proof of permission to use existing pole lines or where the Director of Public Services finds that the remoteness of the area or other conditions render underground installations impractical or infeasible.

(§ 12414, S.V.M.C.)

The Director of Public Services may establish such requirements as he may find necessary to apply to the work to be done by any person in order to prevent interference with users of the streets and with holders of other permits.

(§ 12415, S.V.M.C.)

When a permittee blocks or allows the blocking of one or more lanes of traffic in violation of a permit condition, the permittee, in addition to any other remedy provided by law, shall be civilly liable to the City of Simi Valley pursuant to Government Code Sections 36900(a) and 36901 in the amount of One Thousand and No/100ths ($1,000.00) Dollars per occurrence.

(§ 1, Ord. 975, eff. July 6, 2000)