Sec. 25-1. - Purposes of chapter.

This chapter may be cited as the subdivision code of Sonoma County. This chapter is adopted for the purpose of regulating the division of land in the unincorporated area of the county pursuant to Article XI, Section 7 of the California Constitution and the Subdivision Map Act and to eliminate:

(a)

The creation of parcels of inadequate size and poor design;

(b)

The creation of building sites in areas where topography, flooding or other factors will prevent orderly and beneficial land development;

(c)

The creation of roads of improper width, alignment, grade and improvements;

(d)

Hazards to life or property from sewage effluent or inadequate drainage;

(e)

The lowering of property values and the loss of opportunity for satisfactory overall development of neighborhoods caused by successive, uncontrolled and haphazard land divisions;

(f)

Potential environmental damage whenever feasible and appropriate.

(Ord. No. 1875 § 1.)

Sec. 25-2. - Definitions.

The following words shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them, unless the context requires otherwise:

"Advisory agency" means one (1) of the following:

(1)

For subdivisions for which five (5) or more parcels are proposed to be created, the planning commission;

(2)

For all subdivisions other than those for which the planning commission is the advisory agency, the zoning administrator.

"Design" means:

(1)

Street alignments, grades and widths;

(2)

Drainage and sanitary facilities and utilities, including alignments and grades thereof;

(3)

Location and size of all required easements and rights-of-way;

(4)

Fire roads and firebreaks;

(5)

Lot size and configuration;

(6)

Traffic access;

(7)

Grading;

(8)

Land to be dedicated for park or recreational purposes;

(9)

Such other specific requirements in the plan and configuration of the entire subdivision as may be necessary or convenient to insure conformity to or implementation of the general plan.

"Development area" is defined as that area necessary to accommodate the primary building (or dwelling), parking and vehicular areas, activity area immediately around the dwelling, and in some instances, the area necessary for the septic tank.

"Development permit" means discretionary permit or approval including, but not limited to; subdivisions, use permits, precise development plans, lot line adjustments, variances, design review and zoning permits. Ministerial building permits not accompanied by any other type of discretionary review or approval are exempt from this definition.

"Improvement" refers to such street work and utilities to be installed, or agreed to be installed, by the subdivider on the land to be used for public or private streets, highways, ways and easements, as are necessary for the general use of the lot owners in the subdivision and local neighborhood traffic and drainage needs as a condition precedent to the approval and acceptance of the final map thereof.

ement" refers to such street work and utilities to be installed, or agreed to be installed, by the subdivider on the land to be used for public or private streets, highways, ways and easements, as are necessary for the general use of the lot owners in the subdivision and local neighborhood traffic and drainage needs as a condition precedent to the approval and acceptance of the final map thereof.

"Improvement" also refers to such other specific improvements or types of improvements, the installation of which, either by subdivider, by public agencies, by private utilities, by any other entity approved by the local agency or by a combination thereof, is necessary or convenient to insure the conformity to or implementation of the general plan required by Article 5 (commencing with Section 65300) of Chapter 3 of Division 1 of this title, or any specific plan adopted pursuant to Article 8 (commencing with Section 65450) of Chapter 3 of Division 1 of this title.

"Lot line adjustment" is defined as a minor realignment of boundary lines between two (2) or more existing legal parcels, where the land taken from one (1) parcel is added to an adjacent parcel.

"Lower level decision maker" means the planning director, the zoning administrator, or the planning commission, as appropriate.

"Subdivider" means a person, firm, corporation, partnership or association who proposes to divide, divides or causes to be divided real property into a subdivision for himself or for others.

"Subdivision" means the division of any improved or unimproved land, shown on the latest equalized county assessment roll as a unit or as contiguous units, for the purpose of sale, lease, financing, conveyance, transfer or any other purpose, whether immediate or future. Property shall be considered as contiguous units, even if it is separated by roads, streets, utility easement or railroad rights-of-way. Subdivision includes a condominium project or common interest development, as defined in Section 1351 of the Civil Code or a community apartment project, as defined in Section 11004 of the Business and Professions Code. Any conveyance of land to a governmental agency, public entity or public utility shall not be considered a division of land for purposes of computing the number of parcels.

"Tree" means a healthy, living, large woody plant which ordinarily has a central trunk and at maturity exceeds a height of fourteen feet (14′).

"Zoning administrator" is defined as provided in Section 2-79 of this code.

(Ord. No. 6523, § VII(Exh. D), 6-3-2025; Ord. No. 6478, § V(Exh. B), 4-30-2024; Ord. No. 5900, §§ I, II, 9-142010; Ord. No. 5725 § 3, 2007; Ord. No. 5537 § 1(a), 2004; Ord. No. 4399 § 1, 1991; Ord. No. 4014, 1989; Ord. No. 3624; Ord. No. 2510 § 1; Ord. No. 2217 § 1; Ord. No. 1875 § 1)

Sec. 25-3. - Parcels sixty (60) acres or more—No final map required.

No tentative or final map shall be required for any subdivision creating five or more parcels where each parcel created by the division has a gross area of sixty (60) acres or more. A tentative parcel map and a parcel map shall be required as set forth by Section 66426 of the Subdivision Map Act.

(Ord. No. 1875 § 1.)

Sec. 25-4. - Fees.

(a)

Every person requesting a subdivision shall pay a processing fee prescribed by ordinance of the board of supervisors.

(b)

Fees for all certificates of compliance, administrative and conditional, shall be computed on an hourly basis, to reflect the actual cost of salary and overhead for staff time spent researching the title documents accompanying the application. At the time of filing the application, the planning department shall collect a deposit, pursuant to the application fee schedule, to be applied toward the eventual amount of fee. The payment of the entire fee shall be made prior to the issuance of the certificate of compliance. No certificate shall be issued unless such fee is paid or is waived by the board of supervisors.

(Ord. No. 5404 § 2, 2003; Ord. No. 3619, 1986.)

Sec. 25-4.1. - Concurrent processing of related applications.

Where a development requires multiple approvals from different decision making bodies authorized to act under this chapter and Chapter 26 or 26C of the Sonoma County Code, notwithstanding anything else

contained in this chapter and Chapter 26 or 26C to the contrary, the following administrative rules shall be applied to achieve concurrent processing of related applications:

(a)

The Sonoma County planning commission or the Sonoma County board of supervisors shall take original jurisdiction over any application filed pursuant to this chapter, where such application is being processed with a related application requiring the approval of the planning commission or board of supervisors; provided, however, that the board of supervisors shall not take original jurisdiction if either application, by statute, requires a planning commission recommendation prior to board action.

(b)

In those cases where an application made pursuant to this chapter is accompanied by an application for a rezoning, specific plan amendment, or general plan amendment, the Sonoma County planning commission shall, at the time it makes its recommendation to the board of supervisors in connection with such rezoning or plan amendment application, make a recommendation to the board on all related applications, and the board of supervisors shall be the decision making body for all such related applications.

(c)

Applications for extensions or modifications of development projects originally approved pursuant to this section may be acted upon by any decision making body which would otherwise have jurisdiction over the type of extension or modification which is sought.

(Ord. No. 3753.)

Sec. 25-5. - Reserved.

Editor's note— Ord. No. 6523, § VII(Exh. D), adopted June 3, 2025, repealed § 25-5, which pertained to the project review and advisory committee—composition and quorum and derived from Ord. No. 4906 § 6 (A), 1995; and Ord. Nos. 2072 § 1, 2217, § 2, 2505, and § 1.