Tehama Municipal Code Art. II Emergency Access

9.14.020 Intent. Road and street networks, whether public or private, unless exempted under Section 9.14.003 (e), shall provide for safe access for emergency wildland fire equipment and civilian evacuation concurrently, and shall provide unobstructed traffic circulation during a wildfire emergency consistent with Sections 9.14.020 through 9.14.031.

(Ord. 1537 § 1(part), 1991)

All roads shall be constructed to provide a minimum of two ten-foot traffic lanes, not including shoulder and striping. These traffic lanes shall provide for two-way traffic flow to support emergency vehicle and civilian egress, unless other standards are provided in this article, or additional requirements are mandated by the county.

(Ord. 1537 § 1(part), 1991)

(Ord. No. 2023, §§ 11, 12, 5-3-2016)

Roadways shall be designed and maintained to support the imposed load of fire apparatus weighing at least seventy-five thousand pounds and provide an aggregate base. Project proponent shall provide engineering specifications to support design, if requested by CAL FIRE or the county.

(Ord. 1537 § 1(part), 1991)

(Ord. No. 2023, §§ 13, 14, 5-3-2016)

The grade for all roads, streets, private lanes and driveways shall not exceed sixteen percent.

(Ord. 1537 § 1(part), 1991)

A. No roadway shall have a horizontal inside radius of curvature of less than fifty feet. Roadways with a horizontal inside radius of curvature greater than fifty feet require the following additional road width:

B. The length of vertical curves in roadways, exclusive of gutters, ditches and drainage structures designed to hold or divert water, shall be at least one hundred feet.

(Ord. No. 2023, §§ 15, 16, 5-3-2016)

Turnarounds are required on driveways and dead-end roads. The minimum turning radius for a turnaround shall be forty feet, not including parking. If a hammerhead/T is used, the top of the "T" shall be a minimum of sixty feet in length.

(Ord. 1537 § 1(part), 1991)

(Ord. No. 2023, §§ 17, 18, 5-3-2016)

Turnouts shall be a minimum of twelve feet wide and thirty feet long with a minimum twenty-five foot taper on each end.

(Ord. 1537 § 1(part), 1991)

(Ord. No. 2023, §§ 19, 20, 5-3-2016)

A. All driveway, road, street and private lane roadway structures shall be constructed to carry at least the maximum load and provide the minimum vertical clearance as required by Vehicle Code Sections 35250, 35550 and 35750.

B. Appropriate signing, including but not limited to weight or vertical clearance limitations, one-way road or single lane conditions, shall reflect the capability of each bridge.

C. Where a bridge or an elevated surface is part of a fire apparatus road, the bridge shall be constructed and maintained in accordance with the American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges, 17 th Edition, published 2002 (known as AASHTO HB-17), hereby incorporated by reference. Bridges and elevated surfaces shall be designed for a live load sufficient to carry the imposed loads of fire apparatus. Vehicle load limits shall be posted at both entrances to bridges when required by the county officer or legislative body having approval authority. Where elevated surfaces designed for emergency vehicle use are adjacent to surfaces which are not designed for such use, barriers, or signs, or both, as approved by Tehama County Public Works, shall be installed and maintained. A bridge with only one traffic lane may be authorized by the county officer or legislative body having approval authority however, it shall provide for unobstructed visibility from one end to the other and turnouts at both ends.

(Ord. 1537 § 1(part), 1991)

(Ord. No. 2023, §§ 21, 22, 5-3-2016)

The county officer or legislative body having approval authority may approve one-way roads. All one-way roads shall:

A. Provide a minimum, not including shoulders, of one twelve-foot traffic lane;

B. Connect to a two-lane roadway at both ends;

C. Provide access to an area currently zoned for no more than ten dwelling units;

D. Not exceed two-thousand six hundred forty feet in length; and

E. Have a turnout placed and constructed at approximately the midpoint of each one-way road.

(Ord. 1537 § 1(part), 1991)

(Ord. No. 2023, §§ 23, 24, 5-3-2016)

A. The maximum length of a dead-end road, including all dead-end roads accessed from that dead-end road, shall not exceed the following cumulative lengths, regardless of the number of parcels served:

All lengths shall be measured from the edge of the roadway surface at the intersection that begins the road to the end of the road surface at its farthest point. Where a dead-end road crosses areas of differing zoned parcel sizes, requiring different length limits, the shortest allowable length shall apply.

B. Where parcels are zoned five acres or larger, turnarounds shall be provided at a maximum of one-thousand three hundred twenty-foot intervals.

C. Each dead-end road shall have a turnaround constructed at its terminus.

(Ord. 1537 § 1(part), 1991)

(Ord. No. 2023, §§ 25, 26, 5-3-2016)

All driveways shall be constructed to provide a minimum of one ten-foot traffic lane and fourteen feet of unobstructed horizontal clearance and unobstructed vertical clearance of fifteen feet.

A. Driveways exceeding one hundred fifty feet in length, but less than eight hundred feet in length, shall provide a turnout near the midpoint of the driveway. Where the driveway exceeds eight hundred feet, turnouts shall be provided no more than four hundred feet apart.

B. A turnaround shall be provided at all building sites on driveways over three hundred feet in length, and shall be within fifty feet of the building.

(Ord. 1537 § 1(part), 1991)

(Ord. No. 2023, §§ 27, 28, 5-3-2016)

A. Gate entrances shall:

1. Be at least two feet wider than the width of the traffic lane(s) serving that gate; and

2. Have a minimum of fourteen feet unobstructed horizontal clearance and unobstructed vertical clearance of fifteen feet.

B. All gates providing access from a road to a driveway shall:

1. Be located at least thirty feet from the roadway; and

2. Open to allow a vehicle to stop without obstructing traffic on that road.

C. Where a one-way road with a single traffic lane provides access to a gated entrance, a forty-foot turning radius shall be used.

Security gates shall not be installed without approval and where security gates are installed, they shall have an approved means of emergency operation. Approval shall be by CAL FIRE. The security gates and emergency operation shall be maintained at all times.

(Ord. 1537 § 1(part), 1991)

(Ord. No. 2023, §§ 29, 30, 5-3-2016)