8178-7 — Tree Protection Regulations.

Tree Protection, Planting, and Monitoring Plan—A plan required in the event that a protected tree is adversely impacted by proposed development. Examples of when a plan would be required, include but are not limited to: the relocation of a protected tree, the planting of replacement trees or the monitoring of a tree encroached upon by the development.

Tree, Pruning—Removal of all, or portions of, a tree's shoots, branches, limbs or roots.

Tree, Qualified Consultant—An individual who is a certified arborist or an individual who can demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the Planning Director, that he or she possesses the necessary certifications, experience, and skills to provide competent advice as required by the applicable provisions of this Chapter.

Tree, Qualified Service Company—A tree service company that has a qualified tree consultant on staff, holds a California C-61 Limited Specialty D-49 Tree Service License, and maintains current certificates of liability insurance.

Tree, Qualified Trimmer—A qualified tree trimmer shall have a minimum of three (3) years of full-time, practical work experience managing the establishment and maintenance of trees and shall be licensed to conduct business in Ventura County.

Tree Removal—The destruction or displacement of a tree by cutting, bulldozing, or using a mechanical or chemical method to physically destroy or otherwise cause the death of the tree, including transporting the tree from its site without ensuring the health and survivability of the tree.

Tree, Root Crown—The area of a tree where the trunk(s) meet the roots, sometimes called the collar of the tree.

Tree, Root System—The non-leaf, non-nodes bearing part of the tree that typically lies below the surface of the soil. The root system is responsible for absorbing and storing water and nutrients and anchoring the tree to the ground.

Tree Row—A row of trees planted and presently used for the purpose of providing shelter from wind for commercial agriculture; also known as a windbreak or windrow.

Tree, Sapling—A young tree that is typically no more than three (3) inches in diameter at existing grade.

Tree Seedling—A tree that is grown from seed and is less than three (3) feet in height.

Tree, Street—A tree whose trunk (all or part) is located within the County road right-of-way. The canopy of a street tree may extend beyond the County road right-of-way.

Tree Survey—A report that describes the general condition and health of all onsite protected tree(s) and includes but is not limited to identifying tree species, location, trunk diameter, extent of tree protected zone, proposed tree maintenance and alteration, and any necessary tree protection measures for trees that are to remain.

Tree Topping—Pruning the top of a tree, also known as the tree crown, for the purpose of providing safe and reliable utility service.

Tree, Transplant—The moving of living trees from one place to another.

Tree Well—The area around the trunk of a tree that creates a visual boundary between a tree and landscaped area or improved surface.

                        Examples of Tree Wells

Tribal Cultural Resources—Sites, features, places, cultural landscapes, sacred places and objects with cultural value to a California Native American tribe that are included in one of the following: (a) state register of historical resources or resources determined to be eligible for inclusion in the state register, (b) local register of historical resources, or (c) resources identified by the County (at its discretion) as a tribal cultural resource.

Turf—An area planted with grass.

T.V. Antenna—An antenna designed to receive only television broadcast signals.

Unbroken, Glass/Glazed—The glass surface of a fence or building that is not visually (or physically) broken up by mullions or solid building materials.

Unique Vegetation—Plants found in the Santa Monica Mountains and elsewhere in the coastal zone, which are considered either rare and endangered, rare but not endangered, or rare in California but not elsewhere.

Upland Development—All development found in the valleys and mountain areas beyond the coastal shelf.

Use—The purpose for which land or a building or structure is arranged, designed or intended to be used, or for which it is or may be used, occupied or maintained.

Vegetated Swale—A form of bioretention designed as a broad, shallow channel densely planted with a variety of trees, shrubs and/or grasses that attenuate and infiltrate runoff volume from adjacent impervious surfaces.

Vegetation, Major—See major vegetation.

Vertical Access—A recorded dedication or easement granting to the public the privilege and right to pass and repass over dedicator's real property from a public road to the mean high tide line.

Visual Qualities—The distinctive visual characteristics or attributes of natural or man-made areas that are visible to the public.

Definitions — W—Z

Waste Treatment and Disposal—Public or private disposal facilities or transfer stations, operated for the purpose of recycling, reclaiming, treating or disposal of garbage, sewage, rubbish, offal, dead animals, oilfield wastes, hazardous waste, or other waste material originating on or off the premises.

Water Budget—An estimate of the annual volume of water required to irrigate a specific landscape area. Water budget calculations require measured areas of each irrigated hydrozone and reference evapotranspiration for the landscape area.

Water Feature—A design element within a landscape area that performs an aesthetic or recreational function in which water is supplied by plumbing fixtures. Water features include but are not limited to manufactured ponds, lakes, waterfalls, fountains, and streams.

Water Harvesting—A method for inducing, collecting, storing and conserving local surface runoff for reuse.

Water Quality Best Management Practices—A program, siting criteria, operational method, or engineered system, to prevent or reduce the discharge of pollutants and sedimentation to the County storm drain system and receiving waters.

Water Use Classification of Landscape Species—A publication of the California Department of Water Resources which lists common landscape plants and their water requirements by region, using the categories high, moderate, low, and very low.

Watercourse/Drainage, Ephemeral—A natural watercourse, or portion thereof, which only flows after a rainfall and whose channel is always above the groundwater reservoir. An ephemeral watercourse/drainage may also be referred to as a stream.

Watercourse/Drainage, Intermittent—A well-defined channel that only flows continuously at certain times of the year. An intermittent watercourse may flow when it receives water from a spring or a ground-water source. A seasonal, intermittent watercourse may flow when water is received from melting snow or winter rains. At low flow, the watercourse may have dry segments that alternate with flowing segments. An intermittent or seasonally intermittent watercourse may also be referred to as a stream.

Wet Bar—A bar or counter used for mixing drinks that is located in an area separate from the kitchen and includes a sink with running water.

Wet Environment—Terrestrial environments that are associated with the presence of water, either perennially or ephemerally. Wet environments include wetlands, rivers, lakes, streams, estuaries, lagoons, seeps, springs, and the vegetative communities associated with these physical settings. Does not include beaches that abut the sea, except where the beach includes an estuary, lagoon or wetland. See Appendix AE-1.2.3 for a more detailed description of a wet environment.

Wetland—Land which may be covered periodically or permanently with shallow water. A wetland includes, but is not limited to, saltwater marshes, freshwater marshes, open or closed brackish water marshes, swamps, mudflats, vernal pools, and fens.

Wildlife-Permeable Fence—Fencing that allows native wildlife (e.g., deer, coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, ground rodents, amphibians, reptiles and birds) to freely pass through.

Wildlife-Safe Crossings—Structural passages that allow wildlife to move through areas where movement is impeded by a barrier (e.g., roadways, cliffs, water diversion facilities). These crossings, typically located above or below the barrier, are designed to facilitate safe wildlife movement using techniques such as fencing that funnels animals to a safe crossing, tunnels or bridges, and associated habitat creation or restoration within or adjacent to the crossing.

Wireless Communication Facility (or Facilities)—A facility that transmits or receives signals for television, satellites, wireless phones and data, personal communication services, pagers, wireless internet, specialized mobile radio services, or other similar services. The facility may include, but is not limited to, antennas, radio transmitters, equipment shelters or cabinets, air vents, towers, masts, air conditioning units, fire suppression systems, emergency back-up generators with fuel storage, fences, and structures primarily designed to support antennas.

ion services, pagers, wireless internet, specialized mobile radio services, or other similar services. The facility may include, but is not limited to, antennas, radio transmitters, equipment shelters or cabinets, air vents, towers, masts, air conditioning units, fire suppression systems, emergency back-up generators with fuel storage, fences, and structures primarily designed to support antennas.

Wireless Communication Facility, Building-Concealed—A stealth wireless communication facility designed and constructed as an architectural feature of an existing building in a manner where the wireless communication facility is not discernible from the remainder of the building. Standard building architectural features used to conceal a wireless communication facility include, but are not limited to, parapet walls, windows, cupolas, clock towers, and steeples.

Examples of Building-Concealed Wireless Communication Facilities

Wireless Communication Facility, Collocation—The placement or installation of one (1) or more wireless communication facilities on a single tower, mast/pole, structure, or building with one (1) or more existing wireless communication facilities. Collocated wireless communication facilities may be separately owned and used by more than one (1) public or private entity.

Wireless Communication Facility, Data Collection Unit—A wireless communication facility used by utility companies to collect data from gas, water or electricity meters. Data collection units typically consist of a telemetry device, solar panel, and whip antennas. Wireless communication facilities operated by a telephone corporation or a commercial mobile telecommunications phone service provider are excluded from this definition.

Wireless Communication Facility, Faux Tree—A stealth, ground-mounted wireless communication facility camouflaged to resemble a tree, including mono-broadleafs, mono-pines, and mono-palms.

Examples of Faux Trees (Wireless Communication Facilities)

Wireless Communication Facility, Flush-Mounted—A stealth wireless communication facility antenna that is attached directly to the exterior of a structure or building and that remains close and is generally parallel to the exterior surface of the structure or building.

           Examples of Flush Mounted Wireless Communication Facilities

Wireless Communication Facility, Ground-Mounted—A wireless communication facility that is placed on the ground, which consists of a monopole, lattice tower, or any other freestanding structure that supports an antenna.

Wireless Communication Facility, Modification—Any physical change to a wireless communication facility or a change to operational characteristics for that facility that are subject to existing permit conditions. Modifications do not include repair and maintenance.

Wireless Communication Facility, Non-Stealth—A wireless communication facility that is not disguised or concealed or does not meet the definition of a stealth facility or building-concealed facility. For the purpose of this Chapter, any facility that exceeds 80-feet in height is defined as a non-stealth facility.

Examples of Non-Stealth Wireless Communication Facilities

Wireless Communication Facility, Prominently Visible—A wireless communication facility is considered to be prominently visible if it stands out as an obvious or noticeable feature within its setting when seen from a public viewing area without the aid of any magnifying equipment such as cameras, binoculars, etc.

Wireless Communication Facility, Propagation Diagrams—A set of maps showing the location of the service provider's existing wireless communication facilities, existing service coverage area, and the proposed service coverage area at varied antenna heights for the proposed facility. A propagation diagram also includes a narrative description summarizing how service coverage area changes with height in layman's terms.

Wireless Communication Facility, Roof-Mounted—A stealth wireless communication facility that is mounted directly on the roof of a building.

Antenna on roof, concealed behind a Faux smokestack parapet

    Examples of Roof-Mounted Wireless Communication Facilities

Wireless Communication Facility, Section 6409(a) Modification—A modification of an existing wireless tower or base station that involves the collocation, removal or replacement of transmission equipment that does not substantially change the physical dimensions of such wireless tower or base station. Such modifications qualify for approval pursuant to Section 6409(a) of the federal 2012 Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act (now codified at 47 U.S.C. §1455(a)).

Wireless Communication Facility, Slim-Line Pole—A ground-mounted, stealth wireless communication facility where the antenna is flush-mounted on a pole. This type of facility generally does not include a faux design, but rather utilizes distance from public viewing areas, location (e.g., facility is hidden by existing buildings or trees), coloration, low height, and slim structural profile to blend with the surrounding environment.

              Examples of Slim-Line Poles

Wireless Communication Facility, Stealth—A wireless communication facility that blends into the surrounding visual setting. A stealth facility utilizes concealment elements such as design (size, height, color material, and antenna type) or siting techniques to camouflage, partially conceal, or integrate the wireless communication facility into the design of an existing facility, structure or its surrounding visual setting. Examples of stealth facilities include but are not limited to the following:

(1)

Facilities disguised as other objects typically found within a setting, such as faux trees, monorocks, and water tanks (photos 1 and 2);

(2)

Panel antennas flush-mounted on existing utility facilities, water tanks, and integrated with building facades (see photos under flush- mounted);

(3)

Facilities that are camouflaged or partially concealed by objects within an existing setting, such as a cluster of trees or utility poles (photo 3); or

(4)

Whip antennas and slim-line poles that use simple camouflage techniques, such as size and color, to render them virtually unnoticeable from public viewing areas (photo 4).

Photo 1              Photo 2              Photo 3            Photo 4

             Examples of Stealth Wireless Communication Facilities

Zoning Clearance—A permit that certifies that a proposed development and/or use of land meets all requirements of the Ventura County Zoning Code and, if applicable, the conditions of any previously approved permit.

Zoning Ordinance—An ordinance authorized by Section 65850 of the Government Code or, in the case of a charter city, a similar ordinance enacted pursuant to the authority of its charter.

(Add Ord. 3787—8/26/86; Am. Ord. 3788—8/26/86; Am. Ord. 3881—12/20/88; Am./Add Ord. 3882—12/20/88; Ord. 3946—7/10/90; Ord. 4219 § 1, 2001; Am. Ord. 4249—11/20/01; Am. Ord. 4378—1/29/08; Ord. No. 4435, § 1, 6-28-2011; Ord. No. 4451, § 2, 12-11- 2012; Ord. No. 4492, § 1, 6-21-2016; Ord. No. 4498, § 1, 12-6-2016; Ord. No. 4522, § 2, 6-12-2018; Ord. No. 4586, 10-19-2021; Ord. No. 4640, § 2, 12-17-2024)