Chapter 11.22 — FIRE SAFE REGULATIONS

The purpose of this Chapter is to establish minimum wildfire protection standards pursuant to Public Resources Code § 4290 that shall apply to the issuance of a building or construction permit, tentative map approval, or other development entitlement approved by the County in designated State Responsibility Areas (SRA).

(Ord. No. 1624)

The provisions of this Chapter shall apply to the approval of new parcels, building permits for new construction or significant improvement to existing structures (within a three year period: 50 percent expansion of floor area or improvements valued at $25,000.00), road construction and road extension projects contained in Yuba County and located in a Cal Fire State Responsibility Area (SRA). All specified or referenced distances shall be measured along the ground unless otherwise stated. Basic emergency access and perimeter wildlife protection measures specified in the sections to follow provide standards for emergency access, signing and building numbering, private water supply reserves for emergency fire use, and vegetation and modification.

(Ord. No. 1624)

Except as otherwise noted in Section 9.70.220, Address Number; Display, of the County Code, the provisions of this Chapter with exception of significant improvements described above, shall not apply to existing permitted structures, existing County maintained roads, existing private roads and driveways, lot line adjustments, roads constructed exclusively for agricultural or extractive industrial uses where the property is owned by a single person or entity, and roads constructed exclusively for the management or harvesting of timber products.

(Ord. No. 1624)

To facilitate locating a fire and to avoid delays in response, all newly constructed or approved roads, streets, and buildings shall be designated with names or numbers posted on signs clearly visible and legible from the roadway. This Section shall not restrict the size of letters or numbers appearing on street signs for other purposes.

(1)

Size of letters, numbers, and symbols for street and address signs shall be a minimum four-inch letter height, ½-inch stroke, reflective, contrasting with the background color of the sign.

(2)

Street and road signs shall be visible and legible from both directions of vehicle travel for a distance of at least 100 feet.

(3)

All buildings shall have a permanently posted address, which shall be placed at each driveway entrance and visible from both directions of travel along the road. In all cases, the address shall be posted at the beginning of construction and shall be maintained thereafter, and the address shall be visible and legible from the road on which the address is located.

(4)

Address signs along one-way roads shall be visible from both the intended direction of travel and the opposite direction.

(5)

Where multiple addresses are required at a single driveway, they shall be mounted on a single post.

(Ord. No. 1624)

All roads and private driveways, unless exempt under Section 11.22.020, Applicability, of this Chapter, shall be constructed to provide for safe access for emergency wildland fire equipment and civilian evacuation concurrently.

(1)

All newly constructed approved roads, driveways and buildings shall be addressed by name(s) and number(s) displayed with signs that are clearly visible and legible from the roadway in accordance with Chapter 9.70, Uniform System for the Naming of Streets and Numbering of Properties, of the County Code and with the State of California Traffic Manual. All signs shall be installed prior to map recordation where a tentative map application has been approved and prior to the issuance of the Final Certification of Occupancy where an application for building permits has been proposed.

(2)

All new roads shall be constructed in accordance with Section 11.46.030, Road Improvements. All roads and driveways shall be designed to provide the minimum vertical clearance and to carry the maximum legal gross vehicle limit allowed by the Vehicle Code.

(3)

All driveways shall provide a minimum 12-foot-wide traffic lane and unobstructed vertical and horizontal clearance to combustible vegetation of 15 feet along its entire length.

a.

Driveways exceeding 150 feet in length, but less than 800 feet in length, shall provide a turnout near the midpoint of the driveway. Where the driveway exceeds 800 feet, turnouts shall be provided no more than 400 feet apart.

b.

A turnaround shall be provided at all building sites on driveways over 300 feet in length, and shall be within 50 feet of the building.

c.

Max driveway slope not to exceed 16 percent for gravel base driveways and 20 percent for paved driveways. Driveways exceeding 20 percent slope require fire district approval.

(4)

When a gate is proposed on a private road or driveway to restrict access to property, said gate shall be constructed as follows:

a.

Gate entrances shall be at least two feet wider than the width of the traffic lane(s) serving the gate, minimum 14 feet wide.

b.

All gates providing access from a road to a driveway shall be located at least 30 feet from the roadway and shall open to allow a vehicle to stop without obstructing traffic on the road.

c.

A key box is required where access to or within a structure or an area is restricted because of secured openings such as a locked gated entrance.

(5)

All new roadway structures shall meet the following standards:

a.

Bridges shall be constructed to carry at least the maximum load and provide the minimum vertical clearance as required by Vehicle Code §§ 35550, 35750 and 35250.

b.

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

c.

A bridge with only one traffic lane may be authorized by the County; however, such bridge shall provide for unobstructed visibility from one end of the bridge to the other and turnouts at both ends of such bridge.

(Ord. No. 1624)

An emergency water system for wildfire protection shall be constructed in State Responsibility Areas and written clearance from Calfire on acceptance of the system design shall be submitted to CDSA prior to the recordation of a parcel map or final map. Prior to recordation, then applicant shall also demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Public Works Department how the water system will be maintained in perpetuity.

(Ord. No. 1624)

Fire hydrants shall be installed to meet the following standards:

(1)

Eighteen inches above grade.

(2)

Minimum eight feet from flammable vegetation.

(3)

Minimum four feet and a maximum 12 feet from roadway.

(4)

Minimum 50 feet and a maximum one-half mile from the building it serves.

(5)

Two and one half inch N.H. male fitting for pressure and gravity systems and four and one-half inch for draft systems

(6)

Identified with a three-inch reflectorized blue dot on the driveway, address sign, or placed within three feet of a hydrant with a sign three to five feet above the ground.

(7)

Located at a turnout or turnaround, along the driveway to the building it serves or along the road that intersects with that driveway.

(Ord. No. 1624)

The following defensible space standards shall be completed in SRA's prior to parcel or final map recordation, or the issuance of a Certificate of Building Occupancy.

(1)

Setback for defensible space. Firebreaks shall be established and maintained in accordance with Chapters 10.15, Firebreaks, of the County Code and Section 11.54.100, Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program and the following:

a.

All new buildings shall be constructed with a minimum 30-foot setback from all property lines and/or the road right-of-way to serve as a fire break. Required utility structures such as but not limited to water tanks, propane

tanks, and well/pump houses are not considered buildings for the purposes of this Section.

b.

The side and rear yard building setback requirement may be reduced to the setback permitted by the zoning district upon written clearance from the fire district.

(2)

Disposal of flammable vegetation and fuels. Disposal, including chipping, burying, burning or removal to a landfill site approved by the local jurisdiction, of flammable vegetation and fuels caused by site development and construction, road and driveway construction, and fuel modification shall be completed prior to completion of road construction or final inspection of a building permit.

(3)

Greenbelts. When proposed as part of a development plan, greenbelts shall be located strategically as a separation between wildland fuels and structures.

(Ord. No. 1624)

Upon request by the applicant, a waiver of one or more of the requirements of this Chapter may be allowed by the Development Review Committee, where such waiver provides the same overall practical effect provided by this Chapter. A letter requesting such waiver shall be submitted to the Development Review Committee along with any fee established for waivers. A copy of the waiver request shall be submitted to the CDSA Director and to Cal Fire for review and comment. Cal Fire shall sign off prior to Development Review Committee approval. The review and comment period shall be no less than 14 days. Approval or conditional approval of the waiver request shall only be granted when the Development Review Committee makes the finding that such action is in keeping with the purposes and intent of this Chapter. Such findings shall include a statement of reasons for the decision. A written copy of these findings shall be provided to the Cal Fire Ranger Unit headquarters that administers SRA fire protection in Yuba County.

(Ord. No. 1624)

The decision of the Development Review Committee shall be final unless an appeal is filed in accordance with Section 11.53.150, Appeals and Calls for Review.

(Ord. No. 1624)

CHAPTER 11.23 - GRADING, DRAINAGE, AND EROSION CONTROL