Yuba County Municipal Code Ch. 10.45 Safety Assessment Placards

This Chapter establishes standard placards to be used to indicate the condition of a structure for continued occupancy. The Chapter further authorizes the Building Official, who is the Director of the Building Department within the Community Development and Services Agency, and his or her authorized representatives to post the appropriate placard at each point to a building or structure upon completion of a safety assessment.

(Prior Code, § 10.45.010; Ord. No. 1329)

The provisions of this Chapter are applicable to all buildings and structures on all occupancies regulated within the unincorporated areas of Yuba County. The Board of Supervisors may extend the provisions as necessary.

(Prior Code, § 10.45.020; Ord. No. 1329)

The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this Chapter, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this Section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:

(1) Safety assessment means a visual, non-destructive examination of a building or structure for the purpose of determining the condition for continued occupancy.

(Prior Code, § 10.45.030; Ord. No. 1329)

(a) The following are descriptions of the jurisdiction official placards to be used to designate the condition for continued occupancy of buildings or structures. Copies of actual placards are attached.

(1) Inspected - lawful occupancy permitted - to be posted on any building or structure wherein no apparent structural hazard has been found. The placard is not intended to mean that there is no damage to the building or structure.

(2) Restricted use - to be posted on each building or structure that has been damaged wherein the damage has resulted in some form of restriction to the continued occupancy. The individual who posts this placard will note in the general terms the type of damage encountered and will clearly and concisely note the restrictions on continued occupancy.

(3) Unsafe - do not enter or occupy - to be posted on each building or structure that has been damaged such that continued occupancy poses a threat to life safety. Buildings or structures posted with this placard shall not be entered under any circumstance except as authorized in writing by the Building Official, or his or her authorized representative. Safety assessment teams shall be authorized to enter these buildings at any time. This placard is not to be used or considered as a demolition order. The individual who posts this placard will note in general terms the type of damage encountered.

(b) The ordinance number, the name of the jurisdiction, its address, and phone number shall be permanently affixed to each placard.

(Prior Code, § 10.45.040; Ord. No. 1329)

Once a placard has been attached to a building or structure, it shall not be removed, altered or covered until done so by an authorized representative of the Building Official. It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to alter, remove, cover or deface a placard unless authorized pursuant to this Section. Any person who violates any provision of this Chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof is punishable by imprisonment in the County Jail for a term not exceeding six months or a fine not exceeding $1,000.00 or both. Each separate day during which any violation continues is a separate offense.

(Prior Code, § 10.45.050; Ord. No. 1329)

State Law reference— Penalties for ordinance violations, Government Code § 25132, Penal Code § 19.

If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, provision or portion of this Chapter, or the application thereof to any person or circumstances, is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by the decision of any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions or provisions of this Chapter or their applicability to distinguishable situations or circumstances. In enacting this Chapter, it is the desire of the Board of Supervisors to validly regulate to the full measure of its legal authority in the public interest, and to that end, the Board of Supervisors declares that it would have adopted this Chapter and each section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, provision, or portion thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses, phrases or portions thereof might be declared invalid or unconstitutional in whole or in part, as applied to any particular situation or circumstances, and to this end the provisions of this Chapter are intended to be severable.

State Law reference— Similar provisions, Government Code § 23.