Laguna Hills City Zoning Code

The purpose and intent of this chapter is to insure that information regarding public works and engineering standards that can affect proposed developments are presented for applicant consideration.

Development review projects submitted to the city shall be subject to engineering and design standards adopted by the city. These standards consist of engineering design examples for a variety of utility, street, water, sewer, and transportation system components. Applicants are responsible to verify applicable standards with the City Engineer prior to design of projects or as a result of preliminary reviews. The City Engineer shall maintain a current set of standards and shall make portions of the standards relative to an applicants property available upon request. Typical standards referenced here are the Orange County Environmental Management Agency standard plans as modified for Laguna Hills.

Permits to construct required improvements shall be issued by the City Engineer upon review and approval of plans prepared by a qualified engineer. Permits shall be required for all grading, excavation, construction, and installations of public off-site improvements and connections from private to public systems. No encroachment shall occur within a public right-of-way unless a permit shall be issued for such encroachment.

The city desires that all improvements be constructed on the basis of the demand created by the project for which and to which improvement conditions have been placed. Construction is required prior to inspections and/or release of any required surety affecting the project unless a development agreement or suitable alternative approved as to form by the City Attorney and City Engineer shall be adopted by the City Council.

All required improvements shall be inspected and approved by the City Engineer or appropriate public works inspector prior to issuing any certificate of occupancy or final inspection for use where a certificate of occupancy is not required.

Surety shall be provided in the form and manner prescribed by the city for all improvements required by this code or any other code adopted by the city.

Surety shall be based on the value of the improvements with regard to materials and labor and shall include the value of the city’s overhead for administration of the surety. The applicant shall post such documents as the City Engineer and City Attorney shall deem necessary.

All architectural and engineering drawings, diagrams, plans, specifications, and reports submitted to the city in support of an application, that are reviewed, approved, and adopted by the city, shall be considered as information in the public domain.

All facilities and improvements not accepted into the City’s system shall be maintained and repaired by the property owner or association charged with that responsibility. Approval of engineered or architectured plans does not mean that improvements and facilities are automatically accepted by the city. The City Council, on recommendation of the City Engineer, shall accept or reject all offers of dedication and improvement submitted by an applicant.