Ordinance No. 844
1 ORDINANCE NO. 844
2 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF VERNON REGULATING THE ERECTION, CON-
STRUCTION, ENLARGEMENT, ALTERATION, REPAIR, MOVING, REMOVAL
3 CONVERSION, DEMOLITION, OCCUPANCY, EQUIPMENT, USE, HEIGHT, AREA,
AND MAINTENANCE OF BUILDINGS OR STRUCTURES IN THE CITY OF VERNON,
4 STATE OF CAllFORNIA, AND PROVIDING FOR THE ISSUANCE OF PERMITS
AND COLLECTION OF FEES THEREFOR; DECLARING AND ESTABLISHING FIRE
5 DISTRICTS; PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR THE VIOLATION THEREOF AND
ADOPTING, IN PART, THE UNIFORM BUILDING CODE, 1973 EDITION,
6 INCLUDING APPENDICES, CHAPTERS 23, 38, 48 and 57, PROMULGATED BY
THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF BUILDING OFFICIALS, AND REPEALING
7 ALL ORDINANCES AND PARTS OF ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT THEREWITH.
8 THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF VERNON DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
9 SECTION 1: The Uniform Building Code, Volume I, 1973
10 edition copyrighted 1973 by the International Conference of Buildin
11 Officials, 5360 South Workman Mill Road, Whittier, California,
12 except as may be amended in this Ordinance, is hereby adopted as
13 the Building Code of the City of Vernone
14 SECTION 2: Said Uniform Building Code, Volume I, 1973 editio ,
15 as referred to in Section 1 above, is hereby amended as follows:
16
Section 103 is amended by inserting the following at the
17 end of said Section:
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"EXCEPTIONSe The provisions of this Code shall not
19 apply to any of the following:
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"(a) Masonry or concrete fences not over six feet high,
21 and other fences not over twelve feet high;
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II (b) Oil derricks;
"(c) Retaining walls which are not over five feet in
24 height, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the
25 wall, unless supporting a surcharge or impounding flannnable liquids;
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II (d) Platforms, walks, or driveways not more than 30
27 inches b d' t d fl d t b t
a ove a J acen groun or oor, an no over any asemen
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or story below;
"(e) Bridges not involving buildings;
"(f) Minor works specifically exempted by the Building
32 Official when, in his discretion, the work is of a negligible
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hazard.
"This Code shall not be interpreted or deemed to con-
flict with, amend, or qualify, any other Ordinance or Ordinances
or Code of the City of Vernon, excepting as said Ordinance or
Ordinances may be amended or repealed by the adoption of these
amendments to the Uniform Building Code, and without limiting the
generality of the foregoing shall not be deemed to affect or im-
pair the provisions of any Ordinances or Codes of the City of
Vernon relative to business licenses, zoning, beautification,
fire prevention, or health and sanitationo"
Section 106 is amended by striking the word "shall" in
the first line of paragraph 3 of said Code section, and inserting
the word "may" in place of "shall" 0
Section 107 is amended by striking the word "shall" in
line 3 of paragraph 2 of said section, and inserting therein the
word "may" and add, following the word "procedure" in line 3 of
said paragraph 2 of Section 107, the following: ", or the accep-
tability of said test procedureo"
Section 203 is amended by inserting a period after the
word "nuisances" in line 9 and deleting that portion of the sec-
tion starting with the word "and" in line 9 to the end of the
section, ending with the word "law"o
Section 204 is deleted in its entirety, including the
heading "Board of Appeals", and in lieu of said section and
heading there is inserted the following:
"ALLOWANCE OF VARIANCE OR EXCEPTION FROM REQUIREMENTS OF CODE.
"Section 204. Whenever the Building Official shall find
upon the basis of reliable evidence, information or opinion
placed before him that the public health, safety, and welfare will
not be adversely affected or, in the alternative, will be well
served thereby, he may, in his discretion, impose and subject to
such conditions and limitations as he may see fit to impose,
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relieve an applicant for a building permit from one or more of
the requirements of this Code and, without limiting the fore-
going, may authorize the substitution of materials, types of con-
struction and safety equipment or devices. All requests seeking
the allowance of a variance or exception from the requirements of
this Code shall be presented to the Chief of the Fire Department
for recommendations and to the Director of Public Works for his
recommendations regarding frontage requirements, if the same be
applicable, for allowance or rejection and for the terms, condi-
tions and limitations, if any, which said Fire Chief and said
Director of Public Works recommend be imposed upon such permit, if
granted~ The Building Official shall, prior to making his findkgs
solicit and include therein the recommendations of other depart-
ments of the City, which may be affected by the request for a
variance or exception from the requirements of this Code.
"Any applicant for a building permit seeking a variance
or exception from the requirements of this Code, which variance
or exception has been denied or granted subject to conditions or
limitations, pursuant to the foregoing provisions 6f this Section
204, may request a hearing before the City Council for the pur-
pose of obtaining a new or different decision wi.th respect to
said request for a variance or exception. Such request for a
hearing must state the following:
"10 The name and mailing address of the applicant for
the purpose of the requested hearing~
"20 A method of identification of the app lication or
applications involved, and the previous decision of the Building
Official or of the City Council, if any, with respect to each
such application.
"3. The specific ruling which the applicant requests be
made by the City Council with respect to each such application.
"40 A brief summary in non-technical language of the
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points or contentions to be made by the applicant at the
requested hearing, which summary shall be sufficient to inform
any interested person who may wish to meet or refute applicant's
presentation at the hearing.
"The City Council shall set a time and place for a
hearing on such application, providing it shall comply with the
foregoing requirements, which hearing shall take place not more
than thirty days after receipt of the applicant's request. In
the event that the request for hearing does not comply with the
foregoing requirements, no hearing shall be set and the City
Clerk shall advise the applicant of the City Council's findings
and that no hearing shall be set until such requirements are set.
Such latter notice shall be mailed by the City Clerk to the
applicant by United States mail, postage prepaid, to the address
shown on the request for hearing, and if no adequate address is
shown thereon, the City Clerk shall make a reasonable effort to
locate an address for the applicant, to which the notice may be
mailed and failing to find such address no notice shall be sent."
Section 302(a) is amended by inserting the following at
the end of said section:
liThe permit granted as provided for above is an applica-
tion for inspection, the issuance of which is not an approval or
an authorization of the work specified in said permito The permit
does not authorize or permit, nor shall it be construed as
authorizing or permitting, the violation or failure to comply
with any applicable 1awo Neither the City of Vernon nor any
department, officer, or employee thereof may make any warranty
nor shall be responsible for the performance or results of any
work described in the application or permit, or the condition of
the property or soil upon which the work is performedo"
Section 303(a) is amended by striking out the words
"in Table 3-A" in the first paragraph and inserting the words,
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1 "by resolution of the City CounciL"
2 The second paragraph should be deleted in its entirety.
:3 The third paragraph is amended by striking out the
4 words "in Table 3-A" and inserting the words, "by rero 1ution of
5 the City CounciL II
6 Table 3-A - Building Permit Fees - is deleted in its
7 entirety"
8 Section 303(b) is amended by deleting the first and
9 second paragraphs and the following substituted therefor:
10 "Plan checking fees shall be paid to the Building Offi-
11 cia1 at the time of submitting plans and specifications for
12 checking as called out by resolution of the City CounciL"
13 Section 304(d) is amended by adding the following para-
14 graph at the end of said subsection:
15 "Whenever any work on which inspections are required,
16 as specified in this subsection, is covered or concealed by addi-
17 tional work without first having been inspected, the building
18 official may require that such work be exposed for examination.
19 The work of exposing and recovering shall not entail expense to
20 the City of Vernon."
21 Section 306(a) is amended by adding to said subsection
22 the fo llowing:
23 "Where a special inspection is required to determine
24 compliance with the provisions of this Code for a Certificate of
25 Occupancy, an inspection fee shall be paid as set forth by reso-
26 lution of the City Council."
27 Section 407 is amended by deleting the word "1973" under
28 the definition of Fire Code and inserting the date "1971".
29 Section 506(c) is amended by adding the following at
30 the end of said Section:
31 "EXCEPTION 0 If the building is provided with an approved
32 automatic fire extinguishing system throughout, the area specified
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1 in Section 505 may be increased to four times the basic value
2 for a one story type II, III and IV building of a Group F-2 and
3 G occupancies, where fire hazard and occupant load is relatively
4 low, subject to the concurrence and approval of the Fire Depart-
5 ment."
6 Section l601(a) is amended to read as follows:
7 "FIRE ZONES DEFINED. For the purpose of this Code, the
8 entire City of Vernon is hereby declared to be and is hereby
9 established as a Fire District, and said Fire District shall be
10 known and designated as Fire Zones Two and Three. Fire Zone
11 Three shall consist of that portion of the City which has been
12 zoned as an R zone or single family residence zone, pursuant to
13 the provisions of Ordinance No. 752 of the City of Vernon and
14 shall further consist of any area designated as R zone or single
15 family residence zone in any Zoning Ordinance of the City of
16 Vernon which may be enacted in the future. All other portions
17 of the City shall be known and designated as Fire Zone Two."
18 Section l603(c) is deleted in its entirety.
19 Section 1704 is amended by deleting the first paragraph
20 and the exception and adding in its place the following:
21 lIRoof covering of all buildings, in any fire zone,
22 shal1 be fire retardant and with a rating of not less than
23 Class A or B."
24 Section 3801(b) is amended to read as follows:
25 " All fire extinguishing systems, including automatic
26 sprinklers, wet and dry standpipes, automatic chemical extinguis-
27 hers, basement pipe inlets and the appurtenances thereto shall
28 meet the approval of the Fire Department as to installation and
29 location and shall be subject to such periodic tests as it may
30 require. II
31 Section 3802(b) is amended by adding thereto subsections
32 12 and 13, to read as follows:
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"12. Throughout all buildings having floors used for
human occupancy, located more than seventy-five feet (75') above
the lowest level of Fire Department vehicle access.
"13. Throughout all buildings more than three (3)
stories in height."
Section 4401 is amended by adding thereto the following:
"Nothing contained herein shall be construed to grant
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permission to use the public street, right-of-way or public pro-
perty, either permanently or temporarily, without first obtaining
a permit from the Director of Public Works."
Section 4404 of said Code is hereby deleted in its
entirety.
Section 4407(a) is amended by adding at the end of said
subsection, following the word "Chapter", the following: liThe
Director of Public Works may modify these requirements where the
volume of pedestrian and/or vehicular traffic is light, and
suitable precautions for the safety of pedestrians are maintained~
The Director of Public Works may condition the modification
granted by requiring the owner and/or contractor to hold the City
of Vernon harmless from any and all personal injury or property
damage which may be suffered on account of such modification."
Section 4501 is amended by deleting from the first and
second lines of said section the words "except signs", and adding
at the end of said section the following: "Nothing contained
herein shall be construed to grant permission to use the public
street, right-of-way, or public property, either permanently or
temporarily, without first obtaining a permit from the Director
of Public Works."
Section 4503 is amended by deleting said section in its
entiretyo
Section 4504 is amended by deleting the language con-
tained in said section and in lieu thereof inserting the following
"Section 45040 Oriel windows, balconies, unroofed
porches, cornices, belt courses and appendages such as watertab1es
sills, capitals, bases, and architectural projections, may project
over the public property of the building site as provided in
Ordinance 796, or as permitted by the Director of Public Works of
the City of Vernon, and upon such terms and conditions as may be
reasonably imposed by said Director of Public \vorkso"
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Section 4505 is amended by deleting therefrom sub-
paragraphs (b), (c) and (d), and by adding to sub-paragraph (a),
following the word "marquee", the following sentence: "The
projection, clearance length, and thickness of the marquee will
be subject to the approval of the Director of Public Works of
the City of Vernon."
Section 4507 is amended by deleting said section in
its entirety.
Section 5205 is deleted in its entirety and the fol-
1m'ling substituted therefor:
"Section 5205(a)0 Regardless of the provisions in
Chapter 34, no plastic shall be used in skylights installed on
any roof in the City of Vernon unless the skylight is constructed
of approved plastics and protective measures are taken to insure
safety to any persons on the roof. Such safety measures, detai1~
installation and construction standards shall be approved by the
Building Official and the Fire Chief of the City of Vernon.
"(b) Plastic skylights shall be provided with a sup-
porting barrier immediately below and in contact with the sky-
light. This barrier shall be the equivalent of a galvanized
steel wire mesh with a maximum wire spacing of one inch (1")
and minimum wire diameter of 0010". The connections of the
barrier to its supports shall be designed for a concentrated
load of 300 lbso placed at any pointo
"(c) Each skylight unit may have a maximum area of 32
square feeto
"(d) The aggregate area of skylights shall not exceed
25 per cent of the floor area of the room or space sheltered by
the roof in which they are installed.
"(e) All existing plastic skylights which may be deter-
mined to be hazardous to any person or persons on any roof in
the City of Vernon shall be examined by the Building Official or
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1 his authorized agent and/or Fire Chief of the City of Vernon or
2 his authorized agento If said plastic skylight or skylights
3 shall be determined to be hazardous, the Building Official shall
4 require that the owner or person in charge of the affected
5 building shall remove the affected skylight or protect it in con-
6 formity with Section 5205(b). If the skylight or skylights are
7 to be removed, they shall be replaced with a roof construction
8 conforming to This Code for the location, type of construction and
9 occupancy of the building."
10 Section 6003 of said Code is hereby amended by inserting
11 the fo11m:l7ing in the first line after "Ordinance Noo '817'''.
12 Section 6004 is deleted in its entirety.
13 SECTION 3: Before any building permit or certificate
14 of occupancy may be issued for the construction or occupancy of
15 any structure vdthin the City, it must appear: (1) That all
16 laws ot the City pertaining to zoning, subdivision, setback lines,
17 fire and other laws and rules and regulations applicable to the
18 property for which the permits or certiticate of occupancy is
19 sought have been complied with and that the granting of the per-
20 mit or certiticate of occupancy will not result in a contravention
21 of any law or rule or regulation of the City; (2) That the lot,
22 parcel or unit of land for which the permit or certificate of
23 occupancy is sought has a reasonable minimmn frontage for the
24 purpose for which the permit for certificate of occupancy is
25 sought has a reasonable minimum frontage for the purposes for
26 which the permit or certificate of occupancy is required on a
27 dedicated or otherwise publicly traveled street of a reasonable
28 width. The street shall be suitably improved in accordance with
29 standards and specifications now or hereafter approved by the
30 City Council and as adequate in respect to the public health,
31 safety and general welfare for the special circumstances of a
32 particular street or highway. In the absence of such standards
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and specifications, the suitability of such improvements shall
be approved by the Director of Public Works of the City of Vernon,
and he shall determine the improvements required. Improvements
in addition to any others shall include water, sewers rod rea-
sonable public access; (3) that the lot, parcel or unit of
land for which the permit is sought has drainage in accordance
with good engineering principles) has installed sewer service
lines and water service lines adequate for the particular strl1C-
ture and intended use.
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The provisions of the preceding paragraph shall not
apply to repairs or remodeling of an existing structure.
SECTION 4: Should any section, subsection, clause or
provision of this Ordinance for any reason be held to be invalid
or unconstitutional) such invalidity or unconstitutionality shall
not affect the validity or constitutionality of the remaining
portions of this Ordinance, it being hereby expressly declared
that this Ordinance and each section, subsection, sentence, clause
and phrase hereof would have been prepared, proposed, approved and
adopted irrespective of the fact that anyone or more sections,
subjects, sentences, clauses or phrases be declared invalid or
unconstitutional.
SECTION 5: Every violation of this Ordinance is hereby
declared to be a public nuisanceo
SECTION 6: Any person, firm or corporation violating
any of the provisions of this Ordinance shall be deemed guilty ot
a nlisdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be fined in an
amount not exceeding Three Hundred Dollars ($300.00), or be im-
prisoned in the County Jail of the County of Los Angeles, or the
City Jail of the City of Vernon, as the committing magistrate may
direct, for not more than ninety (90) days, or by both such fine
and imprisonment, in the discretion of the Courto Each day such
violation is committed or permitted to continue shall constitute
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1 a separate offense and shall be punishable as such hereundero
2
SECTION 7: Wherever the position of Building Official
3 is referred to herein, the same shall be deemed to mean the
4 Director of Public Works of the City of Vernon.
5
SECTION 8: There being no newspaper printed, published
6 and circulated in the City of Vernon, the City Clerk is hereby
7 directed to certify to the passage of this Ordinance and shall
8 post the same, or cause the same to be posted, in three of the
9 most public places in the City of Vernon, to wit: the northwest
10 corner of 38th Street and Santa Fe Avenue; the northeast corner
11 of Leonis Boulevard and Pacific Boulevard; and on the bulletin
12 board in the lobby of the City Hall of said City, located at
13 4305 Santa Fe Avenue, all in the City of Vernon, County of Los
14 Angeles, State of California; that this Ordinance shall be in full
15 force and effect April 15, 1974.
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ADOPTED AND APPROVED this 5th day of March 1974
,
1974.
~.~
~i:a~~'
_ Nayor
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STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
) ss.
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES )
I, F. A. ZIEMER, City Clerk of the City of Vernon, do
: I hereby certify that the foregoing Ordinance, being Ordinance No.
844
, was duly and regularly introduced at a regular meeting
7 of the City Council of the City of Vernon, held on February 5,
8 I 1974, and thereafter finally adopted at a regular meeting
9 of said City Council held on March 5, 1974
, by the
10 following vote:
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AYES: Councilmen: Gonzales, Malburg, Taverne11i, Ybarra
NOES: Councilmen: None
ABSENT: Councilmen: Anderson
~~~
. . ~ emer, City Clerk
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AF'F'IDAVIT OF' POSTING
3 STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
)
4 COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ) ss.
)
5 CITY OF VERNON )
6
7 I, F. A. ZIEMER, City Clerk of the City of Vernon, do
Marc~_/
8 hereby certify that I did, on the 6th day of h>>~aV\"7
9 19~, post three (3) copies of
10
ORDINANCE NO. 844
, one in each of the following
11 places, to wit: At the northwest corner of 38th Street and Santa
12 Fe Avenue, at the northeast corner of Leonis Boulevard and Pacific
13 Boulevard, and on the bulletin board in the lobby of the City Hall
14 of the City of Vernon, located at 4305 Santa Fe Avenue, all in
said City, there being no newspaper of general circulation printed
and published in the City of Vernon. Mar~
Signed this 6th day of ~ 19 74 .
~CitY
Clerk
22 Subscribed and sworn to before me
23 this 6th
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day of
March
19 74.
~ fl. At C L~ ~'--
Notary Public in and for the County OJr-
Los Angeles, State of California.
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