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SITE NAVIGATION

Engineering Team

Development Engineering

Engineering Team

Development Engineering

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Figure 1: GIS Rendering of Subdivision through Final Map

The Development Engineering (DE) Section of Engineering Services is located at 300 Richards Boulevard. They work very closely with building plan review staff and review projects that are being implemented by private developers or individuals. These types of projects are called “private development projects," and are categorized in three general categories:

On-site – The on-site work is any work that is being performed on private property. Generally, on-site work is submitted through the Building Division and issued a building permit.
Off-site – The scope of work is within the public right-of-way (ROW). Generally, this includes curb, gutter, sidewalk, utilities, street lights, landscape strips, roads, medians, etc. Work that takes place within public utility easements on private property is also considered off-site work. DE will intake the appropriate application and is responsible for getting the permits issued.
Mapping - Property line changes that are required for lot subdivisions, adjusting the boundaries between existing lots, and vacation/abandonments of ROW or easements to adjoining property owners. Such property line changes are often needed prior to the issuance of on-site building permits.

Permits

DE is responsible for managing plan review and permit issuance for two types of permits for off-site work:

Major permits/plan check

Residential Plan Check (RPC): Projects in which a final map is required. It should be noted that a large commercial development would be given the RPC record if a map is required for the project. An RPC will require the owner to enter into an agreement and post payment and performance bonds for the off-site improvement work per the requirements of the subdivision map act.
Commercial Plan Check (CPC): Projects where NO final maps are required for the project. A CPC will require the owner to enter into an agreement and post a performance bond for the off-site improvement work. A CPC is to be used rather than a minor encroachment permit when the scope of work is such that large public works requirements are necessary, such as large scale wet utility improvements, new street lights, or large amounts of curb, gutter and sidewalk and driveway replacements are proposed.

Minor permits

Construction Encroachment Permits are used to process minor improvements in the public right of way. Work can be performed under an Encroachment Permit if the scope of work is determined to be small enough that a major permit (plan check) is not necessary.
Driveway Permits (and review of associated Driveway Variances).
Revocable permits are used for semi-permanent appurtenances that are to remain in the public right of way, such as outdoor seating areas, bike racks, building awnings, etc..

Property line changes/mapping

DE is responsible for processing various types of property line changes/maps and other documents that are recorded in the Office of the County Recorder for private development projects:

Parcel maps are for subdividing a property into 4 parcels or less.
Final parcel maps are for subdividing a property into 5 lots or more.
Certificates of compliance (COC) are to certify that a lot is legal per state law requirements.
Lot line adjustments are to adjust parcel lines between 4 or fewer parcels.
Lot mergers are to merge multiple parcels into one parcel.
Public easement documents are the dedication of various types of easements from a property owner to the City.
Grant deeds are for the granting of fee title property from a property owner to the City.

DE is also responsible for processing:

Vacations/Abandonments are processed for the abandonment of public easements and public road easements to revert the abandoned area back to the property that originally dedicated the easement.
Temporary alley closures to alleviate criminal activity and illegal dumping.

Development engineering work groups

DE is organized in three work groups – Plan check, Map check, and Public Counter:

Public Counter

Development Engineering has a Public Counter located on the 3rd Floor at 300 Richards Boulevard. The DE Public Counter is open during the normal building counter hours of 9am – 4pm on weekdays, except for holidays and special events. Advanced notification is posted by the building department when the counter will be closed.

The DE Public Counter is where people can go to request research on a property or for questions about processes when they need to perform work in the ROW. Typical topics that we can provide information and services on are:

Driveway Permits and Driveway Variances
Encroachment Permits and Revocable Permits
Off-site Permits (RPC/CPC) and project intake procedures
Research on recorded maps, recorded easements and old permits within the public road easement
Archived/as-built street improvement plans
Street ties and elevation benchmarks
Other private development related questions within the public road easement

Plan check

The Plan Check group performs civil engineering plan review and project management of all off-site permits. Most building permits with site work (work outside the structure) are also reviewed by the Plan Check staff for on-site civil design features and to ensure the proposed improvements are not in conflict with known public easements, and that any changes to the access (driveways, parking re-design, adding fencing, etc) are in compliance with city standards and codes. The building permit work is generally conditioned so that the offsite plans have been approved, and an agreement with bonds received, prior to the building permit being issued. During the building permit review, DE staff also informs the applicant of any offsite work conditions that may be required by the ROD for the project.

Other permit applications that plan check staff processes include Driveway Variances, Encroachment Permits, Revocable Permits, Sign Topper Permits, and Banner Permits.

Map check

The Map Check group processes the various types of property line changes/maps and other documents that are recorded with the Office of the County Recorder for private development projects. Included in processing are: working with private individuals and developers for application for document review; review documents for compliance with City requirements, City Code and State law; and document recording. The group also ensures that all conditions of approval associated with Parcel Maps, Final Maps, Certificates of Compliance, Vacation/Abandonments and other documents have been fulfilled prior to guiding the documents through the recording process.

Resources

Public Works Forms available soon.

A directory of forms which includes documents for plan check, map review and vacation/abandonment.

Engineering fee deposit calculator

Calculates an estimate of the initial engineering fee deposit for a proposed project, based on the value of the improvements to be made.

Contact information

For general questions, you can submit an email to DE@cityofsacramento.org, call 916-808-8300, or visit the Public Counter at:

300 Richards Boulevard, 3rd Floor

Sacramento, CA 95811

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