The City Council finds and determines that the public safety and community aesthetics require that facilities and wires for the extension of existing facilities for the supply and distribution of electrical energy and service, including communication service, shall be placed underground in order to promote and preserve the health, safety and general welfare of the public and to assure the orderly development of the City.
(Ord. 851 § 1, 1974; Ord. 1077, 1992)
It is required that:
A. 
All new extensions of existing utility distribution facilities (including, but not limited to, electric, communication, and cable television lines), hereafter constructed or installed in the City, shall be placed underground.
B. 
All electric and communication service laterals, including cable television service, to any new residential or commercial building or structure, or to any residential or commercial building or structure or utility services being remodeled, when such remodeling requires the relocation or replacement of property owner's main electrical service equipment, shall be placed underground from the main service facility within such building or structure, to a location designated by the supplying utility, in accordance with the supplying utility's rules, regulations, and tariffs on file with the California Public Utilities Commission. A property owner shall be responsible for compliance with this section and shall make the necessary arrangements with the public utilities involved. The Undergrounding Committee may grant exceptions from this requirement where the Public Works Director and the Community Development Director find that undergrounding of utility service laterals will cause unnecessary or unusual hardship.
C. 
When the main electrical service is undergrounded, all other electrical, communication service laterals and cable television service laterals shall also be undergrounded.
D. 
Wires, excluding utility's overhead service drops, attached to exterior surfaces of structures by means of brackets or other means and/or between buildings or to private poles and tree-mounted lights, etc., shall be undergrounded when the main electrical service is undergrounded.
E. 
Services to undergrounded facilities shall themselves be underground in such a fashion as to avoid additional poles or transformers thereon.
F. 
It will be the responsibility of the applicant for electric communication or similar or associated service to make the necessary arrangements with the utility companies involved for the underground installation of wires and facilities required for such new extension and/or service, all in accordance with applicable rules, regulations and tariffs of the respective utilities on file with the California Public Utilities Commission.
G. 
Pole-mounted transformers shall not be used for new service installations to:
1. 
Three phase loads;
2. 
Loads requiring a transformer installation of 75 KVA or larger.
H. 
Additional poles, location of new transformers and increased height of existing poles shall be reviewed and approved by the Director of Public Works and the Community Development Director who shall notify the Undergrounding Committee of the request upon receipt of the request.
(Ord. 851 § 2, 1974; Ord. 1277, 2020)
This chapter shall not apply to the following types of facilities:
A. 
Any temporary municipal equipment of facilities installed under the supervision of and to the satisfaction of the City Engineer;
B. 
Poles or electroliers used exclusively for street lighting but excluding the services leading to them;
C. 
Poles, overhead wires, and associated overhead structures used for the transmission of electric energy at nominal voltages in excess of 34,500 volts;
D. 
Antenna-associated equipment and supporting structures used by utility for furnishing communication services;
E. 
Equipment appurtenant to underground facilities such as surface-mounted transformers, pedestal-mounted terminal boxes, meter cabinets and concealed ducts;
F. 
Temporary poles, overhead wires and associated overhead structures used or to be used in conjunction with construction projects to provide temporary service;
G. 
The installation of a new service panel in conjunction with the installation of a small residential rooftop solar system as defined in Chapter 10.70 SMC, or the installation of battery storage facilities whether or not related thereto, when that is the entire scope of work;
H. 
The installation of a new service panel required to facilitate the installation an electric vehicle charging station in a one- or two-family dwelling, when that is the only scope of work;
I. 
The replacement of damaged service equipment caused by storm or vehicular damage and not related to a larger construction project;
J. 
Replacement of hazardous or antiquated service equipment that is deemed unsafe by the City's Chief Building Official;
K. 
Installation of new service wires to an existing structure that are lashed to an existing service and present no visual change to overhead wire service; provided, that the existing service meets then currently applicable safety standards.
(Ord. 851 § 3, 1974; Ord. 1277, 2020)
In the event that an exception to the undergrounding requirements of this chapter is granted pursuant to SMC § 18.08.030(G) or (H), undergrounding shall be required in connection with any project that is applied for within 36 months of the receipt of the exception that would have triggered the need for new or relocated main electrical service equipment pursuant to SMC § 18.08.020(B). This section is not intended to apply to a combination of SMC § 18.08.030(G) and (H).
(Ord. 1277, 2020)
Where the enforcement of the provisions of SMC § 18.08.020 would result in undue hardship, application for exception from the provisions thereof may be made in the following manner:
A. 
Written application shall be filed with the Director of Public Works and the Community Development Director;
B. 
Such application shall include all information necessary to properly apprise the Director of Public Works and the Community Development Director of the circumstances existing which require such exception;
C. 
The Director of Public Works and the Community Development Director shall consider the application and shall, within 30 days after the filing of such application, submit the same to the Undergrounding Committee for action within 45 days after filing with the Director of Public Works. Any action taken by the Director of Public Works and the Community Development Director may be appealed to the Planning Commission.
(Ord. 851 § 4, 1974; Ord. 1277, 2020)
The provisions of SMC § 18.08.020 shall not prohibit the maintenance and operation of existing overhead facilities nor prohibit the installation of overhead service lines to facilities already serviced by at least one overhead utility service nor prohibit the connection of underground service lines to existing overhead utility distribution equipment. The utility may continue to maintain, repair, replace and reinforce any facility or structure in order to maintain the integrity of any facility or structure existing on or before the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter.
(Ord. 851 § 5, 1974)
Any person convicted of violating the provisions of this chapter shall be guilty of an infraction and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine not to exceed $100.00. Such person shall be deemed guilty of a separate offense for each and every day during any portion of which any violation of the provisions of this chapter is committed or continued or allowed to continue by such person and shall be punishable as provided in this chapter.
(Formerly 18.08.070; Ord. 851 § 7, 1974; Ord. 1277, 2020)