Definition

Certificate of Compliance: Certificate of Compliance (Certificate) means a document describing certain real property and stating that the division thereof complies with applicable provisions of the Subdivision Map Act and of City and County Ordinances enacted pursuant thereto.

Preliminary Review

It is highly recommended that prior to the submission of an Application for Certificate of Compliance, with the Public Works Department Engineering Division, that the party requesting the Certificate meets with representatives from the City's Community Development Department to do a preliminary review of the proposed Certificate to ensure that the properties affected will meet Planning and Zoning ordinances in the after state.

Applications and Review

An application for Certificate of Compliances can be obtained at the City's Public Works Department Engineering Division or at the bottom of this page. There is a one time application fee due at the time of application submission; please contact the Public Works Department Engineering Division at 714-738-6845 for the current fee. The application shall include, but is not limited to; the legal description of the lots or parcels to be consolidated, the owner's names, addresses, and telephone numbers, evidence of title and such other information as may be required. A map sketch showing the lots or parcels before and after the consolidation, their relationship to each other, adjoining lots or parcels, street centerlines or right-of-way lines, existing buildings, fences, etc., and the latest Orange County Assessor parcel numbers shall also be reflected on the documentation. The legal description and map sketch must be prepared by a Registered Civil Engineer or Licensed Land Surveyor of the State of California. The complete application, legal descriptions and map sketch shall be submitted to the City's Real Property Agent (“RPA”).Once your application package is received, the RPA will route the package to other City departments for review and comment and to the City's Surveyor, for review and preliminary approval.

Final Approval and Recordation

Once the RPA receives the approved Certificate of Compliance from the City Surveyor, the Certificate package is then routed to the Directors of the Community Development and Public Works Department Engineering Division for final approval. Upon final approval the fully executed original Certificate of Compliance package is sent to the preparer to coordinate recordation of the documents. Once the Certificate of Compliance is recorded the original recorded Certificate of Compliance is to be returned to the City.

Note: The duration for processing Certificate of Compliances vary on a case by case basis, but city staff will work with you to get your Certificate of Compliance processed in the timeliest manner possible.

If you have any questions or would like further information, please call or visit the:

Public Works Department
Engineering Division
Fullerton City Hall - 2nd Floor
303 W. Commonwealth Avenue
Fullerton, CA 92832
(714) 738-6845

Certificate of Compliance
California Government Code Section 66499.35

(A) Any person owning real property or a vendee of that person pursuant to a contract of sale of the real property may request, and a local agency shall determine, whether the real property complies with the provisions of this division and of local ordinances enacted pursuant to this division. If a local agency determines that the real property complies, the city or the county shall cause a certificate of compliance to be filed for record with the recorder of the county in which the real property is located. The certificate of compliance shall identify the real property and shall state that the division of the real property complies with applicable provisions of this division and of local ordinances enacted pursuant to this division. The local agency may impose a reasonable fee to cover the cost of issuing and recording the certificate of compliance.

(B) If a local agency determines that the real property does not comply with the provisions of this division or of local ordinances enacted pursuant to this division, it shall issue a conditional certificate of compliance. A local agency may, as a condition to granting a conditional certificate of compliance, impose any conditions that would have been applicable to the division of the property at the time the applicant acquired his or her interest therein, and that had been established at that time by this division

or local ordinance enacted pursuant to this division, except that where the applicant was the owner of record at the time of the initial violation of the provisions of this division or of the local ordinances who by a grant of the real property created a parcel or parcels in violation of this division or local ordinances enacted pursuant to this division, and the person is the current owner of record of one or more of the parcels which were created as a result of the grant in violation of this division or those local ordinances, then the local agency may impose any conditions that would be applicable to a current division of the property. Upon making the determination and establishing the conditions, the city or county shall cause a conditional certificate of compliance to be filed for record with the recorder of the county in which the real property is located. The certificate shall serve as notice to the property owner or vendee who has applied for the certificate pursuant to this section, a grantee of the property owner, or any subsequent transferee or assignee of the property that the fulfillment and implementation of these conditions shall be required prior to subsequent issuance of a permit or other grant of approval for development of the property.

Compliance with these conditions shall not be required until the time that a permit or other grant of approval for development of the property is issued by the local agency.

(C) A certificate of compliance shall be issued for any real property that has been approved for development pursuant to Section 66499.34.

(D) A recorded final map, parcel map, official map, or an approved certificate of exception shall constitute a certificate of compliance with respect to the parcels of real property described therein.

(E) An official map prepared pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 66499.52 shall constitute a certificate of compliance with respect to the parcels of real property described therein and may be filed for record, whether or not the parcels are contiguous, so long as the parcels are within the same section or, with the approval of the city engineer or county surveyor, within contiguous sections of land.

(F) (1) Each certificate of compliance or conditional certificate of compliance shall include information the local agency deems necessary, including, but not limited to, all of the following:

(a) Name or names of owners of the parcel.

(b) Assessor parcel number or numbers of the parcel.

(c) The number of parcels for which the certificate of compliance or conditional certificate of compliance is being issued and recorded.

(d) Legal description of the parcel or parcels for which the certificate of compliance or conditional certificate of compliance is being issued and recorded.

(e) A notice stating as follows:

This certificate relates only to issues of compliance or noncompliance with the Subdivision Map Act and local ordinances enacted pursuant thereto. The parcel described herein may be sold, leased, or financed without further compliance with the Subdivision Map Act or any local ordinance enacted pursuant thereto. Development of the parcel may require issuance of a permit or permits, or other grant or grants of approval.

(f) Any conditions to be fulfilled and implemented prior to subsequent issuance of a permit or other grant of approval for development of the property, as specified in the conditional certificate of compliance.

(2) Local agencies may process applications for certificates of compliance or conditional certificates of compliance concurrently and may record a single certificate of compliance or a single conditional certificate of compliance for multiple parcels. Where a single certificate of compliance or conditional certificate of compliance is certifying multiple parcels, each as to compliance with the provisions of this division and with local ordinances enacted pursuant thereto, the single certificate of compliance or conditional certificate of compliance shall clearly identify, and distinguish between, the descriptions of each parcel.

Certificate of Compliance