The Public Works Department Engineering Division is involved with your project from the outset. To help make sure your project stays on schedule, we will review your proposal at the same time as other City departments. The items we will be reviewing and commenting on include such facets as required street layouts, sewer and water systems, and storm drains. As a condition of approval, you may be required to construct some or all of these facilities as part of your development. We will be happy to work closely with you to make sure that your application meets all City code requirements.

The following step-by-step explanation may be helpful when planning your project schedule:

Determining Conditions for Public Improvements

Once you have met with the appropriate staff and submitted a formal application, the Public Works Department Engineering Division, along with other City departments, will prepare a written report with conditions which will be submitted to the Fullerton Planning Commission for final approval. Typical items considered in the Engineering staff report may include any or all of the following:

• Dedication of rights-of-way
• Location and size of driveways
• Traffic circulation
• Sidewalks, curbs and gutters
• Street paving
• Alley improvements
• Street trees
• Water upgrades
• Sewer connections
• Drainage to public facilities
• Streetlights
• Overhead utilities
• Special permit requirements (i.e.: National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permits)

Any or all of these items may be required as conditions of approval. In certain circumstances, special public improvements not noted above may be required. In most cases, public improvements including the value of dedicated land will be limited to 10 percent of the on-site improvement costs.

Plan Review

Once the Planning Commission has approved your project, you can submit reports and plans for review. All public improvement plans must be completed by a Registered Civil Engineer in the State of California. In some instances the required public improvements are minimal and may be included on your site and grading plans, which are submitted directly to Development Services for review. However, you should discuss this with the Engineering staff before proceeding with your final plans.

The following procedure must be followed if separate reports or engineering plans are required for such things as streets, sewers, water, storm drains and/or streetlights:

• Submit three (3) sets of improvement plans, prepared by a registered engineer, on City plan and/or plan and profile sheets. Allow up to three weeks for the first plan check, and two weeks for subsequent plan checks.

  Please Note: Grading Plans and Site Plans are submitted directly to the Development Services Department. Community Development will charge a separate fee for checking and processing these plans.

• Submit two (2) copies of required studies and calculations (hydrology, hydraulic, water, etc.). Allow two weeks for staff review.
• You will be required to submit a fee to cover Engineering's cost for processing and checking your plans when you submit your first engineering plan.
• Once the improvement plans are approved, you will be asked to submit Mylar originals for the Director of Public Work's signature. Once signed, the Mylar originals become City property.

Bonds and Agreements

The City of Fullerton requires that a bond be placed with the City to ensure that the required public improvements are completed and built according to City standards.

Your engineer will be required to prepare a bond estimate for the public improvements in your development. The estimate must be completed using a City estimating form. This estimate will be used to establish the bond amount. The second page of the form includes Engineering cash fees and deposits.

Prior to construction you will be required to submit the following bonds and agreements on City forms (forms at end of this page):

• 100% Faithful Performance Bond
• Performance Agreement

Please Note: All signatures must be notarized. Also, the above documents must be accompanied with the required cash fees and deposits as noted in the second page of the Bond Estimate Form.

Construction/Completion

Your project is now ready for construction! The standard agreement allows up to one year or the issuance of a certificate of occupancy (whichever occurs first) for you to complete the bonded improvements. The Director of Engineering may grant additional time on a case-by-case basis to complete these improvements.

Your contractor will be required to obtain permits for each phase of construction. Since the inspection fees have already been collected, your contractor will only be charged a nominal issuance fee for each permit. The only exceptions to this will be if your contractor will be working in an arterial street or will have a hauling operation into or out of the site. In these instances your contractor will be required to obtain a special permit which may require an additional refundable cash bond to guarantee clean up and compliance with allowed working hours.

Once the public improvements have been completed you will need to submit a request (in writing) for a final inspection. As part of the final closeout for the project, your engineer will be required to submit the following to the Public Works Department Engineering Division:

• All required centerline ties
• As-built improvement plans
• A brown line of the as-built grading plan

At this point, if everything has been completed satisfactorily, you are finished and your bonds will be released.

Site Plans