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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrd 1989-2292 ORDINANCE NO. 2292 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA REPEALING EXISTING SECTIONS 15.24.010 THROUGH 15.24.090 AND ADOPTING NEW SECTIONS 15.24.010 THROUGH 15.24.100 OF CHAPTER 15.24 OF THE MUNICIPAL CODE OF THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA RELATING TO THE ADOPTION OF THE NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE, 1987 EDITION' THE CITY COUNCIL OF CHULA VISTA DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. That Sections 15.24.010 through 15.24.090 of Chapter 15.24 as hereby repealed, and new Sections 15.24.010 through 15.24.100 of Chapter 15.24 of the Chula Vista Municipal Code are hereby adopted to read as follows: 15.24.010. National Electrical Code, 1987 Edition, adopted by reference. There is hereby adopted by reference that certain document known and designated as the National Electrical Code, 1987 Edition, as published by the National Fire Protection Association, three copies of which are on file in the office of the City Clerk. Said document is hereby adopted as the Electrical Code of the City of Chula Vista, California regulating the installation, repair, operation and maintenance of all electric wiring and electrical apparatus of any nature whatsoever, whether inside or outside of any building, and issuance of permits and providing for the inspection thereof. 15.24.015. Wiring in Existing or Relocated Buildings and Structures. A. The provisions contained in this section shall apply to all existing or relocated buildin9s when deemed inadequate or unsafe by the administrative authority. B. All relocated buildings or structures shall have service equipment conform to the provisions of Article 230, if service equipment is relocated. C. Additions to or alterations in old wiring shall be made in compliance with the provisions of the National Electric Code and as may be recommended by the Building Official. D. Outlets existing or added to existing branch circuits, shall be rated at not less than 1-1/2 amperes each. Circuits to which outlets have been added shall not contain outlets whose number will exceed 80% of the branch circuit rating. E. Each room in a relocated dwelling shall be provided with not less than two (2) convenience outlets equally spaced. Receptacles which are a part of a fixture or switch outlet shall not count. F. All kitchens shall be provided with not less than two branch circuits rated at 20 amperes each. 15.24.020 Materials-Approval required. Listing or labeling as conforming to the standards of the Underwriters' Laboratories, Inc., of the United States Bureau of Standards or other similar institution of recognized standing shall be prima facieevidence of conformity with the approved standards for safety to life and property. No electrical material, appliances or equipment that does not comply with this section shall be offered for sate or sold within the city. 15.24.025. Definitions. For the purposes of this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them by this section: A. "Apartment house" is a building or portion thereof which contains three or more dwelling units and, for the purpose of this code, includes residential condominiums. B. "Approved" means acceptable to the authority enforcing this chapter. C. "Department" means the Building and Housing Department. D. "Director of Building and Housing" means the head of the Building and Housing Department. Also known as the Building Official. E. "Dwelling" is any building or portion thereof which contains not more than two dwelling units. F. "Dwelling Unit" is any building or portion thereof which contains living facilities, including provisions for sleeping, eating, cooking and sanitation, as required by the Uniform Building Code, for not more than one family. G. "Electrical inspector" means the Director of Building and Housing. H. "Hotel-Motel" is a building containing six or more guest rooms intended or designed to be used, or which are used, rented or hired out to be occupied, or which are occupied for sleeping purposes by guests. I. "Woodworking Shop" is a shop with four or more fixed woodworking appliances or equipment. -2- 15.24.030. Enforcement authority-Powers and duties of Director of Building and Mousing. It shall be the duty of the Director of Building and Housing to enforce the provisions of this code. He shall, upon application, grant permits for the installation or alteration of electrical wiring, devices, appliances and equipment, and shall make inspections of all new electrical installations and reinspections of all electrical installations as provided in this code. He shall keep complete records of all permits issued, inspections and reinspections made, and other official work performed in accordance with the provisions of this code. The Director of Building and Housing may delegate any of his powers or duties to any of his assistants. The Director of Building and Housing shall have the right, during reasonable hours or at any time when extreme danger exists, to enter any building in the discharge of his official duties or for the purpose of making an inspection, reinspection or test of the installation of electrical wiring, devices, appliances and equipment contained therein. The Director of Building and Housing shall have the authority to cut or disconnect any wire in cases of emergencies where necessary to the safety of life or property, or where such wire may interfere with the work of the Fire Department. The Director of Building and Housing is authorized to disconnect or order discontinuance of electrical service to any electrical wiring, device, appliance or equipment found to be dangerous to life or property because they are defective or defectively installed. 15.24.035. Liability and responsibility for compliance. This chapter shall not be construed to relieve from or lessen the responsibility of any party owning, operating, controlling, or installing any electrical wiring, electrical device, or electrical materials for damage to person or property caused by any defect therein, nor shall the city or any officer or employee thereof enforcing this chapter be held as assuming any such liability by reason of the inspections authorized herein, or certificate of inspection issued in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. 15.24.040. Permits-Required when. A. No electric wiring, devices, appliances, or equipment shall be installed within or on any building, structure or premises nor shall any alteration or addition be made in any such existing wiring, devices, appliances or equipment without first securing a permit therefor from the Department of Building and Housing, except as stated in Section 15.24.045. B. Permits shall be obtained before or at the time work is started, except in cases where emergency or urgent necessity can be shown to exist, provided a permit is obtained within twenty-four hours, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. C. Permits for privately owned conduits or other materials in and across streets and alleys may be issued only after approval has been granted by the Director of Public Works for the installation. -3- 15.24.045. Permits-Not required when. A. No permit shall be required for minor repair work, such as repairing flush or snap switches, replacing fuses or repairing lamp sockets and receptacles, providing such work is done in accordance with the provisions of this code. B. No permit shall be required for the replacement of lamps or the connection of portable appliances to suitable receptacles which have been permanently installed. C. No permit shall be required for the installation, alteration or repair of wiring, devices, appliances or equipment for the operation of signals or the transmission of intelligence, not including the control of lighting or appliance circuits, where such wiring, devices, appliances or equipment operate at a voltage not exceeding twenty-five volts between conductors and do not include generating or transforming equipment capable of supplying more than one hundred watts of energy. D. No permit shall be required for the installation, alteration or repair of electric wiring, devices, appliances and equipment installed by or for a public service corporation in the operation of signals of transmission of intelligence. E. No permit shall be required for the installation of temporary wiring for testing electrical apparatus or equipment. F. The United States, the state, counties, cities, school districts, and other public agencies shall be exempt from payment of fees. 15.24.050. Permits-Application-Contents required. Application for a permit, describing the work to be done, shall be made in writing to the Director of Building and Housing. The application shall be accompanied by such plans, specifications and schedules as may be necessary to determine whether the installation as described will be in conformity with the requirements of this code. If it shall be found that the installation as described will in general conform with the requirements of this code, and if the applicant has complied with all of the provisions of this code, a permit for such installation shall be issued; provided, however, that the issuance of the permit shall not be taken as permission to violate any of the requirements of this code. Applications for permits for electrical installations where the service capacity exceeds two hundred amperes shall be accompanied by two sets of electrical line drawings and load and distribution calculations showing service panel and branch panel capacities and locations, service switch and branch switch capacities, conduit and feeder sizes. 15.24.055. Previously Used Materials. Previously used materials shall not be reused in any work without approval by the Director of Building and Housing or his authorized deputy. -4- 15.24.060. Fees for permits and inspections. A. Fees for processing and inspecting electrical permits shall be as specified in the Master Fee Schedule. NOTE: Ampere rate shall apply to the secondary side of the transformer or transformers. B. Reinspections. A reinspection fee of $15.00 may be assessed for each inspection or reinspection when such portion of work for which inspection is called is not complete or when corrections called for are not made. This subsection is not to be interpreted as requiring reinspection fees the first time a job is rejected for failure to comply with the requirements of this code, but as controlling the practice of calling for inspections before the job is ready for such inspection or reinspection. Reinspection fees may be assessed when the permit card is not properly posted on the work site, the approved plans are not readily available to the inspector, for failure to provide access on the date for which inspection is requested, or for deviating from plans requiring the approval of the Building Official. In instances where reinspection fees have been assessed, no additional inspection of work will be performed until the rquired fees have been paid. C. Investigation Fees-Work without a permit. 1. Investigation. Whenever any work for which a permit is required by this code has been commenced without first obtaining said permit, a special investigation shall be made before a permit may be issued for such work. 2. Fees. An investigation fee, in addition to the permit fee, shall be collected whether or not a permit is then or subsequently issued. The investigation fee shall be equal to the amount of the permit required by the Master Fee Schedule. The payment of such investigation fee shall not exempt any person from compliance with all other provisions of this code nor from any penalty prescribed by law. 15.24.065. Permits-Null and void when-Period of validity-Renewal. A. Expiration. Each permit issued by the Building Official under the provisions of this code shall expire by limitation and become null and void if the building or work authorized by such permit is not commenced within 180 days of the date of such permit or if the building or work authorized by such permit is suspended or abandoned at any time after the work is commenced for a period of 180 days. Before such work can be recommended, a new permit shall be first obtained and the fee shall be -5- on-half the amount required for a new permit for such work provided no changes have been made or will be made in the original plans and ' specifications for such work and provided further that such suspension or abandonment has not exceeded one year. B. Suspension or Revocation. The Building Official may in writing suspend or revoke a permit issued under provisions of this code whenever the permit is issued in error on the basis of incorrect information supplied or in violation of any ordinance or regulation or any of the provisions of this code. 15.24.070. Inspections. All electrical work for which a permit is required shall be subject to inspection by the Director of Building and Housing. It shall be the duty of the person doing the work authorized by a permit to notify the Director of Building and Housing that such work is ready for inspection. It shall be the duty of the person requesting inspection required by this code to provide access to and means for proper inspection of such work. The inspector shall have the authority to require removal of any obstruction that prevents proper inspection of any electrical work. 15.24.075. Disapproved installations-Notification required-Correction. - If, upon inspection, the installation is not found to be fully in conformity with the provisions of this code, the Director of Building and Housing shall at once notify the person making the installation, stating the defects which have been found to exist. All defects shall be corrected within ten days after inspection and notification, or within other reasonable time as permitted by the Director of Building and Housing. 15.24.080. Distribution panels-Separate required when. Each store in a store building, each flat in a flat building, and each building used as a dwelling shall be so wired that each store, apartment, flat or dwelling shall have separate lighting and/or power distribution panels. Such panels shall not serve other portions of the building. Hotels, motels, hotel apartments and similar types of buildings may be wired from one or more distribution panels. 15.24.085. Circuit cards to be posted when. When requested by the Director of Building and Housing, a complete schedule of circuits showing the number, kind and capacity of each outlet on each circuit shall be posted on each job prior to rough inspection. -6- 15.24.090. Electric fences-Defined-Prohibited. A. As used herein, the term electric fence includes all fences which in any way use electrical energy as an additional deterrent or have wires charged with electricity which are not covered with adequate insulation to protect persons and animals coming in contact therewith. B. No electric fence may be constructed, maintained or operated within the city. 15.24.095. Phase arrangement-Amended. Section 384-3(f) of the 1987 National Electric Code is hereby amended to read: Phase Arrangement. The phase arrangement on three-phase buses shall be A, B, C from front to back, top to bottom, or left to right, as viewed from the front of the switchboard or panelboard. The C phase shall be that phase having the higher voltage to ground on three-phase, four-wire delta-connected systems. Other busbar arrangements may be permitted for additions to existing installations and shall be marked. 15.24.100. Communication Systems-Deleted. Chapter 8 of the 1987 National Electrical Code is hereby deleted. SECTION II. Finding and Declaration. The City Council of the City of Chula Vista specifically and expressly finds and declares that the nature and uniqueness of the climate, terrain, and location does necessitate and demand specific amendments to the National Electrical Code, 1987 Edition which are noted in the Chula Vista Municipal Code and restated in this ordinance. SECTION III. This ordinance shall take effect and be in force on the thirty-first day from and after its passage and approval. Presented by: Approved as to form by: WPC 0507B -7- FIRST READ AT A REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA· CALIFORNIA· HELD February 7 , 19 89 · AND FINALLY PASSED AND ADOPTED AT A REGULAR MEETING THEREOF HELD February 14 · 19 a9 · BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE· TO-WIT: AYES: Co~r~jlr~en: McCandltss, Nader, Cox, Malcolm, Moore NAYES: Councilmen: None ABSTAIN: CoLllcjJmen: None ABSENT: Councilmen: None ~y/~he C'/~ of Chula Vista STATE OF CALIFORNIA ) COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO ) ss. CITY OF CHULA VISTA ) I, JENNIE M. FULASZ, CMC, CITY CLERK of the City of Chulo Visfa, Colifornio, DO HEREBY CERTIFY thor the obove ond foregoing is 0 full, true ond correct copy of ORDINANCE NO, 2292 ,and fhot the some hoe nor been omendedor repeoled. DATED Cify Clerk