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When permit applications or plans are reviewed in accordance to the City of Yuba City Zoning Code, a project may require an entitlement. For a description of each, click on the title below .
General Plan and Plan Amendments — The General Plan and Community Plans describe long-range goals and objectives for the City as a whole and for specific communities. These plans are official policy statements of the City Council. Projects must comply with these plans in order to be approved. Any change in the General Plan or Community Plans must also go through the same process of study, review, and public hearings.
Zone Change (e.g. Rezone) – The City has a Zoning Map that divides all land within the City into different zones. Zoning regulates what uses can go where and the development standards to which new development must be built. Development standards refer to the height, lot coverage, parking standards, wall, tree shading or landscaping requirements, or setback requirements.
The City Zoning Code may be amended to reclassify property from any zoning district to any other zoning district provided that any such amendment is consistent with the City of Yuba City General Plan. Zone change applications (also known as rezones) require action by the Planning Commission and the City Council. The Planning Commission makes a report of its findings and recommendations with respect to the proposed amendment, and files it with the City Council. Upon receipt of the Planning Commission’s report, the City Council sets the matter for public hearing. The decision of the City Council is the final action on such applications.
Use Permits — A use permit (also known as a special permit) is a zoning instrument used primarily to review the location, site development, or conduct of certain land uses. These are uses that may have an impact on the area in which they are located or are capable of creating special problems for bordering properties unless given special attention. Use permits are reviewed by the Planning Commission and, on occasion, the City Council.
The Use permit process allows decision-makers to impose certain conditions on a project in order to avoid potential problems. These requirements are not arbitrary; they must relate to the expected problems.
Variances — The City Zoning Code defines how a property may be used (i.e., for residential or commercial) and the development standard to which a project may be built (lot coverage, height, setbacks, and more).
A property owner may feel that one or more standards impose a unique hardship. If so, the owner may request to be excused from strict compliance with that requirement. This request is called a variance because the owner is allowed to vary from the rules that usually apply. For example, a company would like to build its new offices on a property with a protected tree. To make the project practical, the company would like to build the offices closer to the street, which would violate the zone’s existing setback rules regarding how far the walls must be from the street. They would then request a setback variance for the project.
Subdivision and Parcel Changes — City Subdivision Code applies when a property owner wants to change an existing parcel by dividing an existing parcel into multiple ones, or otherwise change a parcel by adjusting its lot lines. An example would be an owner who bought a 5-acre property and wishes to divide it into five separate 1-acre lots to sell to different buyers.