Glossary of Terms

CEQA guideline is defined by California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, Sec. 15000, et seq.

For the purposes of Historic Preservation (Div. 13B.8.), certificate of appropriateness is defined as an approved certificate issued for the construction, additions over established thresholds outlined in Sec. 13B.8.4. (Review of Conforming Work), demolition, reconstruction, alteration, removal, or relocation of any publicly or privately owned building, structure, landscaping, natural feature, or lot within a Historic Preservation Overlay Zone that is identified as a contributing element in the historic resources survey for the zone, including street features, furniture or fixtures.

For the purposes of Historic Preservation (Div. 13B.8.), certificate of compatibility is defined as an approved certificate issued for the construction of a new building or structure on a lot, demolition, or building replacement of an element, identified as noncontributing, or not listed, in the historic resources survey for the zone.

Certificate of Occupancy is defined as a certificate issued by the Department of Building and Safety in accordance with Chapter IX. (Building Regulations), Sec. 91.109. (Certificate of Occupancy) of this Code authorizing the use of land, a building or structure or portion thereof, or a trailer park or portion thereof. See Sec. 1.4.2.C. (Certificate of Occupancy).

Chamfered corner is defined as an architectural element at a corner of a building adjacent to a street intersection where a tertiary building face transitions between two otherwise intersecting primary building faces at an angle between 30 and 60 degrees measured from both primary building faces. For an illustrative example, see Sec. 3C.1.3.C.2. (Standards).

Pursuant to Sec. 14.2.15.B.6.a. (Change of Use), change of use is defined as work that includes a change or expansion in the permitted use of any portion of an existing building or lot from one use defined in Part 5D. (Use Definitions) to any other use defined in Part 5D. (Use Definitions). Change of use does not include any temporary uses. For temporary uses, see Sec. 14.2.15.B.7. (Temporary Use).

Character frontage is defined as a Frontage District established in Div. 3B.9. (Character Frontage District).

For the purposes of Sec. 5C.3.2. (Home-Sharing Program), citation is defined as any enforcement citation, order, ticket or similar notice of violation, relating to the condition of or activities at a person’s primary residence or property, issued by the Department of Building and Safety, Los Angeles Housing Department, Los Angeles Police Department, or Los Angeles Fire Department, including an Administrative Citation issued pursuant to Chapter I. (General Provisions and Zoning), Article 1.2. (Administrative Citations) of this Code.

City is defined as the City of Los Angeles, California.

City Council is established by City Charter, Sec. 200 (City Officers). See also Sec. 13A.1.2. (City Council).

City Engineer is defined pursuant to Article 6. (City Engineer) of the LAAC.

Pursuant to Sec. 2C.4.4. (City Hall Height Restriction), City Hall height restriction is defined as a restriction to the vertical dimension of a building based on proximity and height relative to Los Angeles City Hall.

City Planning Commission is defined pursuant to City Charter, Sec. 551. (City Planning Commission).

Pursuant to Sec. 5D.3.2. (Civic Facility), civic facility is defined as any publicly accessible facility that provides governmental or cultural services to the general public and is operated by or in partnership with a governmental institution. A civic facility includes a post office, civic center, community center, public museum, courthouse, government office, or library.

Pursuant to Sec. 5D.3.2.A. (Civic Facility: Local), civic facility: local is defined as a civic facility that occupies no more than 50,000 square feet of total floor area. This use does not include similar uses that occupy more than 50,000 square feet of total floor area; for such uses see Sec. 5D.3.2.B. (Civic Facility: Regional).

Pursuant to Sec. 5D.3.2.B. (Civic Facility: Regional), civic facility: regional is defined as a civic facility that occupies more than 50,000 square feet of total floor area. This use does not include similar uses that occupy 50,000 square feet or less of total floor area; for such uses see Sec. 5D.3.2.A. (Civic Facility: Local).

Pursuant to Sec. 5D.3.3. (Civic Fleet Services), civic fleet services include maintenance, storage, and management of government or publicly operated motor vehicles, such as school buses, municipal transit vehicles, emergency response vehicles, public utility vehicles, or waste hauling vehicles, in service of any civic facility use. Where uses, such as dispatch, do not include motor vehicle maintenance or storage, they are allowed pursuant to Sec. 5D.3.2. (Civic Facility).

Clear depth is defined as the horizontal dimension of the occupiable portion of a building or structure at the narrowest point.

Clear height is defined as the vertical dimension of the occupiable portion of a building or structure at the shortest point.

Clear width is defined as the horizontal dimension of the occupiable portion of a building or structure at the narrowest point (unless otherwise noted).

For the purposes of Sec. 13B.9.2. (Coastal Development Permit (Post-Certification)), coastal bluff is defined as the upper termination of a bluff, cliff, or seacliff. In cases where the top edge of the cliff is rounded away from the face of the cliff as a result of erosional processes related to the presence of the steep cliff face, the bluff line or edge shall be defined as that point nearest the cliff beyond which the downward gradient of the surface increases more or less continuously until it reaches the general gradient of the cliff. In a case where there is a steplike feature at the top of the cliff face, the landward edge of the topmost riser shall be taken to be the cliff edge. The termini of the bluff line, or edge along the seaward face of the bluff, shall be defined as a point reached by bisecting the angle formed by a line coinciding with the general trend of the bluff line along the inland facing portion of the bluff. The minimum length of bluff line or edge used in making these determinations is 500 feet.

For the purposes of Sec. 13B.9.2. (Coastal Development Permit (Post-Certification)), coastal development is defined as any of the following on land, in or under water: the placement or erection of any solid material or structure; the discharge or disposal of any dredged material or of any gaseous, liquid, solid or thermal waste; the grading, removing, dredging, mining or extraction of any materials; any change in the density or intensity of use of land, including, but not limited to, subdivisions pursuant to the Subdivision Map Act (commencing with California Government Code, Sec. 66410), and any other division of land, including lot splits, except where the land division is brought about in connection with the purchase of the land by a public agency for public recreational use; any change in the intensity of use of water or of access to the water; construction, reconstruction, demolition or alteration of the size of any structure, including any facility of any private, public or municipal utility; and the removal or harvesting of major vegetation other than for agricultural purposes, kelp harvesting, and timber operations, which are in accordance with a timber harvesting plan submitted pursuant to the provisions of the Z’bergNejedly Forest Practice Act of 1973 (commencing with Sec. 4511 of the Public Resources Code).

For the purposes of Sec. 13B.9.2. (Coastal Development Permit (Post-Certification)), coastal zone is defined as that land and water area specified on the maps cited in Sec. 30103 of the Public Resources Code, extending seaward to the State’s outer limit of jurisdiction, including all offshore islands, but with some additional criteria for special areas as specified in Sec. 30103.5 and 30166 of the Public Resources Code.

Collection bin is defined as any box, canister, receptacle, or other container that can be opened and closed, and is used for collecting salvageable personal property, including, but not limited to, clothing, shoes, books, and household items for periodic off-site processing and/or redistribution. For purposes of this definition, salvageable personal property shall not include recyclable materials not intended for re-use, including, but not limited to, newspapers, plastic, glass, aluminum, electronics, toxic or hazardous materials, and solid waste; nor any personal property that, because of its size, does not fit inside the collection bin. See Sec. 13B.10.3.A.2. (Definitions).

Collector street is defined as any public right-of-way designated as a collector street on the Citywide General Plan Circulation System maps of the Circulation Element of the General Plan.

For the purposes of Sec. 4C.11.1.E.3. (Original Art Murals, Vintage Original Art Murals & Public Art Installations), commercial message means any message that advertises a business conducted, services rendered, or goods produced or sold.

Commercial vehicle is defined as any vehicle, excluding household moving rental trucks and utility rental trailers, which when operated upon a highway is required to be registered as a commercial vehicle by the Vehicle Code of the State of California, or by any other jurisdiction, and that is used or maintained for the transportation of persons for hire, compensation, or profit, or designed, used, or maintained primarily for the transportation of property.

For the purposes of Div. 11.5. (Condominiums, Community Apartments, & Stock Cooperatives) commercial/industrial conversion project is defined as an existing building used exclusively for commercial or industrial purposes, or both, proposed for conversion to a condominium or stock cooperative to be used exclusively for commercial or industrial purposes, or both through approval of a tract map or parcel map. For purposes of this definition, the term existing means that the building was constructed prior to 1945, or if it was built after 1945, a Certificate of Occupancy was issued for the building prior to the time of map application.

For the purposes of Div. 11.5. (Condominiums, Community Apartments, & Stock Cooperatives) commercial/industrial to residential conversion project is defined as an existing building used exclusively for commercial or industrial purposes, or both, proposed for conversion to a condominium, stock cooperative or community apartment to be used exclusively for residential purposes through approval of a tract map or parcel map. For purposes of this definition, the term existing means that the building was constructed prior to 1945 or, if it was built after 1945, a Certificate of Occupancy was issued for the building prior to the time of map application.

Pursuant to Sec. 5D.6.2. (Commissary Kitchen), a commissary kitchen is defined as a kitchen facility used for cooking and preparing food to be primarily served and consumed off-site. This definition includes multi-tenant shared kitchen facilities, order fulfillment kitchens, and catering kitchen facilities. The following uses are allowed when incidential to the kitchen facility: research and teaching facilities, commercial food processing, and order fulfillment pick-up lobbies.

Pursuant to Sec. 2C.3.3.C.5. (Common Indoor Amenity Space), common indoor amenity space is defined as a type of amenity space that is covered or enclosed, is legally required to be open to all tenants of a building, is intended to create opportunities for social and recreational activity for tenants, and meets all of the standards in Sec. 2C3.3.C.5. (Common Indoor Amenity Space).

Pursuant to Sec. 14.2.12.B.3. (Common Lot Line), common lot line is defined as any lot line shared by multiple lots. Common lot lines include all side lot lines and rear lot lines and may include special lot lines in Dual Frontage Districts (Div. 3B.8.).

Pursuant to Sec. 2C.3.3.C.1. (Common Outdoor Amenity Space), common outdoor amenity space is defined as a type of amenity space that is outdoors, open to all tenants of a building, and meets the standards of Sec. 2C.3.3.C.1. (Common Outdoor Amenity Space).

Community apartment project is defined pursuant to California Business and Professions Code, Sec. 11004.

Pursuant to Sec. 5D.3.8. (Community Assembly), community assembly is defined as any non-residential and not-for-profit facility that is oriented around an assembly space used primarily for the temporary gathering of people for a shared social purpose. Access to the general public may be limited based on association. Community assembly includes any place of worship, community meeting room, private club, event space, assembly hall, social club, or union hall.

Pursuant to Sec. 5D.3.8.A. (Community Assembly: Local), community assembly: local is defined as any community assembly use that includes an assembly space 2,000 square feet or less. This use does not include similar uses that occupy more than 2,000 square feet of total assembly space floor area, for such uses see Sec. 5D.3.8.B. (Community Assembly: Regional).