Before you can understand why certain parcel map waivers exist for the city of Santa Rosa, you should understand what a parcel map is. Parcel maps are, in a nutshell, maps that are created by using information that’s been filed with the Town Clerk’s office. Usually surveys are part of this information and are often used to create these maps.
Parcel maps are generally used to determine accurate land size, but they’re often used for a whole host of other reasons, such as determining potential building locations, viewing zoning boundaries, finding floodplain locations, mapping out historic neighborhoods or land, and figuring out the right locations for community services like a fire department. These maps show every parcel of land so that the Town Clerk can record accurate land size and boundaries for the Grand List.
The Grand List is a record of taxable property values within a town, so the Grand List of Santa Rosa will show accurate property values for every taxable portion of the city.
As you can see, almost all of the city’s land, privately owned and otherwise, will need to be recorded on the Grand List. However, there are exemptions, and that’s what we’ll get into now.
According to the Santa Rosa City Code, there are four cases for the waiver of a parcel map. Those exemptions are as follows.
- A railroad corporation defined by Section 230 of the Public Utilities Code.
- Land conveyed to or from a governmental agency, public entity, public utility, or for land conveyed to a subsidiary of a public utility for conveyance to such public utility for rights-of-way, with some exceptions.
- When an official city committee, such as the City Council or Planning Commission, determines that the division of land meets all of the City’s requirements for a number of factors, including floodwater drainage control, improved public roads, water supply availability, environmental protection, and others. A certificate of compliance is required in this case.
- The merger of adjoining lots or parcels, except in the case of a city committee determining that a parcel map is necessary.
For the complete section of the Santa Rosa City Code with all details included, you can visit this site.
As you can see, in order to waive a parcel map, very specific requirements must be met and permission usually must be obtained from the city. The necessity of parcel maps makes it all the more clear that surveys should be conducted professionally and with great attention to detail so that the city’s Grand List is accurate and there are no issues obtaining waivers when appropriate.