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DRILLING AND OPERATING REQUIREMENTS
(A) Location of wells. Well location shall be in accordance with the requirements of the state. No wells shall be drilled within 100 feet of any building used for human occupancy, except any building owned by the operator or his lessor, or any owner who consents in writing to such location, or building incidental to the operation of the well, or any building located on land the surface of which is under development for oil and gas purposes. Well location shall be in accordance with the requirements of the state and the zoning ordinance of the city.
(B) Derricks. All derricks and masts hereafter erected for drilling or redrilling shall be at least equivalent to the American Petroleum Institute Standards 4A, 15th Edition and 4D, 4th Edition.
(C) Signs.
(1) A sign having a surface area of not less than two square feet and no more than six square feet bearing the current name and number of the well and the name or insignia of the operator shall be located and maintained at every well in a place where it will be fully visible at all times, from the commencement of drilling operations until the well is abandoned.
(2) In lieu of the sign mentioned in subdivision (1) of this division and in the event there are more than two producing wells on one leasehold or one operating unit, it shall be sufficient if the entrances to such leasehold or operating unit are posted with a sign not less than 18 inches by 24 inches bearing the name of the operator together with the name or designation of the lease together with an openly visible sign on each producing well designating the particular number thereof.
(D) Blowout prevention. Protection shall be provided to prevent the blowout of a well, during drilling and redrilling operations, in accordance with the requirements of the state, Petroleum Safety Orders—Drilling and Production of Cal. Code of Regs. Title 17, §§ 1722 et seq.
(E) Sump fencing. All sumps or sump holes not attended 24 hours per day shall be enclosed by a steel chain-link-type fence not less than five feet in height, or a substitute approved by the Building Inspector. There shall be no aperture below such fence greater than four inches. Fencing of the outer boundaries of one leasehold or one operating unit shall be deemed to be compliance with this provision. Fence gates shall be kept locked at all times when unattended by a watchman or serviceman.
(F) Well cellars. Except during drilling and servicing operations, well cellars shall be kept reasonably free from water, oil, drilling fluids, or other substances and means shall be provided to keep such cellars covered.
(G) Removal of equipment. All drilling equipment shall be removed from the premises within 60 days following the completion, abandonment or desertion of any well. With respect to all wells drilled subsequent to the enactment of the ordinance codified in this chapter all derricks shall be removed from the premises within 60 days following the completion, abandonment or desertion of any well. Once any well drilled subsequent to the enactment of the ordinance codified in this chapter is a producing well, it shall be serviced with a portable derrick and such derrick shall be removed from the premises within 60 days following the completion of such servicing operations.
(H) Surfacing of roads. Private roads leading to well sites shall be surfaced in such a manner as to prevent undue amounts of dust from being carried onto adjacent property or the public streets.
(I) Sanitary facilities. Suitable and adequate sanitary toilet facilities shall be installed during all drilling operations and maintained in a clean and sanitary condition.
('81 Code, § 5.40.070) Penalty, see Ch. 13
A well shall be considered properly abandoned for the purposes of this code when:
(A) A copy of the Division of Oil and Gas “Notice of Intention to Abandon” furnished by the Division of Oil and Gas is mailed to the Building Inspector; and
(B) The well has been abandoned in accordance with the requirements of the Division of Oil and Gas; and
(C) The site has been cleared of all drilling or producing equipment and left in a clean condition, which shall include draining and backfilling of any sump used in connection with the well and removal of concrete, pipe and other foreign materials from the surface of the ground, and the surface of the land, insofar as practicable, left in a neat and orderly condition; and
(D) The Building Inspector shall have inspected and certified in writing that such well has been properly abandoned in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.
('81 Code, § 5.40.080)
(A) Whenever in the opinion of the Building Inspector desertion has occurred, he shall so certify in writing to the City Council. Within two weeks after receipt of such certification, the City Council shall set the time and place for a public hearing, which hearing shall be held not more than 30 days, nor less than 15 days, from the date when the City Council shall so set the hearing for the purpose of determining whether or not such desertion has occurred. Within two days after the setting of such hearing, a certified copy of the resolution of the City Council calling such hearing shall be served upon the operator by the Building Inspector.
(B) Such service shall be deemed complete when such resolution is deposited in the United States mail, postage prepaid, and directed to operator at his last known address. Notice of such hearing shall also be published at least once in a newspaper of general circulation in the city.
(C) At such hearing the City Council shall hear and review all evidence concerning the alleged desertion and shall make a determination thereon.
(D) If the City Council makes a determination that desertion has occurred, the city may, in addition to any other proceeding provided for by law, proceed against and collect from the bond filed by such operator and with the proceeds thereof the city may perform or cause to be performed whatever work or services as are necessary to abandon properly any such well and restore the premises in accordance with the provisions of this code.
('81 Code, § 5.40.090)
(A) The permittee shall notify the Building Inspector in writing of the sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance, or exchange of any well within 30 days after such sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance, or exchange, and the new owner thereof shall succeed to all the rights and obligations of permittee under the permit applicable to such well, upon the filing by the new owner of a faithful performance bond as provided in § 120.018 to cover its future operation and maintenance of such well.
(B) The notice shall contain the following:
(1) The name and address of the person to whom such well is sold, assigned, transferred, conveyed, or exchanged;
(2) The name and location of the well;
(3) The date of sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance, or exchange;
(4) The date when possession was relinquished by the former permittee.
('81 Code, § 5.40.100) Penalty, see Ch. 13
(A) Materials and design. Piping, valves, and fittings for flammable liquids shall be designed for the working pressures and structural stresses to which they may be subjected. They shall be of steel or other material suitable for use with the liquid being handled. Pipe wall thicknesses shall be determined in accordance with nationally recognized good practice; except that carbon steel pipe shall not be thinner than standard wall thickness pipe. Pipe wall thickness shall be determined according to the provisions of ASA B31.1-1955 “American Standard Code for Pressure Piping.” All threaded joints and connec-tions shall be made up tight and suitable lubricant or piping compound. These provisions shall apply to all piping for flammable liquids which falls within the scope of this chapter.
(B) Protection against corrosion. All piping for flammable liquids, both aboveground and under-ground, where subject to external corrosion, shall be painted or otherwise protected.
(C) Supports. Pipe systems shall be substantially supported and protected against physical damage and excessive stresses arising from settle-ment, vibration, expansion or contraction.
(D) Valves. Pipe systems shall contain a sufficient number of valves to operate the system properly and to protect the plant. Pipe systems in connection with pumps shall contain a sufficient number of valves to control properly the flow of liquid in normal operation and in the event of physical damage. Connections to pipelines, by which equipment such as tank cars or tank vehicles discharge flammable liquids by means of centrifugal pumps into aboveground storage tanks, shall be provided with check valves for automatic protection against backflow.
('81 Code, § 5.40.220) Penalty, see Ch. 13
(A) Electrical equipment. All electrical equipment used, installed or maintained within 50 feet of a drilling well and within 25 feet of a producing well, shall be installed and maintained in accordance with the Electrical Code of the city.
(B) Internal combustion engines, storage tanks, fired equipment and open flames. No internal combustion engine, storage tanks, boiler, fired equipment or open flames except welding supervised by the production foreman, drilling foreman, drilling engineer, drilling supervisors, or safety supervisors shall be located closer than 25 feet to a producing well nor closer than 100 feet to a drilling well. Internal combustion engines (and their fuel tanks) used in the drilling, production and servicing of oil wells are exempt from the above provisions. During drilling operations on a drill site of two acres or less in area where two or more wells are drilled and drilling and production equipment are located on such sites, the provisions in this division relating to distance of storage tanks may be altered at the discretion of the Building Inspector after consideration of the special features such as topographical conditions; nature of occupancy and proximity to buildings on adjoining property and height and character of construction of such buildings; capacity and construction of proposed tanks and character of liquids to be stored; degree of private fire protection to be provided, and facilities of the Fire Department to cope with flammable liquid fires.
(C) Muffling exhaust. The engines used in connection with the drilling of any oil well or in any production equipment of any oil well shall be equipped with an exhaust muffler to prevent excessive or unusual noise. Means shall be provided on all engines used during drilling operations to prevent the escape of flames, sparks, ignited carbon and soot.
(D) Flammable waste gases and vapors. Flammable waste gases or vapors escaping from a production drill site shall be burned or controlled to prevent hazardous concentrations reaching sources of ignition or otherwise endangering the area.
(1) Flares. Approved means of ignition shall be provided whenever hydrocarbon gases are released to the air through flares.
(2) Venting. Gases or vapors not burned may be discharged to the atmosphere at not less than 20 feet vertically above grade and not less than 25 feet horizontally from any source of ignition and at locations that do not create a hazard to the general area.
(E) Waste control of drill site.
(1) No person shall permit or cause to be permitted the discharge of any liquid containing crude petroleum or its products into or upon any street, public highway, drainage canal, or ditch, storm drain or flood-control channel.
(2) No person shall permit or cause to be permitted any oil, waste oil, refuse or waste material to be on the surface of the ground, under, around or near any oil well, pump, boiler, oil storage tank or building except within an oil sump, tank, catchment basin or skimming pond.
(3) All land within 25 feet of any oil well, flammable liquid tank or other appurtenance to any such well shall be at all times kept free and clear of dry weeds, grass, rubbish or other combustible debris. When this distance is not sufficient to provide reasonable fire safety, a greater distance may be required which shall not exceed the height of the derrick or greatest dimension of the tank.
(F) Smoking. No person shall smoke nor cause, permit or allow another person to smoke within 50 feet of any well, tank location, or any area contaminated by oil or waste gas.
(G) Fire control equipment. A minimum of two fire extinguishers shall be maintained at all oil well locations where drilling, servicing or repair work is being conducted. Each such extinguisher shall have a minimum classification of 20B as set forth in N.B.F.U. No. 10, “First Aid Fire Appliances,” in accordance with the Fire Code of the city. Fire control shall be as follows:
(1) Where flammable liquids are used or dispensed, first aid fire appliances shall be provided. The number and type of appliances shall be as provided in N.B.F.U. No. 10, N.F.P.A. No. 10, “Portable Fire Extinguishers.”
(2) Whenever flammable liquids are stored in containers, provision shall be made and maintained for the detection of leakage. Leaking containers shall be immediately removed or made tight.
(3) Access shall be provided by unobstructed aisles whereby first aid fire control apparatus may be brought to bear on any part of such flammable liquids storage.
(4) In buildings, rooms or other confined spaces in which flammable liquids are stored, no combustible waste materials shell be allowed to accumulate.
(5) Crankcase drainings and flammable liquids shall not be dumped into sewers, but shall be stored in tanks or tight drums outside of any building until removed from the premises.
('81 Code, § 5.40.230) Penalty, see Ch. 13
(A) Any permit issued pursuant to the provisions of this code may be revoked by the City Council upon its finding, after a public hearing as provided in this chapter, that the permittee has failed, neglected or refused to perform, comply with and abide by any of the conditions and provisions of this chapter.
(B) It shall be the duty of the Building Inspector to enforce the provisions of this chapter, and for that purpose the Building Inspector and his deputies shall have the powers of a police officer.
(C) Proceedings before the City Council for the revocation of any permit may be instituted by the Building Inspector causing to be posted in a conspicuous place on the premises covered by the permit, readable from the ground level, a notice entitled “Notice of intention to revoke permit,” and cause a copy thereof to be mailed, postage prepaid, to permittee, or his designated agent, at his last known address, and a copy to be filed with the City Council. Such notice shall set forth the date of the posting hereof, and the reasons and grounds upon which such revocation will be based, and shall require permittee, within 15 days after the date of posting specified therein, to cure and remedy any default under, noncompliance with, or violation of any condition of the permit, or to show cause before such City Council why such permit shall not be revoked.
(D) Upon application therefor by permittee, the City Council may, at its discretion, extend the time for curing and remedying any claimed default, noncompliance or violation by permittee, but no such extension of time shall be for a longer period than a total of 60 days from and after the service upon permittee of such notice of intention to revoke such permit.
(E) At any time prior to the expiration of such period of 15 days, or any extension thereof, the permittee may file with the City Council a written appeal from the order, requirement, decision or determination of the Building Inspector as set forth in the notice mentioned in division (C) of this section, and request a hearing thereon by the City Council. Failure to file a demand for such hearing within the period of time, mentioned in this division, or any extension thereof, shall be deemed to be an admission on the part of the permittee that valid grounds exist for the revocation of such permit forthwith, unless the permittee has commenced with a diligent and bona fide effort to cure and remedy the default, noncompliance or violation for which such notice was issued.
('81 Code, § 5.40.240)
(A) The City Council shall have and exercise the power to hear and determine appeals where it is alleged there is error or abuse of discretion in any order, requirements, decision or determination made by the Building Inspector in the administration or enforcement of any of the provisions of this chapter.
(B) An appeal shall be in writing and shall be filed in triplicate in the office of the City Clerk. An appeal from any order, requirement, decision or determination by the Building Inspector must set forth specifically wherein it is claimed there was an error or abuse of discretion by his action or where the decision is not supported by the evidence in the matter.
(C) Within five days from and after the filing of the appeal, the Building Inspector shall transmit to the City Council all papers involved in the proceedings. In addition, he may make and transmit to the City Council such supplementary report as he may deem necessary to present clearly the facts and circum-stances of the case.
(D) Upon receipt of the record, the City Council shall set the matter for hearing and give notice by mail of the time, place and purpose thereof to appellant and to the Building Inspector and any other party at interest who has requested in writing to be so notified and no other notice need be given.
(E) Upon the date set for the hearing, the City Council shall hear the appeal, unless for cause the City Council shall on that date continue the matter. No notice of continuance need be given if the order therefor is announced at the time for which the hearing was set.
(F) Upon the hearing of such appeals, the City Council may affirm, change or modify the ruling, decision or determination appealed from or in lieu thereof may make such other or additional determina-tion as it shall deem proper in the premise's subject to the same limitations as are placed upon the Building Inspector by this code and by other provisions of law.
('81 Code, § 5.40.250)
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