Public Works Permits

Applications for Encroachment Permits or Transportation Permits may be obtained at the Public Works Department or can be downloaded HERE. However before submitting your application to the City offices, please contact the Public Works Inspector to arrange a field meeting at the project site. It is necessary for the Public Works Inspector to assess the scope of work and estimate the hours of inspection to determine the appropriate fee to be charged prior to issuing an Encroachment Permit.  For questions or to meet with the Inspector, contact the Public Works Department at 253-4231 or click here to e-mail the Public Works Inspector.

Encroachment Permits

Public Works issues Encroachment Permits, as provided for in the Municipal Code Title 12, Chapter 12.08, for all work done in, or abutting, the right-of-way. No work or overnight parking of equipment is allowed in the right-of-way without an Encroachment Permit. 

Residents, or their representative, are responsible for obtaining Encroachment Permits when:

  •     Working in the roadway or right-of-way.
  •     Building new driveways or replacing existing driveways.
  •     Placing dumpsters or debris boxes on property or on the side of roadway.
  •     Requesting street closures for construction or block parties.
  •     Parking construction equipment or a moving truck overnight on the side of the road.
  •     Landscaping or any frontage improvements abutting the right-of-way.
  •     Replacing or repairing water service or sewer laterals.
  •     Installing, replacing, or modifying fencing along the right-of-way.


Utility Trench Cut Permit Conditions & Moratorium Policy on New Pavements

Trench excavations on City Streets must be patched per the Utility Trench Cut Permit Conditions and "Utility Trench Cut Details" standards.  
 
 In addition, there is a moratorium on trenching in streets for non-emergency work that have been recently paved as part of the City’s street maintenance/rehabilitation program. For streets that have had a surface treatment such as a slurry seal, chip seal or micro-surfacing, the moratorium on utility cuts in the street is three (3) years. For overlaid, mill & fill, or reconstructed/full depth reclamation streets the moratorium on utility cuts is five (5) years. Non-emergency trench cuts on streets under the moratorium may be permitted under certain conditions by the encroachment permit process, but will be subject to additional requirements as provided in the "Utility Trench Cut Permit Conditions & Moratorium Policy on New Pavements" and subject to City approval.

Transportation Permits

Public Works issues Transportation Permits for transporting oversized loads within the City limits. Residents and others entering the City are responsible for:

  •     Obtaining a Transportation Permit prior to moving wide or heavy loads within the City limits.
  •     Complying with Caltrans standards.

Download 2021 Orinda Transportation Permit Applications - HERE.