“Our architectural firm has worked over the last several years on large food distribution facilities and flower distribution facilities in the City of Vernon. In every case, the friendly and knowledgeable staff of the city’s Building and the Planning departments have been very helpful in guiding our projects through the regulatory process toward the swift issuance of permits.”

John Rock
President, John Rock Architects

The Community Services & Water Department has four divisions: Public Works, Building, Planning, and Water.

Public Works Division

The forefathers of the City established Vernon in 1905 as an industrial community. Over the years, the City constructed an infrastructure to serve Vernon’s unique community. It is the Public Works Departments’ responsibility to maintain and enhance the roadway, sewer, and storm drain systems constructed to serve the City.

The Public Works Departments’ duties and tasks include:

• engineering design and contract administration of public improvements including roadway, traffic signal, sewer, storm drain, and city owned buildings
• maintenance of the infrastructure utilizing both city employees and contractors, the maintenance of city owned buildings
• warehousing of city equipment, stock, and supplies
• maintenance of city vehicles

Building Division

The Building Division’s primary function is to ensure that all structures constructed within the city are built to appropriate safety standards. The city enforces the uniform building codes as adopted by the State of California. These codes establish the minimum construction standards for all buildings within the City.

The Vernon Building Department is a division of the Community Services Department and is responsible for issuing building permits. The staff’s duties include plan checking and inspecting structures to ensure conformance with appropriate state and local codes.

Vernon offers a one stop community services counter where questions regarding building codes, zoning requirements and public works are answered. Due to the unique nature of Vernon, the City employs experts in individual fields of construction. The City has developed an especially efficient and speedy review and approval process which supports business development.

Planning Division

The Planning Division is responsible for the development and oversight of the General Plan for the City. The General Plan establishes guiding principles on how the City will be developed and maintained through a series of goals and policies. The land use element of the General Plan is the basis for the City of Vernon's Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance.

Water Division

The Water Division is responsible for providing safe potable drinking water, meeting State and Federal requirements at an economical price. The City maintains wells, reservoirs and piping systems designed to meet the demands of its industrial community. The Insurance Service Organization has classified the Vernon system as a Class I System, the highest possible. Vernon's water rates are among the lowest in the area.

City crews are responsible for maintaining the wells, reservoirs, hydrants and constructing new water services. A constant pressure is maintained by the City's centrally located elevated tank.

Links:

Official Vernon City Website