UNDERGROUND UTILITIES

North Las Vegas Municipal Code tit. 13, ch. 13.36

in effect

North Las Vegas Municipal Code § 13.36.010 Purpose.

13.36.010 - Purpose. In order to promote the health, safety, convenience and general welfare of the inhabitants of all residential, commercial and industrial developments, and to improve the aesthetic appearance of certain areas within the city, the purpose of this chapter is to require that electrical, gas and communication distribution lines, including television service facilities, wires, cables or pipe installed within and for the purpose of serving new residential, industrial and commercial developments shall be placed underground, except as hereinafter provided. (Prior code § 16.28.010)

North Las Vegas Municipal Code § 13.36.020 Definitions.

13.36.020 - Definitions. Whenever in this chapter the words or phrases hereinafter in this section defined are used, they shall have the respective meanings assigned to them in the following definitions: "Applicant" means the owner, developer, subdivider, resubdivider, builder or other person, partnership, association, firm or governmental agency requesting utility service. "Approved poles" shall be of one type of shaved wood poles with a light gray finish. Poles of other types and finish may be used by agreement between the utility and the director of public works or the city engineer. "City" means the city of North Las Vegas, a municipal corporation of the state of Nevada. "City engineer" means the city engineer of the city of North Las Vegas, Nevada. "Commercial development" shall be of the shopping center type, with a multiple store complex of five or more on land technically not subdivided. "Conduit" means a tubular runway for underground cables. "Council" means the city council of the city of North Las Vegas, Nevada. "Director of public works" means the director of public works of the city of North Las Vegas, Nevada. "Major street" means a street listed and delineated in the text and maps of the master plan of streets and highways of the master plan of the city of North Las Vegas as a major street. "Person" means and includes individuals, firms, corporations, partnerships and their agents and employees. "Planning commission" means the city planning commission of the city of North Las Vegas. "Poles, overhead wires and associated overhead structures" means poles, towers, supports, wires, conductors, guys, stubs, platforms, crossarms, braces, transformers, insulators, cutouts, switches, communication circuits, appliances, attachments and appurtenances located above ground upon, along, across or over the public streets, alleys and ways of the city, and used or useful in supplying electric, communication or similar or associated services. "PSC" means the Public Service Commission of the state of Nevada. "Subdivision" means and includes any land, improved or unimproved, or portion thereof shown on the last preceding tax roll as a unit or as contiguous units, which is divided for the purpose of sale or lease, whether immediate or future, into five or more parcels within any one calendar year. Included herein is all land divided for residential, commercial or industrial use. "Underground distribution systems" means all facilities for supplying electrical, gas, communication or similar associated services including all wires, cables, conduits, ducts, transformers, terminal boxes, meters, meter cabinets, pull boxes, piping, service laterals and other equipment and materials required for a complete system. "Utility" means and includes all persons or entities supplying electric, communication or similar or associated services by means of electrical materials or devices. It also includes suppliers of gas and other associated services. (Ord. 1174 § 1, 1996; prior code § 16.28.020)

North Las Vegas Municipal Code § 13.36.030 Exceptions.

13.36.030 - Exceptions. Exceptions shall be as follows: A. Municipal equipment installed under the supervision of and to the satisfaction of the director of public works, the city engineer, or the building department of the city, such as streetlight poles, etc., but not restricted thereto. All conductors to such structures shall be underground in accordance with this chapter. B. High voltage transmission and distribution lines transmitting electricity twelve thousand (12,000) volts or more may be carried on poles. On new transmission lines, metal poles shall be used at major angle points for the purpose of eliminating the necessity for guy wires. The poles for all tangent structures shall be of the approved type. Poles shall be equipped with light gray insulators and shall conform to good construction practice with poles properly plumbed. The new poles shall be located on routes approved by the director of public works or the city engineer. C. Wires of a continuous lead crossing any portion of the area from which overhead wires have been prohibited when such continuous lead originates in an area from which poles and overhead wires and associated overhead structures are not prohibited. D. Radio and television antennae and associated equipment and supporting structures used for furnishing communications services, but not including a communications distributing system on poles. E. House service switchboxes, exposed conduit at buildings, electric and gas meters may be above ground. Transformers will be padmounted or of the submersible type. All communications enclosed terminal blocks will be preferably located adjacent to the transformers, but may be spaced otherwise if required. F. Subdivisions, industrial and commercial developments on which the final map has been recorded prior to the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter but on which construction work has not been completed. G. Emergency service for overhead electrical or communication lines may be installed on a temporary basis, to be removed when the underground services are energized. (Ord. 884 § 1, 1987; prior code § 16.28.030)

North Las Vegas Municipal Code § 13.36.040 Plans and approval.

13.36.040 - Plans and approval. A. The applicant shall be responsible for complying with all applicable requirements of this chapter and shall make the necessary arrangements with the utility companies involved. For the specifications, design plans and installations, the utility companies shall comply with this chapter in the installation of said facilities. Said installation specifications and design plans shall comply with the commission and the National Electric Safety Code. B. After approval of the subdivision by the city is obtained, the applicant shall provide the utility company with an approved copy of the development map of the building construction proposed. The applicant shall provide a statement on the development map, indicating desired terminal points of the distribution system proposed. Further, the applicant shall provide the utility companies with copies of all proposed development plans necessary for proper design of the utility system. C. The utility shall furnish the applicant and the director of public works or the city engineer with approved plans required by the utility for the overall underground system. The utility services will be furnished in accordance with the rules and regulations of the commission and this chapter. D. An "as-built" plan shall be furnished to the city by the utility companies involved which will show the underground distribution systems as actually installed. E. It shall be the responsibility of the applicant to provide underground utility easements as may be required. F. Underground electrical, communication or similar associated services shall be installed in conduit or direct buried with spare conduit available when crossing any major street or at any street intersection. The size of the conduit shall be determined by the utility involved, allowing for future requirements. Said requirements may be waived by the director of public works or the city engineer for just cause. G. The utility shall furnish the director of public works or the city engineer plans for approval for constructions of any utility system which is to be installed within any portion of a public right-of-way or easement. H. Utility company or utility contractor is required to obtain permits for work in public right-of-way. (Ord. 1174 § 2, 1996; prior code § 16.28.040)

North Las Vegas Municipal Code § 13.36.050 Requests for waiver of requirements.

13.36.050 - Requests for waiver of requirements. The city planning commission may grant special permission, on such terms as it may deem appropriate, in cases of emergency, unavailability of materials or extreme hardship, or if topography, soil or other conditions make such underground installations unreasonable or impractical, to allow and authorize any person or utility to erect, construct, install, maintain, use or operate poles and overhead wires and associated overhead structures, notwithstanding any other provisions of this code; provided, however, that all poles will be of an approved type. Applications for such special permission shall be filed with the director of public works or the city engineer, and shall be transmitted by him to the planning commission along with his recommendations regarding the granting or denial of such application. (Ord. 1174 § 3, 1996; prior code § 16.28.050)

Source: City of North Las Vegas, Nevada, Municipal Code and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/nv/north_las_vegas/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT13PUSE_CH13.36UNUTFetched: 11/1/2026