Excavation and Encroachment Permits
Submit Your Application/Plan Online
In an effort to continue providing assistance to the public, the Department of Public Works/Water & Power has taken measures to accept applications and plans online.
Please upload applications and plans using the following online submittal form:
Application for Excavation/Encroachment Permit
The Excavation/Encroachment Permit is $200 for residents and $570 for non-residents. Should you have any questions or require assistance, please call the City's Engineering Division at (562) 916-1219.
Encroachment Permits
An encroachment permit is required when any person wishes to erect a building, fence, barrier, post or other obstruction on any portion of a street, avenue, alley, sidewalk, highway, public right-of-way or other public land within Cerritos. A permit and an inspection is required before any work begins. For more information on encroachment permits, call the City's Engineering Division at (562) 916-1219.
Excavation Permits
An excavation permit is required before anyone may dig into any City street, alley, sidewalk or other public land. For more information on excavation permits, call the City's Engineering Division at (562) 916-1219.
Excavation Permit Special Provisions
Street Cut Moratorium
The Street Cut Moratorium was established to minimize pavement degradation, maintain structural integrity and limit negative visual impacts of rehabilitated streets. Section 12.16.330 of the Cerritos Municipal Code prohibits cutting or opening a street that was paved, constructed, reconstructed or resurfaced street for a period of five years, and a slurry sealed street for a period of two years, after completion or from the recordation of a notice of completion.
DigAlert — Notifying Utility Companies
If you are planning to dig on your property where utilities such as electric, water, telephone, cable television and natural gas lines are buried, you are required to notify the affected utility companies at least two days before you begin work. This will protect you from possible serious injuries and from liability if your digging damages any underground utilities.
If you are a Cerritos resident, you can call one toll-free number to notify all utilities of your excavation plans and to request that the utilities mark their underground lines for you. To reach DigAlert (Underground Service Alert of Southern California or USA/SC), call (800) 422-4133 or 811 between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday.
The DigAlert operator will ask for your address, including the city and county, and the name and telephone number of any contractors who will be handling the work for you. You will be asked to mark the area where you plan to dig with white chalk. Within a few days, a representative from the affected utility company will visit your home, check the site and mark the location of any utility lines.
Transportation Permits
A transportation permit is required for any vehicle moving a house or other structure, or an oversized load on any Cerritos street, alley or other public ground. Transportation permits can be obtained from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works. Information regarding the transportation permit process is available through L.A. County’s Department of Public Works website or by phone, at (626) 458-3129.
Trash Bin Encroachment Permit
To rent a trash bin for a remodel or other home project, please call Athens Services at (833) 791-2376. Pursuant to Section 6.080.030 of the Cerritos Municipal Code, the City has entered into a contract with Athens Services to provide the exclusive waste hauling services in the City of Cerritos. No other contractor is permitted to provide trash bin rental services within the City.
When trash bins are placed in a resident’s driveway, no permit is required. However, a permit must be obtained if a trash bin is to be placed on a street. The City of Cerritos Public Works Department issues permits that allow applicants to place a trash bin on a residential street. The cost of a permit is $50, and grants the applicant permission to place a trash bin on a residential street for up to seven days. The permit can be extended at no charge for an additional seven days. This program is limited to trash bins, and does not apply to storage containers. To obtain a permit to place a trash bin on a residential street, contact the Cerritos Public Works Department at (562) 916-1220.
Storage Containers
Section 22.22.700(28) of the Cerritos Municipal Code limits the placement of storage containers in the front yard of a residential property for a period of up to 72 hours. This provision does not allow for, and the Public Works Department does not issue permits for, storage containers placed in the public right-of-way. Further, storage containers in a resident’s front yard are not permitted to encroach upon the public sidewalk. Storage containers are permitted on residential streets without a permit while they are being actively loaded or unloaded and, as such, cannot be on a street overnight.
For More Information
Call the City's Engineering Division at (562) 916-1219.