Transportation Permits are issued for extra sized legal loads. The dimensions for legal loads are 14' high or less, 8'6" wide or less and 65' in length or less. Anything over these dimensions requires a transportation permit.

Transportation Permits are needed to ensure oversized loads are routed properly through the City. Oversized loads may also require pilot cars to ensure the public is aware of their presence.

Questions: (707) 449-5170
Fax: (707) 449-5346
E-mail: extralegalpermits@cityofvacaville.com

How to get a permit:

Permit Applications can be filed by fax or e-mail if the transporter has an account with the City. For information or to establish an account for payment of permit fees, contact the Traffic Engineering Division at (707) 449-5170. Transportation Permits will be issued within 2 business days of receiving the Permit Application.

If an applicant requires a permit, but they do not wish to set up an account, they can either come to the Public Works counter in City Hall at 650 Merchant Street, in person to fill out a permit, or they can go through a permit agency.

Fees:

Account-holding applicants may pay fees by check or account. Payments by cash or check are accepted at the Traffic Engineering counter in Public Works, located in City Hall (650 Merchant Street). All forms of payments, including credit card, are accepted at the Finance Counter in the City Hall. Fees are as follows:

Single Trip Permit: $15
Annual Permit: $70

All transporters are required to have current auto liability insurance.

SUBMIT AN EXTRA-LEGAL PERMIT VIA E-MAIL!

Download the permit type that you require below (Excel format). Then, fill in all fields, and e-mail it to: extralegalpermits@cityofvacaville.com

ANNUAL PERMIT (Excel file)

ANNUAL PERMIT (PDF)

SINGLE TRIP PERMIT (Excel file)

SINGLE TRIP PERMIT (PDF)

Approved permits will be faxed, not e-mailed, back to the applicant.

The Engineering and Traffic Surveys associated with each roadway segment are on file in the Traffic Engineering Division office.  Should you wish to obtain a copy of a speed survey, please contact our office at 707-449-5170.

FEDERAL AND STATE LAW

Some speed limits are established by Federal or State law while others are set by local authorities and posted on the street.  Some general guidelines set by California State law are: 

• 65mph (miles per hour) is the maximum speed in urban areas
• 25mph is the speed limit in any business district or residential street
• 25mph is the speed limit in school zones when children are present
• 15mph is the speed limit in alleys, intersections and railroad crossings (where visibility is limited)

The limits are generally presumed to be reasonable and may not always be posted on the street. 

SPEED LIMITS SET LOCALLY

The California Vehicle Code (CVC) allows cities to set specific speed limits for streets within their boundaries.  In Vacaville, the City has established limits between 25 and 55mph, based on engineering traffic surveys.  In each street's survey, traffic engineers study these factors: 

• Street collision history
• Pedestrian and bicycle traffic
• Amount of traffic typically on the street
• Speed of traffic
• Roadway characteristics (length, width, lanes and visibility)
• Amount and severity of curves
• Curbside parking practices and number and type of driveways
• Type of area (residential, commercial, offices, recreational, etc)

After considering these factors, traffic engineers set the speed limit either at or below the speed driven by 85 percent of vehicles surveyed. 

SPEED LIMITS AND COLLISIONS

People frequently ask to lower the speed limit on residential streets to make their streets safer and more livable.  It is a common misconception that speed limit signs reduce collisions.  Studies indicate that no significant change in average vehicle speeds has occurred after the posting of new or revised speed limit signs.  In fact, research shows no direct relationship between posting speed limits and collision frequency. 

A Traffic Control Plan is required for all work performed within the public right-of-way!

The basic objective of each traffic control plan (TCP) is to permit the contractor to work within the public right of way efficiently and effectively, while maintaining a safe, uniform flow of traffic. Both construction work and the public must be given equal consideration when developing a traffic control plan. In addition, when considering the public, attention must be given to all aspects of travel through the work zone: i.e., vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian.

Fee Schedule:

Lane Closure - $56 per sheet

Road Closure - $113 per road (upon approval from the Director of Public Works)

Checklist & Guidelines:

It is the goal of the Traffic Control Plan (TCP) to achieve balance between providing a safe working environment within the right-of-way, and providing motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians with a safe and efficient means to travel through the work area.

Following the submittal of traffic control plans, plans shall be reviewed within five (5) working days, unless the submittal is over five (5) pages. Submittals over five (5) pages may take longer to review than five (5) working days. A traffic control plan that does not include all of the required elements listed below will be found incomplete, and returned for revision and re-submittal.

The following checklist is provided to assist Developers and Contractors in establishing uniformity in the development of TCP's. This checklist should be used as a guide to ensure that all of the basic elements are covered, and will help speed-up the plan review process.

1. TCP shall be drawn on 24" x 36" or 11" x 17" sheets.
2. TCP shall be legible; using either ink or computer generated graphics.
3. Indicate contractors name, address and telephone number. Include name and telephone number of the 24-hour contact person representing the contractor.
4. Indicate north arrow and scale or NOT TO SCALE (N.T.S.).
5. Show all streets in the work zone vicinity to ensure proper orientation.
6. Show all existing traffic signals and traffic control signs.
7. Show existing striping, pavement markings, painted crosswalks and bike lanes. Include total roadway widths, individual lane widths, bike lane widths, median dimensions, etc.
8. Show existing curbs, gutters, sidewalks, driveways and intersections in the construction work zone including areas affected by taper transition.
9. Indicate posted speed limits.
10. Show location and dimensions of the construction work zone.
11. Show staging area and materials storage area, as appropriate.
12. Indicate locations of construction signs, barricades and delineators (includes cones).
13. Label all taper lengths and widths, delineator spacing and sign spacing. All taper lengths shall be per CALTRANS standards.
14. Use a legend to define all symbols and designate them with CALTRANS nomenclature.
15. Show all parking restriction zones and signs, as appropriate.
16. Road closures will require approval from the Deputy Director of Public Works for Transportation or his/her designee. Any road closure also requires notification be provided to the Vacaville Fire Department, as well as the Vacaville Police Department.
17. Signs and barricades will be required to direct pedestrians through or around the construction work zone and shall be shown on the TCP.
18. Indicate the encroachment permit number or improvement plans number on the TCP.
19. Indicate the duration of the construction work and subsequent traffic control on the plan.

GENERAL NOTES:

All traffic control devices shall conform to the latest edition of CALTRANS Traffic Manual of Traffic Control Devices for Construction and Maintenance Work Zones and the Standard Specifications for Public Works Construction.

1. The City, through its designated employees, reserves the right to initiate field changes to assure public safety.
2.  If a road closure is approved for a specific duration, the contractor shall submit a bond for $50,000.00 drawn in favor of the City of Vacaville. If the road is not reopened on the approved date, an amount of $5,000.00 per day shall be deducted from the bond as liquidated damages.
3.  All traffic control devices shall be removed from view when not in use.
4. Work hours shall be restricted to between 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. unless approved otherwise.
5. Trenches must be back filled or plated during non-working hours.
6. Pedestrian controls shall be provided as shown on the plans.
7. Temporary "NO PARKING" signs shall be posted 24 hours prior to commencing work.
8. Access to driveways will be maintained at all times unless other arrangements are made.
9. The contractor shall replace, within 72 hours, all traffic signal loops damaged during construction.
10. The contractor shall make immediate temporary repairs to any street light/traffic signal conduit damaged during construction. Permanent repairs must be made within five (5) working days.
11. All striping removed or damaged, will be replaced by the contractor with like material within 24 hours (or replaced with temporary tape, though the contractor is still responsible for the full replacement as mention above).
12. All flaggers shall be equipped with a hard hat, two-way radios, and C28 "Stop/Slow" paddle. In addition, all flaggers shall be trained in the proper fundamentals of flagging traffic.
13. Any work that disturbs normal traffic signal operations shall be coordinated with the City of Vacaville's Traffic Division, 72 hours prior to beginning construction.
14. The contractor shall maintain all traffic control devices 24 hours per day and 7 days per week.
15. A minimum of twelve (12) foot travel lanes must be maintained unless otherwise approved by the Traffic Engineering Division.
16. All night work will require written approval by the Deputy Director of Public Works for Transportation or his/her designee. Lane closures, road detours, road closures, and traffic signal modifications associated with overnight construction activities will require warning signs be placed at least one week in advance of starting construction.

A traffic signal is a complex system made of many components, the poles that hold the traffic signal heads are only a small part of this system.  There are a multitude of sensors and electronic components that comprise the majority of a signal system.  The brains behind the operation are enclosed in a traffic signal controller cabinet. 

Each of the City's 72 traffic signals has a signal controller.  This controller is basically a micro computer that interprets data received from roadway sensors and assigns the appropriate amount of time for a given direction.  In cases where intersections are within a close proximity, like downtown, the signal controllers run a fixed amount of time for each direction, to facilitate coordination between the intersections.  At other locations, sensors are in place that are actuated by vehicles and help the controller knw where the vehicles are on the road.  Operations staff program specific parameters into both fixed time and actuated signals that are then interpreted by the controller.  Many of these controllers allow these parameters to be remotely programmed through communication with the City's Traffic Operation Center. 

Traffic signals interact with more than just cars.  Parameters for these other variables also need to be programmed.  Pedestrians, bicyclists, fire trucks and transit vehicles all need to be serviced at a signalized intersection.  All these variables are integrated into the operation of the signal. 

The City conducts hundreds of investigations per year to address traffic safety concerns.  Each investigation may take up to two to four weeks to complete depending on the complexity of the concern.  Some of the areas that may be reviewed include school safety, speeding, crosswalks, stop signs, traffic operations, traffic signals, and traffic signs and markings. 

HOW TO CONTACT US

Call 707-449-5170 or contact us by email

COMMONLY REQUESTED INVESTIGATIONS

Below is additional information on traffic investigations typically requested by the community: 

Crosswalks - We'll initiate a crosswalk review in your neighborhood

Under the California Vehicle Code, crosswalks exist at all intersections unless otherwise prohibited with signs.  Crosswalks may be marked or unmarked.  The City typically uses two types of marked crosswalks including standard (two white lines) at controlled locations and triple-four crosswalks at uncontrolled locations.  After careful evaluation, crosswalks may be installed based on pedestrian usage, the need to identify a safe crossing, or to reduce conflicts between pedestrians and vehicular traffic. 

Stop Signs - We'll send an investigator out to evaluate for stop signs

The most requested sign is a STOP sign.  We consider traffic volume, collision history, pedestrian traffic, vehicle speed, intersection visibility, land use and adjacent traffic controls.  After careful consideration and an engineering study, a STOP sign may be installed to enhance traffic safety. 

Signalized Intersections - We'll conduct a signal investigation and report findings

Wish you had a traffic signal on your route?  Do you have a signal modification request?  We will conduct an investigation to determine if a new traffic signal is warranted or if an existing traffic signal needs to be modified to address traffic congestion or safety. 

Traffic Signs and Marking - We'll suggest signs and markings to enhance safety

Do you think you need a sign to solve your traffic woes?  Traffic and pedestrian safety concerns can sometimes be addressed with proper signs or markings.  Traffic investigators will collect information from you and research the site to determine if signs or pavement markings can help.  Marked crosswalks, bike lane striping and bike route legends may be installed as a result of a traffic investigation.