If you’re buying a Bellflower house to remodel, or planning work before selling, underground utility work could become part of your project. Bellflower Municipal Code Chapter 13.28 ties that requirement to permit valuation, with an exemption for improvements costing less than $50,000 within any 12 month period.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
An owner’s appeal of the requirement appeared as public hearing item 12-B on the Bellflower City Council’s October 12, 2026 agenda. The council’s decision had not been posted as of October 20, 2026. The staff report for that hearing explains the rule and its exceptions. That makes it worth asking Public Works about utility work before you finalize your scope and valuation.
What is the $50,000 trigger?
The code exempts building permits when the improvement cost established by the permits is less than $50,000 within any 12 month period.
That window matters. The exemption is written around building permits issued within any 12 month period, so ask Public Works whether other permits issued within 12 months of yours will be counted with it.
There is also a wording difference to clarify before relying on a valuation at the boundary. BMC 13.28.010(B) says “less than $50,000”; the staff report describes undergrounding as required when project valuation exceeds $50,000. Ask Public Works how it treats a valuation of exactly $50,000.
The appeal file gives a concrete example of how scope can change the result: a valuation of $49,000 would not have triggered it; $100,000 did. Before you settle on work to complete before listing, establish the proposed scope and ask how the permit valuation will be determined. A pre-listing inspection can sit alongside that planning, but the utility question needs its own answer from Public Works.
Which utility lines have to go underground?
The requirement covers all overhead utility lines serving the property, including electrical, communications, internet, and cable television lines.
BMC 13.28.010(A) addresses public utility distribution lines, wires, or cables installed within the property’s boundaries to serve it. Its list also includes street lighting. The staff report makes clear that the requirement reaches beyond electrical service.
For a property subject to the chapter, the code says no building permit shall be issued unless the covered lines are placed underground. BMC 13.28.040 also addresses building and occupancy permits for new construction and land development: the plans must comply, or the applicant must obtain a waiver.
That makes this a question to resolve while planning the work. Ask which existing lines serve the property and what the proposed plans need to show.
Which general exceptions could apply?
Chapter 13.28 includes general exceptions based on the connection’s distance, location, and certain types of utility equipment.
The distance exception applies when the existing main utility line serving as the connection point is more than 200 linear feet away, measured from the point of connection to the property. It still requires conduit on private property, stubbed out to the public right-of-way, before a certificate of occupancy is issued.
A separate exception concerns a main utility line located to the rear or side yard of any property, where the connection point is not in a public right-of-way. Both the location and right-of-way condition matter. A reference to a side yard alone doesn’t answer the question.
Other exceptions cover:
- Poles without overhead wires used only for police and fire alarm boxes, traffic control, or similar municipal equipment.
- Poles used exclusively for street lighting.
- Surface mounted transformers, pedestal mounted terminal boxes and meter cabinets, and concealed ducts in an underground system.
Ask Public Works which exception, if any, fits the actual connection serving your property.
What if the main line is across the street?
A main line across the street can allow temporary overhead facilities if underground facilities are constructed to the street property line.
BMC 13.28.030 makes that option subject to Public Utilities Commission rules and the utilities’ provisions. It defines “temporary” as six months from issuance of a certificate of occupancy.
This is a temporary arrangement with an underground construction condition. It is not listed as a general exemption from the work.
The appeal file also illustrates why the utility schedule deserves early attention. The owner’s own estimate put the work at more than $28,000 and months of waiting for the utility. That is one owner’s estimate, not a city figure.
What is the separate $26,000 checklist?
The Public Works determination letter says needed right-of-way improvements are required when a building permit’s value is over $26,000.00.
That is separate from the undergrounding requirement. In the appeal file, the checklist included replacing a substandard driveway approach and its associated curb and gutter.
Chapter 12.08 governs required highway improvements such as curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and driveway aprons. Its waiver form identifies circumstances involving excessive right-of-way construction costs, demolition of an occupied residence or operating business structure, or work on a neighbor’s property where permission has been refused.
Ask for the checklist early enough to understand both parts of the project: the required right-of-way work and any underground utility work. If you’re preparing to sell, keep those documents with the records you’re assembling for your seller disclosures.
Can the one fifth cost standard reduce undergrounding?
No, the Chapter 12.08 one fifth cost standard does not apply to Chapter 13.28 undergrounding.
Under BMC 12.08.020(F)(2), the Director may amend required highway improvements so their total value does not exceed one fifth of the permit valuation. Chapter 13.28 contains no comparable standard.
The staff report says the city previously applied that standard to undergrounding incorrectly, discovered and corrected the error in 2025, and has applied Chapter 13.28 consistently since. A single waiver form used for both chapters appears to have caused confusion.
The distinction matters when you’re reviewing an estimate. Undergrounding costs above one fifth of the permit valuation do not, by themselves, establish a waiver under Chapter 13.28.
How do you appeal the requirement?
An appeal goes in writing to the Office of the City Clerk for the City Council, with the determination letter specifying ten (10) days after its date and a $599 appeal fee.
The letter says the fee is not a deposit and will not be returned. Read your determination promptly so you can identify the applicable deadline.
The Director has no authority under Chapter 13.28 to waive undergrounding. Only the Council may waive or modify the requirement as a special exception under BMC 13.28.020(B). On appeal, BMC 13.28.060 allows it to affirm, reverse, or modify the decision in whole or in part.
If past work on the house was done without permits, that is a separate disclosure question covered in the guide to unpermitted-work disclosure.
The short version
Ask Public Works about undergrounding before finalizing your Bellflower remodel’s scope, permit valuation, budget, and schedule.
Check the 12 month permit window, the location and distance of the utility connection, and the separate right-of-way checklist. Don’t assume the highway improvement cost standard limits undergrounding costs, or that an across-the-street connection removes the requirement.
If you’re weighing the work against a sale, start with the home value tool.
Common questions
When does a Bellflower remodel trigger underground utility work?
The code exempts improvements costing less than $50,000 within any 12 month period. Staff describes the requirement as applying when project valuation exceeds $50,000.
Does undergrounding cover internet and cable lines?
Yes. The staff report says it covers all overhead lines serving the property, including electrical, communications, internet, and cable television lines.
Can Public Works waive the undergrounding requirement?
The Director has no authority to waive it under Chapter 13.28. Only the City Council may grant a special exception.
Does the one fifth cost standard apply to undergrounding?
No. That standard belongs to Chapter 12.08 highway improvements. The city says it corrected its earlier application of that standard to undergrounding in 2025.
What does an appeal require?
The determination letter gives ten (10) days after the letter's date to appeal in writing to the Office of the City Clerk, with a $599 fee that will not be returned.
