Brief

Councilmember John S. Lee introduced a motion to establish new standards for micro-trenching and trenchless utility installations in Los Angeles. The Council adopted the item on March 27, 2026 by an 11-0-4 vote. A City Attorney report (R26-0509) was subsequently referred to Public Works Committee on September 9, 2026, and remains pending review. The file relates to earlier efforts on utility installation standards tracked under Council Files 19-0989 and 21-0301.

Full summary

Councilmember John S. Lee, seconded by Imelda Padilla, introduced this motion to review and update the City's standards for micro-trenching and other trenchless utility installation methods. The motion traces a line of prior City action: in 2019, the Council authorized micro-trenching — a technique that cuts narrow, shallow channels into streets to lay underground utilities with far less disruption than conventional open-trench excavation — and set an associated Street Damage Restoration Fee. In 2022, the Council expanded that framework to cover other trenchless methods such as directional boring. Lee's motion directed the Bureau of Engineering to assess how those technologies have actually been used across the City and to recommend any needed code or policy updates, with an eye toward supporting expanded broadband access while protecting street infrastructure. The Bureau of Engineering, which oversees permitting for all utility work in the public right-of-way, submitted its report in August 2025. The file then moved through Public Works Committee review in early 2026, with the committee approving it on March 11, 2026. The full Council adopted the item on March 27, 2026 by a vote of 11-0-4. The most significant recent development is a September 2026 draft ordinance from the City Attorney's office that would add a new category — "Rapid Micro-trenching" — to the Municipal Code. Defined as a milled pathway no more than 0.4 inches wide and 1.4 inches deep (or as further specified by the City Engineer), Rapid Micro-trenching is designed for subsurface telecommunications and other low-voltage utility lines, sealed with a preformed compression seal. The draft ordinance would amend Sections 62.00 and 62.03 of the Municipal Code to authorize this method under City Engineer standards and subject it to the same Street Damage Restoration Fee that applies to regular micro-trenching. That draft ordinance was referred to the Public Works Committee on September 9, 2026, and remains pending there as of the file's last recorded activity.

Activity (17)

• 2026-09-09 City Attorney document(s) referred to Public Works Committee.
• 2026-09-08 Document submitted by City Attorney, dated September 8, 2026.
• 2026-03-31 Council action final.
• 2026-03-27 Council adopted item forthwith.
• 2026-03-24 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on March 27, 2026.
• 2026-03-11 Public Works Committee approved item(s) .
• 2026-03-10 Public Works Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on March 11, 2026.
• 2026-02-25 Public Works Committee continued item to a date to be determined.
• 2026-02-20 Public Works Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on February 25, 2026.
• 2025-08-12 Bureau of Engineering document(s) referred to Public Works Committee.
• 2025-08-12 Document submitted by Bureau of Engineering, dated August 12, 2025.
• 2024-02-07 Council action final.
• 2024-02-06 Council adopted item, subject to reconsideration, pursuant to Council Rule 51.
• 2024-02-02 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on February 6, 2024.
• 2024-01-24 Public Works Committee approved item(s) .
• 2024-01-19 Public Works Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on January 24, 2024.
• 2024-01-10 Motion referred to Public Works Committee.

Documents (10)

• 2026-09-08 Report from City Attorney · report
• 2026-09-08 Attachment to Report dated 9-08-26 - Draft Ordinace · attachment
• 2026-03-31 Council Action · council_action
• 2026-03-27 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2026-03-11 Report from Public Works Committee · report
• 2025-08-12 Report from Bureau of Engineering · report
• 2024-02-07 Council Action · council_action
• 2024-01-24 Report from Public Works Committee · report
• 2024-01-24 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2024-01-10 Motion · motion

Council votes (1)

• 2026-03-27 Adopted Forthwith — 11-0-4 · Regular