Public Works

San Bernardino County Public Works manages a broad range of infrastructure and municipal services, including county-maintained roads, transportation projects, flood-control facilities, surveying and map review, solid-waste disposal, environmental compliance, and services administered through Special Districts. This article explains which Public Works division handles common requests, how residents and property owners can report roadway problems, where permits may be required, how development and traffic reviews work, how to check road closures and construction projects, and what to consider before contacting the department.

Public Works Service Areas

The San Bernardino County Department of Public Works combines several functions that affect roads, drainage, development, waste disposal, public infrastructure, and community services. Knowing which division is responsible can prevent a request from being sent to an office that does not handle the issue.

According to the department's Public Works overview, its major service areas include Transportation, Flood Control, the County Surveyor, Solid Waste Management, and Special Districts. These units have different responsibilities even though they operate within or alongside the broader Public Works organization.

Transportation services

The Transportation Section maintains approximately 2,500 miles of County roads in unincorporated communities. Its work includes road maintenance, traffic control devices, bridges, drainage features associated with roads, and transportation-related development review.

Typical Transportation responsibilities include:

Road surfaces and pothole repairs.
Traffic signals and flashing beacons.
Street signs and pavement markings.
Bridges and culverts.
Roadway drainage systems.
Guardrails and other roadway safety features.
Damage caused by storms and wildfires.
Traffic engineering reviews and transportation permits.

The distinction between County-maintained roads and other roads is especially important. Public Works Transportation is responsible for roads that are part of the County Maintained Road System. A road located geographically within San Bernardino County is not automatically maintained by the County.

Flood control functions

The San Bernardino County Flood Control District manages an extensive system of dams, basins, channels, storm drains, and other facilities intended to collect and move stormwater while reducing flood risks to developed areas. Its work also supports groundwater recharge and water conservation.

The Flood Control District is a separate legal entity from San Bernardino County. It was established by the California State Legislature in 1939 and is authorized to provide flood protection and conserve storm and flood waters for beneficial use within the county. Residents dealing with channels, drainage facilities, flood-control rights-of-way, or certain stormwater matters should therefore distinguish Flood Control responsibilities from ordinary road maintenance.

County Surveyor services

The County Surveyor reviews subdivision maps as required by state law, prepares legal descriptions and maps for other County departments, assists the public with land-boundary matters, and helps ensure appropriate surveying is used in maps and development plans.

The Surveyor also checks whether maps and plans conform to approval conditions, local ordinances, development standards, and state law. Field crews perform boundary and construction surveys for County departments and help preserve controlling survey monuments. The County Surveyor service page also provides access to survey research and the review submittal portal.

Solid waste operations

The Solid Waste Management Division operates and manages the County's solid-waste disposal system. The system includes five regional landfills and nine transfer stations. The division also administers the County's Solid Waste Franchise Program, which includes 20 franchise areas, and regulates refuse collection by private haulers in unincorporated areas through the refuse collection permit program.

Residents looking for landfill locations, operating information, disposal fees, waste-hauler information, recycling programs, construction and demolition waste requirements, self-haul exemptions, disposal-use permits, or organic-waste information should use the Solid Waste Management Division rather than the Transportation or Flood Control sections.

Special Districts services

Special Districts provides municipal and community-based services through several types of local districts and service areas. Public Works identifies County Service Areas, Community Facilities Districts, streetlight districts, road improvement zones, water and sanitation districts, parks and recreation, and project management among its Special Districts functions.

This distinction can matter for roads in areas where property owners fund paving or maintenance through a special road assessment. Special Districts administers those programs in applicable areas.

Road Maintenance Responsibility

One of the most common mistakes in a Public Works request is assuming that every road outside a city is maintained by the County. Transportation specifically maintains County roads in unincorporated communities, and the department uses the County Maintained Road System to establish which roads it is legally permitted to maintain.

If a road is not in that system, the County generally cannot perform maintenance or repairs on it. Public Works cites California Streets and Highways Code Section 2150 in explaining this limitation.

County-maintained versus private roads

Property owners in mountain and desert areas should pay particular attention to road-maintenance status when evaluating access to a parcel. A road serving a property may appear to be a normal public road while still falling outside the County Maintained Road System.

For a road that is not in the system, maintenance and repair generally remain the responsibility of the affected property owners. Public Works identifies two possible approaches for property owners who want an existing dirt road paved:

Owners of parcels adjacent to the road may hire a consultant or contractor and pay to construct the road to County standards. Public Works advises owners to contact the Permits section to determine whether a permit is required.

In some areas, paving and maintenance may be financed through a special road assessment administered by the County through Special Districts.

Before planning paving work or assuming the County will repair a dirt road, establish whether the roadway is actually part of the County Maintained Road System.

Reporting Roadway Problems

Public Works accepts reports involving potholes, damaged signs, drainage problems, and other concerns affecting County-maintained roads. Residents can use the County's SeeClickFix reporting system through a web browser or mobile application.

The system allows a resident to submit photographs, videos, a description of the problem, and location details. Submitted information feeds into the department's centralized issue-management system so Public Works can manage a request from initial reporting through resolution and provide feedback about progress.

Information to include

A useful roadway report should clearly identify where the issue is located and briefly describe the condition. Location information is particularly important because Public Works must determine jurisdiction and identify the affected road, asset, sign, drainage structure, or other facility.

When the reporting system allows supporting material, photographs or videos can help staff understand the nature and extent of the problem. Reports may concern such issues as potholes, damaged signs, drainage problems, or roadway conditions that need inspection.

Urgent roadway conditions

Public Works distinguishes ordinary service requests from emergencies and conditions requiring immediate attention. Life-threatening emergencies should be reported to 911. The department also provides an after-hours communications contact for roadway conditions that require prompt attention, including examples such as a pothole requiring immediate action or a stop sign that is down.

Reports submitted through SeeClickFix after hours are handled during the department's normal working period identified for that service. Because of that, a problem presenting an immediate safety concern should not be treated as an ordinary web service request.

Traffic Signs and Signals

The Traffic Division handles traffic-control and roadway-safety matters on applicable County roads. Residents may request traffic engineering review for stop signs, speed-limit signs, street-name signs, no-parking signs, crosswalk markings, and road-renaming requests.

These requests are evaluated under traffic engineering and safety standards. A request for a new sign or marking does not mean the requested change will automatically be installed. The division evaluates the roadway and applies applicable standards so traffic-control decisions remain consistent.

Traffic signal problems

A malfunctioning traffic signal should be reported as a traffic issue rather than as a general road-maintenance request. Public Works provides both business-hours and after-hours procedures for traffic signal problems through its Transportation Section.

When reporting a signal, sign, marking, or similar roadway concern, provide an exact location and a short description. If an intersection is involved, identifying the intersecting streets is more useful than providing only a neighborhood or community name.

Road Closures and Storm Hazards

Road conditions can change during storms, flooding, wildfire recovery, construction, or emergency maintenance. Public Works maintains a current road closures page with closure information and a map.

Drivers should not enter a roadway where water is flowing over the surface. Floodwater can rise quickly and may sweep away a vehicle and its occupants. Public Works also warns residents to remain outside flood-control debris basins and channels because runoff, mudflow, and debris flow can create dangerous conditions.

Flood-control channels and basins can remain hazardous even when it is not raining. Mud or debris may appear stable while creating conditions in which a person can become trapped. These areas should not be used as walking, driving, or recreational routes.

Permits for Public Rights-of-Way

Construction or other activity affecting a County road, public right-of-way, or flood-control property may require authorization from Public Works. The department separates permits according to the facility being affected, so applicants should identify the location and type of work before selecting a permit category.

The Public Works permits and development page identifies Transportation Permits, Flood Control Permits, NPDES responsibilities, and environmental review functions.

Transportation permits

A Transportation Permit may be required for work or activities within a County road or public right-of-way. Examples provided by Public Works include:

Construction.
Excavation.
Utility work.
Special events.
Moving activities.
Tree removal.

The permit process protects roads and the public right-of-way and helps ensure that work meets County safety and construction standards. Property owners and contractors should not assume that privately funded work may proceed without County authorization simply because it is adjacent to private property.

Flood Control permits

A Flood Control Permit may be required for work or activity within a Flood Control District right-of-way. Public Works identifies construction, utility work, land use, and other activities affecting flood-control facilities as examples that may require a permit.

The distinction between a Transportation Permit and Flood Control Permit matters when a project involves both roadway and drainage infrastructure. The responsible permit category depends on the facilities or rights-of-way affected by the work.

Road closure permits

A planned activity that requires a road closure has a separate permitting concern. Public Works identifies its Permits Division as the contact for road closure permits. Applicants should distinguish a request to obtain permission to close a roadway from a request to view roads that are already closed because of weather, construction, or another condition.

Development Traffic Review

Transportation also reviews certain new development projects in unincorporated areas to evaluate roadway impacts. Projects generating significant traffic, typically more than 100 peak-hour trips, or projects in congested areas may be required to submit a traffic study.

The Traffic Division reviews and approves traffic studies, trip-generation reports, and Vehicle Miles Traveled analyses. It also reviews street-improvement plans for appropriate signing and striping, determines transportation-related development fees, and evaluates whether roadway improvements comply with County standards.

Traffic study submissions

Traffic studies and related development documents must be submitted through EZ Online Permitting, or EZOP, according to the Transportation Section. An initial deposit is required for review.

Applicants should keep development review separate from ordinary resident traffic-safety requests. A request for a stop sign or crosswalk is a traffic-safety review, while a traffic study connected to a development proposal is part of the development-review process and must follow the specified submittal procedure.

County Road Design Standards

Public Works publishes Transportation Design Standards for County infrastructure. These standard plans cover many types of roadway and drainage construction, including driveway approaches, curbs and gutters, roadway sections, sidewalks, medians, street markers, traffic-sign installations, guardrails, catch basins, culverts, headwalls, drainage outlets, road-closure barricades, and other public improvements.

The standards are intended for design and construction work subject to County requirements. A standard drawing should not be treated as a substitute for determining whether a permit, review, or project-specific approval is required.

Flood Control and Drainage

The Flood Control District focuses on reducing flood risk through planning, water conservation, storm-drain construction, and operation of flood-control infrastructure. Its principal divisions include Flood Control Planning, Water Resources, and Flood Control Design.

Facilities may include dams, debris or detention basins, channels, and storm drains. These systems are designed to collect and move stormwater away from developed areas, reduce damage to roads and bridges, and support groundwater recharge where applicable.

Road drainage versus flood facilities

Residents should distinguish a roadway drainage problem from a larger Flood Control District facility issue. Transportation maintains drainage systems associated with County roads, while the Flood Control District operates broader flood-protection infrastructure. Giving Public Works an exact location and description helps staff determine which function is involved.

Flood safety limitations

Flood-control infrastructure reduces risk but does not eliminate hazardous conditions during major storms. Heavy rainfall can still cause flooding, runoff, mudflows, and debris flows. Drivers should avoid flooded roadways, and residents should remain out of channels and debris basins rather than assuming a facility is safe because it is part of a managed flood-control system.

Solid Waste Disposal Services

Public Works Solid Waste Management handles the County disposal system rather than ordinary roadside trash complaints or transportation maintenance. Its responsibilities include regional landfills, transfer stations, disposal operations, the franchise program, and regulation of refuse collection in unincorporated areas.

Before traveling to a disposal facility, residents can use the division's official information to identify landfill locations and hours, determine whether a type of material may be accepted, review disposal costs and fees, and identify the appropriate waste hauler for a service area.

The division also provides information on construction and demolition waste and recycling, self-haul exemptions, disposal-use permits, recycling programs, and mandatory organic-waste reduction requirements associated with Senate Bill 1383.

Environmental Management Responsibilities

The Environmental Management Division supports Public Works projects involving Transportation, Flood Control, and Solid Waste Management. Its work concerns stormwater quality and environmental compliance for capital-improvement and maintenance projects under applicable federal and state laws.

The division's Environmental Planning and Maintenance sections manage environmental review and permitting for Public Works projects, coordinate review of environmental documents from other agencies when their projects may affect property maintained by Public Works or the Flood Control District, and administer mitigation measures adopted for projects.

NPDES stormwater work

The NPDES section administers the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System program for San Bernardino County and the Flood Control District. It also works with local and regional agencies on reducing stormwater pollution within the Santa Ana and Mojave River watersheds.

Environmental Management should not be confused with every environmental service offered by County government. The division specifically states that it does not handle biohazard or hazardous-waste disposal and does not provide environmental permitting support or biological surveys and monitoring for projects on private property.

Public Works Construction Projects

Residents, contractors, and property owners can review active and completed infrastructure work on the Public Works construction projects page. The Contracts Division handles advertisement, award, and administration of Transportation and Flood Control construction projects, while the Special Districts Project Management Division handles those functions for Special Districts construction projects.

Public Works states that construction projects are advertised and awarded under the Public Contract Code. Contract awards go to the lowest responsible bidder as required by the code and are administered under State and County standard specifications.

Project information for residents

The project listings can help a resident determine whether road work, bridge construction, flood-control improvements, accessibility upgrades, storm-drain work, or another infrastructure project is planned or underway in an area. Public Works also identifies projects that have been completed.

When researching a specific construction project, use the project name or project number where one is provided. Project identifiers are more precise than relying solely on a community name because multiple Public Works projects may occur in the same area.

Vendors and contractors

Companies interested in doing business with Public Works are directed by the department to register through the County purchasing system so they can receive notice of applicable bid opportunities. Public Works project listings may include projects out for bid, bid-opening dates, award information, vendors, and project status.

This procurement process is separate from resident service requests and permit applications. A contractor seeking a County construction opportunity should follow the procurement process, while a contractor performing private work within a County road or right-of-way may need a Transportation Permit.

Road Maintenance Priorities

Public Works does not select pavement projects solely because a road has visible wear. County roads are monitored and assigned a Pavement Condition Index, or PCI. The department evaluates that rating together with average daily traffic, available funding, and other factors when deciding which maintenance projects are justified.

Different roads may receive different treatments. Public Works explains that some low-volume roads may receive a relatively minor treatment such as chip seal or slurry seal. More heavily traveled regional or arterial roads may require an asphalt overlay, pulverization, milling, or another rehabilitation approach.

These strategies are evaluated through the department's pavement-management and transportation program functions. As a result, two roads with apparently similar surface conditions may receive different treatments or schedules based on traffic, pavement condition, funding, and other project considerations.

How Road Projects Are Funded

Public Works identifies several funding sources for County road construction and maintenance. Historically, a major source has been state fuel-tax revenue allocated to cities and counties for transportation purposes. The County also receives transportation funding through Measure I, the one-half-cent sales-tax measure originally approved by voters in 1989 and extended in 2006.

Measure I funds are geographically restricted and must be used in the area where the revenue is generated. The measure also establishes percentages for spending on arterial and local roads.

Public Works specifically states that property taxes are used for many public purposes but are not used to pave or maintain County roads. Property owners should therefore avoid assuming that payment of ordinary property taxes establishes a right to County road maintenance, particularly when a road is outside the County Maintained Road System.

Preparing a Public Works Request

The most useful preparation depends on the service involved. A roadway problem report needs location information and a concise description. A permit inquiry should identify the proposed work and whether it affects a County road, public right-of-way, or flood-control property. A development traffic review requires the appropriate development documents and must follow the specified online permitting process. A survey-related matter should be directed to the County Surveyor rather than Transportation.

Useful details to gather

The exact road, intersection, parcel-related location, or facility involved.

A brief description of the problem, work, or requested review.

Photographs or video when using a reporting system that accepts them.

The project name or project number when asking about an existing Public Works construction project.

The type of right-of-way or facility affected when discussing permits.

Applicable traffic-study or development documents when submitting a development-related transportation review.

Providing an accurate location is especially useful in a county with many unincorporated communities and roads under different jurisdictions. A report that identifies only "San Bernardino County" may not provide enough detail for staff to determine responsibility.

Common Public Works Mistakes

Assuming every road is County-maintained

Road location and road-maintenance responsibility are not the same thing. Confirming that a roadway is part of the County Maintained Road System is particularly important before requesting maintenance or making decisions about property served by an unpaved road.

Using a routine report for emergencies

Web and app reporting tools are designed for service requests. They should not replace emergency procedures when a situation threatens life or requires immediate action.

Confusing permits with service requests

A pothole report asks Public Works to inspect an existing condition. A Transportation Permit authorizes certain work or activities within a County road or right-of-way. These are different processes and should not be submitted interchangeably.

Mixing roadway and flood issues

A clogged or damaged roadside drainage feature may involve Transportation, while a larger channel, basin, storm drain, or Flood Control District right-of-way may fall under Flood Control. Accurate location and facility information helps establish the correct responsibility.

Treating standards as permit approval

County standard drawings explain technical requirements for certain infrastructure features, but access to a drawing does not itself authorize construction. Work affecting County facilities or rights-of-way may still require review and permitting.

Sending private-property environmental work to Public Works

The Environmental Management Division supports Public Works and Flood Control projects and does not provide environmental permitting assistance or biological surveys and monitoring for private-property projects. Directing a private development request to that division can delay contact with the appropriate County function.

Public Works Offices

San Bernardino County Department of Public Works
825 East Third Street
San Bernardino, CA 92415
(909) 387-7910

Solid Waste Management
222 W. Hospitality Lane, Second Floor
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0017
(909) 386-8701

Special Districts
222 W. Hospitality Lane, Second Floor
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0450
(909) 386-8800

Public Works FAQs

How do I report a pothole or damaged road?

For potholes, damaged signs, roadway drainage problems, or similar issues on County-maintained roads, residents can use the SeeClickFix reporting system. Reports can include the exact location, a description, photos, and other details that help Public Works identify and evaluate the problem. Before submitting a request, confirm that the road is maintained by San Bernardino County, since the Transportation Section generally handles County roads in unincorporated communities rather than every road located within the county.

Will the County pave a dirt road near my property?

Not necessarily. Public Works first determines whether the road is included in the County Maintained Road System. The County generally cannot perform maintenance or repair work on roads outside that system. Even when an existing dirt road is County-maintained, paving is limited by available funding and project priorities. Property owners on non-County-maintained roads may need to arrange improvements at their own expense or investigate whether a special road assessment is available.

Do I need a permit before working near a County road?

A permit may be required when work affects a County road or public right-of-way. Examples include excavation, utility work, construction, tree removal, moving activities, and some special events. Work affecting Flood Control District rights-of-way or facilities may require a separate flood-control permit. The County's permits and development information explains the applicable permit categories.

Where can I check current road closures?

Public Works maintains an official current road closures page with closure information and mapping. During storms, residents should not drive through water covering a roadway. Floodwater can rise rapidly, and debris flows, mudflows, and runoff can make roads and nearby flood-control facilities hazardous.

How can I find Public Works construction projects?

The Public Works projects page lists Transportation, Flood Control, and Special Districts construction activity, including projects out for bid and completed projects. Residents looking for work planned near their neighborhood can also review the County's public notices for road improvements, drainage projects, environmental documents, hearings, and other project-specific updates.