Menifee City Council Places 45-Day Moratorium on Approval of Underground Bunkers

In response to what was termed "recent inquiries" by Menifee residents seeking permission to build underground storage facilities on their property, the Menifee City Council has placed a 45-day moratorium on the approval of such structures.

The moratorium, unanimously approved by the council Tuesday night, also prevents approval of the building of "bunkers" -- a term which can have multiple interpretations. Council members approved Community Development Director Carmen Cave's recommendation to prohibit building of such structures while city officials study the issue.

In the request for the urgency ordinance, Cave referred to city staff's concern about "recent inquiries" regarding these structures and that Menifee has "no planning standards regarding the location and documentation of underground storage facilities or bunkers within the city." The document also expressed concern over the possibility of the collapse of such a structure.

Council member Tom Fuhrman said he believes the recent interest in acquiring such building permits comes from residents intent on improving their home emergency plan by creating a safe place for the storage of food and water and to protect family members in case of emergency.

"I watch a lot of doomsday preppers on TV," Fuhrman said. "Evidently, one of these people came to the city and asked if they could put a bunker in their backyard. These people are concerned about the future and want to be prepared. The question is, can they put a bunker in a so-called secret place, which is the whole point of a bunker?

"If a citizen of the United States wants to set up his doomsday plan to protect his family if something happens ... as far as I'm concerned, it would be fine with me. If they want to go to that kind of depth to protect their family, OK."

All council members agreed that the city should be given time to conduct a study of the situation and potential problems with issuing such building permits. Darci Kuenzi mentioned possible safety concerns, such as the collapse of such a structure, adding that "My understanding is that people already have built some of these."

Mayor John Denver explained his reasons for needing time to study the situation.

"It's a matter of words," he said. "The second dictionary definition of a bunker is a military definition that refers to the use of guns and other weapons."

"There is not a person on this dais who wants to control what people do with their backyards, but I don't think we want people to have guns sticking out of the ground, either."