This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Borough
of Dormont Grading, Excavation and Fill Ordinance" or just the "grading
regulations."
The purpose of this chapter is to provide minimum standards
to safeguard persons and property and to promote the public welfare
by preventing excess erosion, hazardous rock and soil slippage, sediment
production and other soil and water management problems, and by regulating
and controlling the design, construction, quality of materials, use,
location and maintenance of grading, excavation and fill.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
The Municipal Manager or his or her authorized representative.
Any landowner, agent of said landowner or tenant with the
permission of said landowner who proposes to make or cause to be made
an excavation, fill or any combination thereof pursuant to the provisions
of this chapter.
A registered architect licensed as such in the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania.
Natural rock layer, hard or soft, in place at ground surface
or beneath unconsolidated surficial deposits.
The Borough of Dormont.
The appointed Engineer of the Borough of Dormont.
Chapter 83, Building Construction, of the Code of the Borough of Dormont.
A registered professional engineer licensed as such in the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and knowledgeable in civil engineering.
The detachment and movement of soil or rock fragments by
water, wind, ice or gravity, including such processes as gravitational
creep.
Any act by which earth, sand, gravel, rock or any other similar
material is cut into, disturbed, quarried, uncovered, removed, displaced,
relocated or bulldozed and shall include the conditions resulting
therefrom.
Any act by which earth, sand, gravel, rock or any other material
is deposited, placed, pushed, dumped, pulled, transported or moved
to a new location, including the condition resulting therefrom.
A report prepared by a registered professional geological
engineer.
The Council of the Borough of Dormont.
The elevation of the existing or proposed ground surface
at the location of any proposed excavation or fill.
Any permit required pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.
Any danger or potential danger to life, limb or health or
any adverse effect or potential adverse effect to the safety, use
or stability of property, waterways, public ways, structures, utilities
and storm sewers, including stream pollution.
A landscape architect licensed as such in the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania.
Any landowner, agent of said landowner or tenant with the
permission of said landowner who has been granted a grading permit
pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.
A natural person, but also includes a partnership, corporation,
trust or association.
A structure composed of concrete, steel or other approved
building material constructed for the purpose of supporting a cut
or filled embankment which would otherwise not comply with the requirements
or standards set forth in this chapter and which is more than two
feet in height as measured on the exposed vertical surface of the
wall.
A lot, tract or parcel of land or a series of lots, tracts
or parcels of land which are adjoining and with respect to which grading
work is to be continuous and performed at the same time.
A registered professional engineer licensed as such in the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and having training and experience in
the branch of soils engineering.
The survey for Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, and the accompanying
text, Soil Survey of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, as prepared by
the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation
Service et al.
Any and all parts or combination of ashes, garbage, refuse,
radioactive material, combustible demolition materials and industrial
wastes, such as food processing wastes, wood, plastic, metal scrap,
etc.
Slopes where, in a one-hundred-foot horizontal distance,
the slope exceeds 25%.
Chapter 210, Zoning, of the Code of the Borough of Dormont, as amended.
No person shall commence or perform any grading, excavation
and/or fill operations without first having obtained a grading permit
from the Building Inspector on approval of the Borough Engineer. A
separate grading permit shall be required for each site as follows:
A.
One permit shall cover the grading, excavation and any fill made
on the same site.
B.
Only one permit shall be required for the grading of a large continuous
parcel of land for a major planned development, such as a planned
residential development or a planned commercial development, when
the standards for the grading of the entire parcel are satisfactory
to and approved by the Building Inspector.
C.
An approved site plan, a building permit, or both, are prerequisite
to the granting of any grading permit.
A grading permit will not be required, however, in any one of
the following situations, but in all other respects, the provisions
of this chapter shall apply:
A.
An excavation which does not exceed four feet in vertical depth at
its deepest point measured from the natural ground surface or cover
an area of more than 1,000 square feet, provided that the surfaces
of such excavations do not have a slope at any point steeper than
three horizontal to one vertical.
B.
A fill which does not exceed 10 cubic yards of material of any one
site.
C.
Fill which does not exceed three feet in vertical depth at its deepest
point measured from the natural ground surface and does not cover
an area of more than 1,000 square feet, provided that the surfaces
of such fills do not have a slope at any point steeper than three
horizontal to one vertical.
D.
An excavation below finished grade for basements and footings of
a building or a one-family dwelling, swimming pool or underground
structure authorized by a building permit; and an excavation of a
driveway between a building site and the street; provided, however,
that a permit is required for an excavation of a driveway between
the building site and the street when extreme conditions (such as
excessive cut or fill) exist.
E.
Soil excavated under the authorization of a properly issued building
permit which is stockpiled on the same site as the excavation. If,
however, excavated material is stockpiled on a site for a period of
longer than 120 days, then a permit shall be necessary when disposing
of the fill material.
F.
Work in a public street or alley or in a Borough park, playground
or recreation area or on other public property.
G.
When residential construction for single-family houses does not fall
within the limits of the table below, then a grading permit shall
be required in addition to the building permit:
|
Site Size
(square feet)
|
Gradient
|
Amount of Excavation or Fill
(cubic yards)
| |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Less than 6,000
|
12 in 100 feet
|
75
| |
|
6,000 to 10,000
|
15 in 100 feet
|
100
| |
|
10,000 to 18,000
|
17 in 100 feet
|
200
| |
|
18,000 to 30,000
|
20 in 100 feet
|
300
| |
|
Over 30,000
|
22 in 100 feet
|
400
|
