Grading required. The yards of every structure shall be graded to
secure proper drainage away from buildings and to dispose of runoff
without ponding. The minimum slope for lawns shall be 2.0%. The minimum
slope for smooth hard-finished surfaces shall be 0.75%.
No excavation shall be made with a cut face steeper in slope
than two horizontal to one vertical in wooded areas or three horizontal
to one vertical in nonwooded or lightly wooded areas except as approved
by the Township Engineer under special conditions.
No fill shall be placed that creates any exposed surface steeper
in slope than two horizontal to one vertical in wooded areas or three
horizontal to one vertical in nonwooded areas, except as approved
by the Township Engineer under special conditions.
Retaining walls or cribbing shall be required where needed to
prevent the surface of excavations or fills from exceeding at any
point the maximum allowable slope.
Excavations shall not be made so close to property lines as
to endanger adjoining property without supporting and protecting the
face of the excavation.
The finished grade within 20 feet of the building or structure
shall not exceed a ten-percent grade except as approved by the Township
Engineer under special conditions.
When the terrain is such that stormwater will be directed toward
a building foundation, appropriate measures such as swales and storm
sewers shall be provided to intercept and drain surface water.
Swales must be located at least 15 feet from the front and rear
faces of a building and 10 feet away from any sidewalls. Swales shall
not cross any driveways.
Where swales are run across property boundaries, appropriate
easements shall be recorded, including provisions for repair and maintenance
of the swales.
Driveways. Driveways to be constructed, modified or altered as part of a lot grading and land disturbance application shall conform with the provisions of Chapter 213, Driveways.
Deposit or removal of soil. No soil shall be excavated, removed or
deposited within a steep slope area except as a result of and in accordance
with a site grading plan approved by the Township Engineer.
Reasons for soil disturbance. Proposed disturbance of soil shall
be for purposes consistent with the intent of this article and shall
be executed in a manner that conforms with the provisions set forth
in the Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Act (N.J.S.A. 4:24-39 et
seq.) and that will not cause excessive erosion or other unstable
conditions.
Surface water runoff. Provision shall be made for the proper disposition
of surface water runoff so that it will not create unstable conditions
or increase the potential for off-site flooding. Appropriate storm
drainage facilities shall be constructed as deemed necessary, and
adequate protective measures shall be provided for downstream properties.
Public safety. Safety barriers such as fences, railings or guide
rails shall be placed along the top of any wall or headwall or slope
exceeding a four-to-one ratio and located adjacent to a street, driveway,
sidewalk or other pedestrian route.
Impeding flow of surface water. No proposed building, structure or
attendant protective measures shall impede the flow of surface waters
through any watercourse or cause an increase in flood heights or velocities.
Roads and parking areas. Any proposed vehicular facilities, including
roads, drives or parking areas, shall be so designed that any land
disturbances shall not cause excessive erosion. Both the vertical
and horizontal alignment of vehicular facilities shall be so designed
that hazardous circulation conditions will not be created.
Removal of trees. No trees in excess of 10 inches caliper shall be
removed within the area of disturbance without the prior approval
of the Planning Board.
For the purpose of this article, soils will be classified based
upon their natural permeability and relative suitability for the absorption
of surface water runoff as follows:
Soil permeability may be obtained from data compiled in the
Soil Survey of Morris County, New Jersey, as published by the United
States Department of Agriculture, or from other reference sources,
unless otherwise directed by the Township Engineer.
All stormwater runoff from roof areas shall be transported to
dry wells, seepage pits, detention basins or other on-site stormwater
management facilities, as approved by the Township Engineer. The required
methodology for the implementation of a roof runoff system will be
as follows:
All dry wells or seepage pits shall have a capacity to store
not less than three inches of direct runoff from all roof areas. The
dry wells or seepage pits shall be constructed of precast concrete
rings with perforations that shall be surrounded with gravel or broken
stone not exceeding one-and-one-half-inch size. For the purpose of
computing volume, the gravel or stone shall have a porosity of 40%.
Each dry well, or series of dry wells, shall have an overflow to grade.
The conveyance system from the roof to the dry well shall conform
with the requirements of the National Standard Plumbing Code. The
location, construction details and specifications for such facilities
shall be shown on the site grading plan.
The Tax Map sheet, block and lot number, date, graphic scale,
North arrow, the names and address of owner or owners of the tract
and the applicant, if other than the owner, and the engineer who prepared
the site grading plan.
The proposed elevations of the levels of any land at the corner
of the foundation of any structure or structures and the levels of
land above and below retaining walls, as well as top-of-wall elevations.
The location, plans and specifications for any proposed dry
wells, detention basins, seepage pits or other on-site stormwater
management facilities to control roof runoff.
The conceptual site grading plan shall be drawn by a licensed
professional engineer or certified landscape architect at a scale
of not less than one inch equals 30 feet.
Site grading plans shall be required for all major subdivisions,
minor subdivisions and site plans where the total proposed disturbance
exceeds 5,000 square feet or where slopes exceed 15%.
The installation of dry wells, seepage pits, detention basins or other on-site stormwater management facilities to control runoff from roof areas shall be required for the construction of any principal structure upon a lot for major subdivisions, minor subdivisions and site plans. This requirement shall not pertain to existing structures or any addition thereto. All stormwater management measures for a development, regardless of use, shall comply with the provisions of this chapter, as well as the provisions in Chapter 465, Stormwater Management, of this Code.
In case of major and minor subdivisions, in lieu of submitting
detailed grading plans, the applicant may submit conceptual lot grading
plans for the purposes of preliminary and final subdivision approval.
Notwithstanding the above, prior to the issuance of a building permit,
a detailed site grading plan conforming to this article shall be submitted
to the Township Engineer for review and approval. If the applicant
fails to meet the requirements of this article, a building permit
shall not be issued.
Issuance of building permit. No building permit shall be issued by
the Construction Official for any proposed structure unless and until
the Township Engineer shall have approved a detailed site grading
plan submitted in accordance with this article. Upon approval or denial
of any site grading plan required by this article, the Township Engineer
shall immediately notify the Construction Official thereof.
Certificate of occupancy. No certificate of occupancy shall be issued
by the Construction Official unless and until proof has been submitted
to him or her that all conditions of the site grading plan approval
have been complied with.
Temporary conditions. The provisions of this article shall not apply
to temporary grading and disturbance, such as utility trenches, land
disturbance related to the establishment of lawn areas or other similar
activities that do not result in a change in the natural grade of
the area.
Prior approved lots. For all lots approved or in existence prior
to adoption of this article, a detailed site grading plan and a roof
runoff plan in accordance with this article shall be provided to the
Township Engineer for review and approval prior to issuance of a building
permit.
Farming. Nothing herein contained, however, shall be construed to
prohibit the use of land for farming activities, provided that such
use is permitted in the zone in which the property is located and
is consistent with all other applicable Township, county and state
regulations.