A. 
All topsoil shall be removed from the area to be graded and stockpiled and preserved for possible reuse on the site.
B. 
Maximum slope steepness of a cut shall be no greater than two horizontal to one vertical for minimizing erosion and landslide hazards. However, a governmental review agency, professional engineer, soils engineer or engineering geologist may determine the types of soil on the sites to be graded from the soil survey, geological surveys or core borings. Maximum slopes can then be determined as follows:
(1) 
Landslide-prone soils or unstable rock formations where existing slopes are greater than 25% shall have proposed cut slopes no steeper than three horizontal to one vertical.
(2) 
Landslide-prone soils where existing slopes are less than 25% shall have proposed cut slopes no steeper than two horizontal to one vertical.
(3) 
Soils which are not, or have a low probability of being, landslide-prone shall have a slope no steeper than 1 1/2 horizontal to one vertical.
C. 
Cut slopes of up to one horizontal to one vertical may be allowed under a grading permit, provided that two or more of the following conditions is satisfied:
(1) 
The material in which the excavation is made is sufficiently stable to sustain a slope steeper than the slope specified above for recognized soil conditions on the site. An acceptable geological report signed and sealed by a soils engineer, certifying that the steeper slope will have sufficient stability, and that it will not endanger any property, or result in property damage and that creation of a hazard will be minimal, shall be submitted to and may be approved by the Administrator.
(2) 
A retaining wall or other approved support, designed by a professional engineer and approved by the Administrator, is provided to support the face of the excavation or to provide a fall zone at rock faced slopes.
(3) 
The proposed slopes demonstrated on a site plan which is presented to the Planning Commission and the Borough Council to be absolutely necessary to permit the reasonable development of the site, subject to other requirements of this section.
D. 
The Administrator may require that the excavation be designed so that a line having a slope of 1 1/2 horizontal to one vertical measured from the bottom of the cut slope will be entirely inside the property lines of the property on which the excavation is made, if conditions exist which, under applicable engineering practice, the excavation may not be deemed to be stable or safe.
E. 
The Administrator may require an excavation to be made with a cut slope flatter than those specified above if he finds the material in which the excavation is to be made is subject to erosion, is prone to landslides, or if other conditions exist which, under applicable engineering practices, make such flatter cut slope necessary for stability and safety.
F. 
Excavation adjacent to any footing, foundations or structure shall not extend below the minimum angle of repose or natural slope of the soil under the nearest point of same unless such footing, foundation or structure is first properly underpinned or otherwise protected against settlement. Before commencing any excavation which will affect physically in any way an adjoining property or structures thereon, the permit holder shall notify, in writing, the owners of the adjoining property or structures not less than 30 days before such excavation is to be made informing them excavation is planned. A copy of such notice(s) shall be submitted to the Administrator. Adjoining properties and structures shall be protected as provided in the Building Code and/or as required by the Administrator.
G. 
The top or bottom edge of final slopes shall normally set back five feet from adjacent property lines or street right-of-way lines in order to permit the normal rounding of the edge without encroaching on the abutting property.
A. 
No person, firm or corporation may store, handle or use any explosive in the Borough of Pleasant Hills without first obtaining a special permit from the Administrator. The Administrator shall have the authority to impose reasonable regulations and restrictions upon the storage, handling and use of explosives. Any violation of any regulation or requirement imposed by the Administrator or imposed under any section of this chapter shall be grounds for the revocation of any permit theretofore issued.
B. 
All blasting which is conducted in the Borough shall be in conformity with state requirements and shall be in compliance with the Act of July 10, 1957, P.L. 685, 73 P.S. §§ 164 to 168, as amended, and the Department of Labor and Industry Rules and Regulations promulgated pursuant to the aforesaid statute.
C. 
The Administrator shall be notified at least 24 hours prior to any blasting.
A. 
All topsoil shall be removed from the area to be graded and stockpiled and preserved for possible reuse on the site.
B. 
The site shall be prepared by cutting toe benches and other keyways so as to provide a firm base on which to place the fill. No fill or embankment shall be made on landslide-prone soils without adequate engineered preparation and drainage of the area to be filled.
C. 
No fill shall be made which creates any exposed surface steeper in slope than two horizontal to one vertical, except under one or more of the following conditions:
(1) 
The fill, in the judgment of the Administrator, is located so that settlement, sliding, or erosion of the fill material will not result in property damage or be a hazard to adjoining property, streets, alleys, buildings, storm drains or drainageways.
(2) 
Soils capability and geological report, signed and sealed by a professional engineer, experienced in erosion control and soils analysis, certifying that he has inspected the site and that the proposed deviation from the slope specified above will not endanger any property or result in property damage, and that creation of a hazard will be minimal, shall be submitted to and may be approved by the Administrator.
D. 
The Administrator may require that an embankment or fill be constructed with an exposed surface flatter than two horizontal to one vertical if he finds that under the particular conditions such flatter surface is necessary for stability and safety.
E. 
Fills, embankments and finish grading shall be designed in accordance with the following:
(1) 
Where fills are located so that earth movement may result in personal injury or damage to adjacent property, streets, alleys or buildings, the bearing value and stability of the material under proposed fills and embankments shall be determined by subsurface investigation performed by a soils engineer or engineering geologist.
(2) 
The type of fill material available in each stage of the grading operation shall be determined in order to plan proper filling procedures.
(a) 
Rock may be incorporated in fills and embankments but only in layers 24 inches thick, maximum, as per the latest edition of Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Specifications Publication 408, with voids filled and a blanket of compacted fill separating one layer of rock from the next. Rock fill shall not be placed near the bottom of proposed foundations, building caissons and subsurface utility installations. Suitable earth shall be reserved or provided to cover rock fill under proposed seeded or planted areas.
(b) 
No unsuitable material, such as coal, boney, red-dog, expansive shale and cinders, shall be placed in fill areas.
(c) 
Wood or other solid waste material shall not be placed in fill areas.
(3) 
No fill of any kind shall be placed over topsoil, trees, stumps or other material which would create a nuisance, potential fire hazard, or sanitation problem which would attract rodents, termites or other pests.
(4) 
On major fills or embankments, a toe bench shall be constructed below mantle on bedrock under the toe of fill.
(5) 
Benching of the existing surface shall be required and indicated on the cross-sections.
(6) 
A porous drain shall be installed on the bottom and back wall of the toe bench; together with a drain pipe and suitable discharge pipe to the existing nonerosive surface beyond and below the toe of the proposed fill.
(7) 
Overfilling of slopes is desirable to permit final shaping of surface to proposed grade without the addition of loose fill over the surface of the slope, provided that no fill shall be higher than 10 feet vertically before the slope is shaped to proper grade.
(8) 
At the end of each work day, the horizontal surface of the fill shall be shaped, compacted and rolled to provide for drainage.
(9) 
All fills shall be compacted to provide stability of materials and to prevent undesirable settlement. The fill (excepting rock) shall be spread in a series of layers, each not exceeding 12 inches in thickness and shall be compacted by a sheepsfoot roller or other approved method after each layer is spread. Fill shall be placed at the optimum moisture content for the specified degree of compaction. The Administrator may require tests or other information if, in his opinion, the conditions or materials are such that additional information is needed. Where fills are to have streets structures, or public utilities placed in or on them, a modified proctor density of 95% shall be achieved (ASTM test designation D 1557).
(10) 
The top or bottom edge of final slopes shall be set back five feet from adjacent property lines or street right-of-way lines in order to permit the normal rounding of the edge without encroaching on the abutting property or street and to allow for location of proper drainage facilities and protective devices.
A. 
Guidelines for minimizing erosion and sediment in the Erosion and Sediment Control Handbook for Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, should be followed. One or a combination of guidelines should be used to minimize hazards, depending on the site conditions and the proposed grading.
B. 
The Administrator may approve grading plans not meeting the above guidelines if the proposed grading plans are approved by the Allegheny County Soil Conservation Service.
A. 
In order to prevent erosion, the permit holder shall be required to provide adequate ground covering of such kind and character as may be approved by the Administrator.
B. 
For slopes steeper than three horizontal to one vertical, the ground covering shall be an approved variety of erosion-resistant vegetation.
C. 
The completion of finish grading should be done during a season of the year when turf or ground cover can best be established.
A. 
If a retaining wall is constructed to satisfy a requirement of this chapter, a building permit shall not be required. The grading permit shall include the retaining wall, and the requirements for approval and inspections as stated herein shall be complied with.
B. 
Retaining walls shall be designed and constructed in accordance with sound engineering practice. The plans submitted for approval shall bear the seal and signature of a professional engineer.
C. 
The backfilling of retaining walls and the construction of subterranean drainage facilities shall be done in accordance with sound engineering practice.
D. 
In general, where a wall is replacing an exposed slope, the vertical face of the wall shall be at least three feet back from the adjoining property.
(1) 
This requirement may be waived when the proposed retaining wall is a joint venture between adjacent property owners, and documents evidencing the same are filed with the application for the permit.
(2) 
A waiver of the requirements of this section may be submitted to the Zoning Hearing Board of the Borough of Pleasant Hills for consideration upon satisfying the filing requirements.
E. 
A fence not less than four feet in height, of a design approved by the Administrator and meeting requirements of the Zoning Ordinance,[1] shall be placed at the top of all new cuts and fills made when the cuts or fill slopes are steeper than two horizontal to one vertical.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 374, Zoning.
A. 
Adequate provisions shall be made to prevent surface water from damaging the cut face of excavations and/or the sloping surface of fills and/or adjacent properties. Interception and diversion facilities for stormwater and surface water runoff, both above and below the cut and fill slope areas during and after construction, shall be included in the design. As a minimum, drainage facilities to proposed detention areas shall be designed to accommodate the severest storm that might occur during a ten-year period.
B. 
The drainage pattern prior to construction shall be indicated on the plans. Adequate measures shall be taken to prevent any erosion and water runoff damage to adjacent properties during the construction and after completion of construction.
C. 
Storm sewers, catch basins, drainage ditches and swales necessary to protect adjacent properties, whether they be permanent or temporary in nature, shall be constructed before any excavation or filling is started. The storm sewers, catch basins, drainage ditches and swales shall be maintained, cleaned, cleared and open during construction. If the above is not complied with, the Administrator shall stop all clearing and grading on the site until the necessary drainage facilities are completed or the permit will be revoked and the required bond forfeited.
D. 
New storm sewers and utilities traversing a proposed fill area shall be buried a minimum of three feet from top of pipe to proposed grade. Fill shall be constructed in that area prior to installation of said sewers and utilities. The minimum size storm sewer, exclusive of toe or bench drains, shall be 15 inches in diameter unless a variation in size is approved by the Administrator. All storm sewers located under pavement areas shall be reinforced concrete pipe.
E. 
Slopes steeper than two horizontal to one vertical and of more than 20 feet in vertical height shall be separated by a level berm of at least 10 feet in width at intervals of no more than 20 feet vertically if the slope is potentially hazardous due to easily erosive material.
F. 
On slopes of two horizontal to one vertical or less steep, the ten-foot level berms will not be required unless deemed necessary by the Administrator.
G. 
Drainage ditches with a grade of 5% or greater shall be paved with concrete, bituminous mixture, brick, half pipe, rubble or other hard nonerodable material.
H. 
Drainage ditches with a grade of less than 5% shall be grassed and sloped in such a manner that they can be conveniently cut and maintained.
I. 
Drainage structures, storm sewers, detention ponds, sedimentation ponds and appurtenances shall be of proper design and so constructed as to carry surface water and any subsurface water encountered to the nearest practical storm drain or natural watercourse approved by the Administrator as a safe place to deposit and receive such waters. Approval by the Administrator in no way relieves the owner of his legal responsibilities to adjacent property owners. The owner shall also comply with all state laws and regulations dealing with enclosing or discharging into existing streams, channels or storm sewers.
J. 
As a guide for the prevention of damage, grading plans shall follow vegetative control methods and ditch and conduit control methods in the Erosion and Sediment Control Handbook for Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The Administrator may approve methods and materials recommended by governmental agencies, professional engineers and architects, when they are more suitable to the site in preventing damage. Private drainage facilities of any nature shall be at least designed to accommodate the largest size storm that would occur on the average of every 10 years. The site design shall provide a safe floodway for flows from storms of greater intensity.
K. 
No rock fill shall be placed around or over storm sewers, or drainage facilities other than that designed as part of the site drainage facilities.
The Borough Council is aware of the possibility of long time wear and tear on slope treatment and ground cover provided in § 222-24; on retaining walls and fences provided in § 222-25 and on drainage facilities provided in § 222-26 (collectively referred to as the "facilities"). In order to protect the involved land and the surrounding areas with long-term protection against the loss, destruction, or deterioration of the facilities set forth in §§ 222-24, 222-25 and 222-26, the Borough Council may, at the time of approval of any grading permit, add any or all of the following conditions to the grading permit:
A. 
The present and any future landowner on which any of the facilities are located shall be required to inspect the facilities at periodic intervals and submit a report of the physical condition of the facilities to the Borough.
B. 
The present and any future landowner on which any of the facilities are located shall be required to maintain the facilities in good repair at all times.
C. 
The present and any future landowner on which any of the facilities are located shall be required to replace any facilities which are in such a state of disrepair that they no longer serve the purpose intended.