It is the purpose and policy of this chapter to promote the public welfare and safety by establishing minimum standards and requirements relating to excavation, grading and fills; to lessen the exposure to or probability of earth slides or flooding; and to establish procedures by which such requirements may be enforced.
(Ord. 934 § 1, (1971); Ord. 1462, (1992))
For the purposes of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply:
"Excavation"
is any act by which earth, sand, gravel, rock or any other material is cut into, dug, quarried, uncovered, removed or relocated and shall include the condition resulting therefrom.
"Fill"
is any act by which earth, sand, gravel, rock or any other material is deposited, placed, pushed, pulled or transported to a place other than the place from which it was excavated and shall include the conditions resulting therefrom.
"Grading"
is an excavation or fill or any combination thereof and shall include the conditions resulting from any excavation or fill.
(Ord. 934 § 1, (1971); Ord. 1462, (1992))
(a) 
No person shall fill, excavate or grade any site for any purpose nor change existing natural or previously prepared slopes without first obtaining a grading permit. A permit shall be required for each site upon which grading is to be done.
(b) 
Each application for a grading permit shall be made to the city engineer by the owner of record or his or her authorized agent. The required fee and any necessary deposits shall accompany the application.
(c) 
Plot plans shall be prepared for the purpose of any grading permit, whether for and in connection with a building permit or for any changes in the natural land grade for future use or subdivision. The plot plan shall show the location of existing and proposed structures, if any; the location of all existing and proposed streets, driveways and easements; the present contours of the site in dashed lines and the proposed finished contours in solid lines.
(d) 
When the grading permit is part of a building permit application, a plot plan shall be submitted showing location of the proposed building on the site and elevations of building above and below grade. Proposed disposition of surface drainage water shall be indicated on the plans. All plot plans shall be drawn by a licensed civil engineer, architect or land surveyor.
(Ord. 934 § 1, (1971); Ord. 1462, (1992))
A grading or site development permit shall not be required for any of the following purposes except that encroachment, building or other types of required permits must be obtained:
(1) 
Excavations below finished grade for tanks, vaults, basements or footings for buildings or structures, except as limited in the sections following;
(2) 
Excavation by public utility companies in public utility easements or in public ways for the purpose of installing or maintaining public utilities;
(3) 
Street improvement work in connection with improvement contracts awarded by the city over which the city exercises inspection authority;
(4) 
Work for the State Division of Highways or other state agencies;
(5) 
Minor changes in grade for the construction of a building where the plan for the finished grade is made a part of the construction plans and is approved by the building inspector or the city engineer.
(Ord. 934 § 1, (1971); Ord. 1462, (1992))
To obtain a permit, the applicant shall file an application therefor in writing upon forms furnished by the city engineer. The application shall be signed by the owner of the property upon which the work is to be performed or by his or her duly authorized agent. Every such application shall contain the following information:
(1) 
The purpose of the work;
(2) 
The amount of material to be excavated or filled in cubic yards;
(3) 
The legal description of the property on which the work is to be performed and the street address at the point of access to the property;
(4) 
The name and address of the owner of the property;
(5) 
The name, address and telephone number of the person who will have effective control of the work;
(6) 
The estimated dates for starting and completing the work;
(7) 
Plot plans as noted above;
(8) 
Detailed plans of all walls, cribs, drains or other protective devices to be constructed in connection with or as a part of the proposed work.
(Ord. 934 § 1, (1971); Ord. 1462, (1992))
The city engineer, prior to approving a permit for grading, shall consider the following factors:
(1) 
Saturation of fill and unsupported cuts by water, both natural and domestic;
(2) 
Run-off of surface waters that produce erosion and silting of drainage ways;
(3) 
Subsurface conditions such as rock strata, faults and springs;
(4) 
Nature and type of soil or rock which, when disturbed by the proposed grading, may create earth movements;
(5) 
Effect upon the visual relationships with other development in the vicinity of the site;
(6) 
Whether the natural landscape and major vegetation is unnecessarily scarred through the proposed grading;
(7) 
Capability of proposed slopes to be landscaped.
The building inspector, prior to approving a building permit involving grading, shall consider the following factors:
(1)
Distance from any existing or proposed building to toe of slope;
(2)
Recommendations for drain tile installation, retaining walls, or other protective devices for disposition of surface and underground water.
(Ord. 934 § 1, (1971); Ord. 1462, (1992))
The following minimum standards are established except that higher standards may be imposed when the city engineer finds that peculiar or extraordinary conditions on the site require imposition of special treatment to serve the purposes of this chapter:
(a) 
Slope Protection. Any graded slope which may be subject to erosion shall be protected by planting of trees, shrubs or groundcover; by berms, terracing, cribbing or lined ditches; or by a combination of these methods.
(b) 
Fill Compaction. All fills more than one foot in depth intended to support a building and all fills more than five feet in depth shall be compacted to not less than 90% density.
(c) 
Cut slopes shall not exceed one and one-half feet horizontally to one foot vertically. Fill slopes shall not exceed two feet horizontally to one foot vertically. If any cut slope disclosed the existence of inclined strata, fault lines, or other condition indicating a possible earth slide, the horizontal dimension must be increased to create a flatter slope.
(d) 
The finished grade shall be so sloped as to carry surface water to the nearest street, storm drain or natural watercourse.
(Ord. 934 § 1, (1971); Ord. 1462, (1992))
The owner of any property in hillside areas shall maintain in good condition and repair all retaining walls, cribbing, drainage structures, groundcover and other protective devices which are not on public property. Maintenance shall include necessary repairs, removal of silt deposits and any other required action to insure the intended purpose of the devices.
(Ord. 934 § 1, (1971); Ord. 1462, (1992))
The city engineer, or the building official in applicable cases, shall make an initial inspection of the site after grading and construction stakes have been placed but before grading is commenced. A second inspection shall be made following rough grading. All subsurface drainage pipes or structures shall be inspected prior to backfilling. A final inspection shall be made when all work is completed.
The city engineer may require that the inspection of cuts or fills be made by a registered civil engineer, specializing in soil mechanics and foundation engineering, and that a report prepared and signed by the engineer be submitted upon completion of the work.
(Ord. 934 § 1, (1971); Ord. 1462, (1992))
Fees for filing applications and for inspections shall be established from time to time by resolution of the city council.
(Ord. 934 § 1, (1971); Ord. 1462, (1992))