[Added 8-4-1986 by L.L. No. 2-1986]
[Amended 10-6-1986 by L.L. No. 9-1986]
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
BERM
Anything more than one foot high, made primarily of earth or earthen or similar materials, intended for defense, security, enclosure or screening purposes.
All berms shall be constructed so that all sides of the berm shall not have a slope greater than 1:3. For the purposes of this section, the slope shall refer to the ratio of a vertical rise of one foot to a horizontal run of three feet.
All berms shall be constructed out of clean fill or an approved equal. Said fill shall be given sufficient time to settle before final shaping and topsoil is applied. After the settled fill has been shaped, a uniform six-inch layer of approved horticultural topsoil shall be placed and fine graded.
All berms shall be properly vegetated and landscaped before any erosion occurs in the topsoil on the berm, or, in the alternative, the berm shall be covered with ground cover until such time as the berm can be properly landscaped.
No fence or wall shall be constructed on a berm. However, a retaining wall may be placed on the sides of a berm where the Building Inspector finds said retaining wall will promote aesthetic considerations and the height of same does not exceed the grade of the berm.
A. 
No berm shall have a height greater than four feet in a front, rear or side yard.
B. 
The height of a berm shall be the vertical distance from the top of the berm to the natural existing grade at the base of the berm.
All applications for building permits for berms shall include the following:
A. 
A detailed grading plan of the entire site indicating the existing topography in contour intervals no greater than five feet and the proposed topography in contour intervals no greater than two feet. The scale of the grading plan shall be no greater than one inch equals 20 feet.
B. 
A cross section of the berm indicating the type of materials to be used in constructing the berm (i.e., fill, topsoil) and the location of landscaping. The scale of the cross section shall be no greater than one inch equals four feet.
C. 
A detailed landscaping plan indicating the location and size of the species to be planted.
All applications for a building permit for a berm shall be referred to the Building Inspector for his approval with respect to the compatibility of the berm with the surrounding properties and associated land uses, drainage considerations and landscaping.
All provisions of this Code relating to building permits and construction shall apply to building permits for berms, except as provided in this article.
[1]
Editor's Note: For provisions relating to building permits, see Ch. 55, Building Construction and Fire Prevention, Art. I.