[HISTORY: Adopted by the Commissioners of the Town of Princess Anne 12-4-1991 as Ch. XIV of the 1991 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Building construction — See Ch. 52.
Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Program — See Ch. 61.
Floodplain management — See Ch. 79.
Subdivision of land — See Ch. 138.
Temporary structures — See Ch. 145.
A. 
A municipal grading permit must be obtained prior to the start of any grading, clearing, filling or other earth change except those enumerated in this chapter.
B. 
The town reserves the right to impose such conditions on the grading permit as may be reasonable to prevent creation of a nuisance or dangerous conditions and to deny the issuance of a grading permit where the proposed work would cause hazards adverse to the public safety and welfare.
A fee will be fixed for the granting of grading permits by the President and Commissioners of Princess Anne by resolution from time to time.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II).
Subject to compliance with §§ 4-101 through 4-108 of the Environment Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland relating to sediment control plans approved by the Somerset County Soil Conservation District, the following activities are exempt from the provisions of § 73-1 of this chapter:
A. 
An excavation below finished grade for basements and footings of a building or for retaining walls or similar structures attendant to the principal building authorized by a valid zoning certificate or building permit; provided, however, that the resulting fill shall:
(1) 
Not impair existing surface drainage or constitute a potential erosion hazard or source of sedimentation to any adjacent land or watercourse.
(2) 
Have no final slope steeper than three feet horizontal in one foot vertical.
(3) 
Have all disturbed areas promptly seeded or sodded as soon as the season permits.
B. 
An excavation which:
(1) 
Does not result in a total quantity of more than 300 cubic yards of material on any lot, parcel or subdivision thereof.
(2) 
Does not impair existing surface drainage, constitute a potential erosion hazard or act as a source of sedimentation to any adjacent land or watercourse.
(3) 
Has no final slopes steeper than three feet horizontal in one foot vertical.
(4) 
Has all disturbed areas promptly seeded or sodded as soon as season permits.
C. 
A fill which:
(1) 
Is less than four feet in vertical height at its deepest point, as measured from the natural ground surface.
(2) 
Is placed on a surface having a slope not steeper than five feet horizontal to one foot vertical.
(3) 
Does not exceed a total of 300 cubic yards of material on any lot, parcel or subdivision thereof.
(4) 
Does not impair existing surface drainage, constitute a potential erosion hazard or act as a source of sedimentation to any adjacent land or watercourse.
(5) 
Has no final slope steeper than three feet horizontal in one foot vertical.
(6) 
Has all disturbed areas promptly seeded or sodded as soon as the season permits.
D. 
Accepted agricultural land management practices.
E. 
The stockpiling, with slopes a natural angle of repose, of raw or processed sand, stone and gravel at quarries or at concrete, asphalt and other material processing plants and storage yards, provided that approved sediment and erosion control measures have been employed to protect against off-site damages.
F. 
Refuse disposal areas or sanitary landfills operated and conducted in accordance with the requirements, rules and ordinances adopted by Princess Anne or Somerset County and the State of Maryland. An exemption from a permit, however, does not exempt these projects from other aspects of this chapter, including inspection as covered in this chapter.
G. 
Grading and trenching for utility installations within highway rights-of-way and utility easements immediately adjacent to road or street rights-of-way or in the space on an abutting lot(s) needed to accommodate the respective house connections; provided, however, that all grading or trenching involved does not disturb the natural contour and that if during the course of utility operations any erosion or sediment control measures previously in place are disturbed or destroyed, the utility company shall restore or repair such measures to their original condition.
H. 
Individual private septic systems which do not disturb the natural contour.
I. 
Grading as a maintenance measure or for landscaping purposes on existing developed lots or parcels, provided that:
(1) 
All bare earth is promptly seeded, sodded or otherwise effectively protected from erosive actions.
(2) 
The grading does not involve a quantity of material in excess of 300 cubic yards.
J. 
Authorized Princess Anne capital improvement and public works projects. An exemption from a permit, however, does not exempt these projects from other aspects of this chapter, including inspection as covered in this chapter.
K. 
Construction of single-family residences and/or their accessory buildings on lots of two acres or more.
L. 
Construction of agricultural structures, such as barns, sheds, poultry houses and noncommercial grain storage facilities.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
A. 
Application forms for a grading permit will be available in the Planning and Zoning Department.
B. 
The form, when completed, shall provide sufficient information to identify the applicant, the place and nature of the work to be done and the steps or procedures to be taken to control erosion and sedimentation and approximate beginning and ending time for earthmoving.
C. 
Acceptable standards and specifications for soil erosion and sediment control shall be available in the office of the Somerset County Soil Conservation District. Where developments are involved, defined as any commercial, industrial or two or more residential units or lots, the developer shall include in the application an erosion and sediment control and grading plan designed by a professional engineer, land surveyor, landscape architect or architect registered in the State of Maryland and a certificate that all land clearing, construction and development will be done pursuant to said plan.
D. 
Proposed steps and procedures to control erosion and sedimentation must be approved by the Somerset County Soil Conservation District prior to issuance of a grading permit by the Planning and Zoning Department. Erosion and sediment control plans, when required, must be approved by the Somerset County Soil Conservation District. Issuance of a municipal grading permit does not eliminate the requirement for obtaining a Department of Natural Resources permit, if required under conditions specified by state law.
A. 
In the event that work does not conform to the provisions of the permit or the approved plans and specifications or to any instructions of the Planning and Zoning Department, a written notice to comply shall be given to the permittee. Such notice shall set forth the nature of the corrections required and the time within which corrections are to be made.
B. 
Failure to comply with such written notice shall be deemed justification for suspension of the permit, which will require that all work stop, except that necessary for correction of the violation. Upon correction of the violation, the permittee may apply for removal of the suspension.
After suspension of a grading permit, if corrections required are not completed within the time period specified as provided in § 73-5 above, the permit shall be canceled. In the event of cancellation, any bonds or cash deposits posted with the town shall be used for work on the site to prevent erosion.
Prior to the issuance of a grading permit, when deemed necessary by the Planning and Zoning Department, the permittee shall be required to post with the town a cash deposit, performance bond from the approved corporate surety or other collateral acceptable to the town. The amount posted shall be sufficient to guarantee that, in the event provisions of the permit are not completed satisfactorily or that the permit is canceled, the site can be restored to a condition meeting the minimum requirements of the standards for erosion control.
A. 
A grading permit shall be valid for a period of one year from the date of issuance.
B. 
Upon request and adequate justification by a permittee, the Planning and Zoning Department may grant extensions of validity of six months at its discretion.
A. 
The Planning and Zoning Department of Princess Anne shall be responsible for detecting violations of this chapter, requiring compliance with provisions of approved grading permits and initiating appropriate action against offenders. The Planning and Zoning Department shall make a final on-site inspection when the work covered by an application is reported completed and shall forward its report to the Somerset County Soil Conservation District.
B. 
The permittee shall request the Planning and Zoning Department to make inspections at the following stages of work:
(1) 
Prior to initiating any grading operation to inspect the natural site and to approve the written description of the supervision and construction control program.
(2) 
Upon completion of preparation of ground to receive fill but prior to beginning any placement.
(3) 
Upon completion of final grading, permanent drainage and erosion control facilities but prior to any seeding, sodding or planting.
(4) 
Upon completion of installation of all vegetative measures and all work in accordance with the grading permit.
C. 
The Planning and Zoning Department may make any additional inspections deemed necessary and may waive any of the inspections listed above, except the final on-site inspection. Inspections requested shall be completed within two working days.
Major modifications of the approved grading plans shall be submitted to the Code Enforcement Officer and reprocessed in the same manner as the original plan. Field modifications of a minor nature may be authorized by the Code Enforcement Officer, provided that written authorization is given to the person performing work pursuant to this chapter, with copies forwarded in a timely manner to the Somerset County Soil Conservation District.
A. 
Any violation of this chapter shall be deemed a municipal infraction, and the person, partnership or corporation who or which is found guilty of such violation shall be subject to a penalty as provided in Chapter 1, General Provisions, § 1-8 of this Code.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
B. 
Any agency whose approval is required under this chapter or any person, corporation or firm in interest may seek an injunction against any person, partnership or corporation, whether public or private, violating or threatening violation of any provision of this chapter. Notice of violation of the provisions of this chapter shall be filed with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, as well as with the appropriate officials or agencies of Princess Anne, if any.