Any person, firm or corporation owning real property, or having same under control as owner, agent or trustee, who may desire to do grading, to lay a sidewalk, gutter or roadway, or to make any kind of street improvement in front of said property, other than repair, within the limits authorized by law, or in pursuance of a notice to repair from the city council, shall first apply to the city, and in the application shall specify the property in front of which the proposed improvement is to be made, the name of the street or streets to be improved, the nature of the proposed improvement, and the time required for its completion. (1996 Code § 12.04.020; amd. 2004 Code)