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(A) Pre-grading and pre-paving meeting. Prior to any grading or clearing, brushing and grubbing there shall be a pre-grading meeting held on the site unless waived by the City Engineer. Prior to placing concrete for curb and gutter, sidewalk, pavement base material or other similar improvement in the public right-of-way, there shall be a pre-paving meeting held on the site unless waived by the City Engineer. The permittee shall notify the City Engineer and request the meeting(s) at least two working days prior to the meeting(s) and shall notify all principals responsible for grading or paving operations.
(B) Pre-work inspection. Prior to the commencement of any work authorized by a grading permit, the City Engineer may inspect the site of the work to determine that the approved plans are current and reflect existing conditions. If the City Engineer finds the soil or other conditions do not reflect the conditions shown on the approved plans or stated in the geotechnical reports, the City Engineer may issue a stop work order until revised grading plans or modified geotechnical reports that reflect the actual site conditions have been submitted and approved by the City Engineer.
(C) Site inspections. All work authorized under a grading permit shall be subject to the following inspections, where applicable, and the permittee shall provide notice to the City Engineer at least one working day prior to the work being ready for the inspection.
(1) Excavation and fill inspection. All excavation and fill work shall be inspected as follows:
(a) Canyon clean out. After all brush and unsuitable material is removed and an acceptable base is exposed, but before any fill is placed;
(b) Toe bench and key. After the natural ground or bedrock is exposed and prepared to receive fill, but before fill is placed;
(c) Over excavation. After the area is excavated but before fill is placed;
(d) Excavation. After the excavation is started, but before the vertical depth of the excavation exceeds ten feet and every ten foot interval thereafter;
(e) Fill. After the fill is started, but before the vertical height of the fill exceeds ten feet and every ten foot interval thereafter;
(2) Concrete or gunite drainage device inspection. All concrete or gunite drainage devices shall be inspected as follows:
(a) Alley gutter or concrete drainage device. After the subgrade is prepared and any reinforcement placed but prior to concrete placement and then again after concrete placement;
(b) Terrace drains, down drains, brow ditches. After grade is established but before placement of welded wire mesh or reinforcement and then again after placement of concrete or gunite.
(3) Other drainage devices. Any subdrains, city storm drain or inlets or any earth swales shall be inspected as follows.
(a) Subdrains. After excavation but prior to placement of filter materials and pipe. The subdrain pipe and filter material shall be on site for inspection. Inspection shall also occur after placement of pipe and filter material but before backfill.
(b) City storm drains and inlets. After installation of form work and placement of reinforcement, but before concrete placement and then again after placement of concrete and removal of form work, but prior to backfilling. Inspection shall also occur after backfilling and completion of storm drain.
(c) Earth swales. Prior to rough grading approval and then again prior to final grading approval.
(4) Siltation control facilities (October 1 to May 31). All siltation control facilities shall be inspected as follows:
(a) After excavation of desilting basins but prior to fill placement. Prefabricated drainage devices shall be available on-site for inspection;
(b) After fill placement of desiltation basins but prior to placement of concrete or other nonerosive materials (if applicable);
(c) After completion of an erosion control system in accordance with the approved Erosion Control Plan and any requirements of the City Engineer.
(5) Rough grade inspection. All rough grading work shall be inspected when all rough grading is complete. Inspection shall occur after the City Engineer has received, reviewed and approved the required geotechnical certification(s) and/or compaction reports and the civil engineer has submitted approval of line and grade on city approved format. Under normal circumstances, all subdrains and slope drains, if required, shall be in place and approved as a condition of rough grading inspection.
(6) Paving inspection. All paving work shall be inspected as follows:
(a) Subgrade. After subgrade is established, tested and approved by the soil engineer. The soil engineer may leave a field memo of compaction test results on site. The civil engineer shall provide approval of line and grade;
(b) Base. After base course is in place, tested and approved by the soil engineer, but prior to prime coat and asphalt placement. The soil engineer may leave a field memo of compaction test results on site. Material invoices or weight tickets shall be required;
(c) Asphalt concrete. During asphalt placement to verify compliance with the approved plans. Material invoices or weight tickets shall be required. Prior to application of seal coat, the paved surface shall be water tested to reveal any irregularities and shall be patched where required.
(7) Special inspections. For special cases involving grading or paving related operations, the City Engineer may establish special inspection requirements in accordance with the Building Code. Special cases may apply to work where, in the opinion of the City Engineer, it is necessary to supplement the resources or expertise available for inspection.
(8) Final inspection. All work shall undergo final inspection when all work, including the installation of all drainage structures and other protective devices, is complete and all written professional approvals and the required reports are submitted.
(D) Enforcement of inspections.
(1) Whenever any work for which inspection is required, is covered or concealed by additional work without first being inspected, the City Engineer may require, by written notice, that such work be exposed for examination. Any cost for exposing and recovering such noninspected work shall be at the permittee's sole cost and expense.
(2) The provisions of the Building Code shall apply, whenever the City Engineer determines that any work does not comply with the terms of the grading permit, the approved plans, any applicable provisions of this chapter or the code or state or federal law or that the soil or other conditions are not as stated on the grading permit, approved plans or geotechnical reports. Pursuant to such authority, the City Engineer may order the work stopped by notice in writing served any person(s) engaged in doing or causing of such work to be done, and any such person(s) shall immediately stop such work until authorized by the City Engineer to proceed with the work.
(E) Inspections by professionals of record.
(1) The soil engineer shall be responsible for the professional inspection and approval concerning the preparation of ground to receive fills, testing for required compaction, stability of all finished slopes, design of buttress fills where required and incorporating data supplied by the engineering geologist.
(2) The engineering geologist shall be responsible for the professional inspection and approval of the stability of cut slopes with respect to geological matters and the needs for subdrains or other ground water drainage devices. The engineering geologist shall report all findings to the soil engineer for engineering analysis.
(3) When preliminary soil engineering reports are not required by the City Engineer, inspection and testing may be required by a testing agency. The testing agency shall be responsible for the professional inspection and approval of cleared areas and benches to receive fill and the compaction of fills.
(4) The City Engineer, or his or her designee, shall inspect the project at various stages of work requiring approval and at any more frequent intervals necessary to determine that adequate inspection and testing are being completed by the professional consultants and to insure conformance with the approved plans.
(F) Noncompliance; notification; corrective measures. If the civil engineer, the soil engineer, the engineering geologist or the testing agency finds during any inspection conducted pursuant to this chapter that the work is not being completed in conformance with the grading permit, the approved plans, any applicable provisions of this chapter or the code or state or federal law, the nonconformance shall be immediately reported in writing to the permittee, any contractor performing the work, the property owner and the City Engineer. The civil engineer, the soil engineer, the engineering geologist or the testing agency shall submit recommendations for corrective measures to the City Engineer for review and approval. The City Engineer may require additional or revised soil engineering reports or engineering geology reports for approval of the corrective measures.
(G) Incorporation of corrective measures. The civil engineer shall incorporate any corrective measures approved by the City Engineer into the approved plans, and the changes shall automatically be deemed to be made a part of the grading permit. The civil engineer of record during construction shall be responsible for establishing line and grade for the grading and drainage improvements and shall act as the coordinating agent in the event the need arises for liaison between the other professionals, the grading contractor and the City Engineer. The civil engineer of record during construction shall also be responsible for preparing revised grading plans for review and approval, if required by the City Engineer. Upon completion of the work, the submission of an as-built precise grading plan shall incorporate all corrective measures, changes and additions made during construction.
(Ord. 3378 § 5, 2023; Ord. 2806 § 9, 2006; Ord. 2568 § 1, 2002.)
(A) If the civil engineer, the soil engineer, the engineering geologist, the testing agency or the grading contractor of record is changed during the course of the work, the work may be stopped by the City Engineer until:
(1) The permittee submits a letter of notification to the City Engineer verifying the change of the responsible professional or the civil engineer who prepared the approved plans submits a letter indicating that he or she is not the engineer of record for construction of the project; and
(2) The new responsible professional submits in writing that he or she has reviewed all prior reports and approved plans (specified by date and title) and work performed by the prior responsible professional and that he or she concurs with the findings, conclusions and recommendations and is satisfied with the work performed. The new responsible professional must also state that he or she assumes all responsibility within his or her purview as of the specified date.
(B) All exceptions to the requirements of this section must be justified to the satisfaction of the City Engineer.
(C) Where clearly indicated that a corporation, partnership, limited liability partnership or limited liability corporation, not the individual engineer and/or geologist, is the responsible professional, the designated engineer and/or geologist may be reassigned and another engineer and/or geologist within the corporation, partnership, limited liability partnership or limited liability corporation may assume responsibility without the requirement for written notification to the City Engineer.
(Ord. 3378 § 5 (part), 2023; Ord. 2568 § 1, 2002.)
(A) Final reports. Upon completion of the rough grading work and at the final completion of all work authorized under the grading permit, but prior to the release of grading security or issuance of a certificate of occupancy, the City Engineer shall require:
(1) An as-built precise grading plan prepared by the civil engineer which shall include original ground surface elevations, as-graded ground surface elevations, slope inclinations, elevations and locations of all surface and sub-surface drainage facilities, location with scaled sections of all buttress/stabilization fill and location and depth of all areas of unsuitable soil;
(2) Written approval by the civil engineer that the grading conforms with the approved plans and that specifically identifies the following items as conforming with the approved plans:
(a) Construction of line and grade for all engineered drainage devices and retaining walls (both rough and final grading);
(b) Staking of property corners for proper building locations (rough grading only);
(c) Locations of permanent walls or structures on property corners or property lines where monumentation is not required (final grading only);
(d) Location and inclination of all manufactured slopes (both rough and final grading);
(e) Construction of earthen berms and positive building pad drainage (both rough and final grading);
(3) A final soil engineering report (compaction report) prepared by the soil engineer, including the type of field testing performed, the stability of utility trench and retaining wall backfill, summaries of field and laboratory tests and other substantiating data and comments on any changes made during grading and the effect of the same on recommendations and changes incorporated in the approved plans. Each field density test shall be identified, located on a plan or map, the elevation of the test and finish grade elevation shown and the method of obtaining the in place density described (either ASTM 1556-78 or the approved equal shall be noted). The final soil engineering report shall provide written approval as to the adequacy of the site for the intended use, as affected by soil engineering factors, and a statement of compliance to finish grade;
(4) A final engineering geology report prepared by the engineering geologist, including a final description of the geology of the site, including any new information discovered during the grading and the effect of the same on recommendations and changes incorporated in the approved plans. The engineering geologist shall provide written approval as to the adequacy of the site for the intended use as effected by geologic factors, a statement of compliance to finish grade, and when required by the City Engineer, shall submit an as-built geologic map;
(5) The City Engineer may require a statement of compliance prepared by the grading contractor that all work was completed in accordance with the grading permit and approved plans.
(B) Notice of completion. The City Engineer shall give final approval of the work and a notice of completion shall not be issued until all work, including installation of all drainage facilities and their protective devices and all erosion control measures have been completed in accordance with the approved plans and undergone final inspection, the required final reports and statements of compliance have been submitted and approved by the City Engineer and all fees and costs incurred by the permittee have been paid or satisfied by the security.
(Ord. 3378 § 5 (part), 2023; Ord. 2568 § 1, 2002.)
(A) Building permits may be issued for a site graded under an approved plan and valid grading permit upon completion, inspection, approval of rough grade and inspection as required by this chapter. Only building permits for construction of model homes may be issued prior to completion of rough grading for the site, provided that rough grading is completed and inspected for the model home sites.
(B) Building permits shall not be issued for a site graded under a rough grading permit until a new precise grading plan is approved, a grading permit issued, and the provisions noted above are satisfied.
(Ord. 3378 § 5 (part), 2023; Ord. 2568 § 1, 2002.)
(A) Any person violating any provision of this chapter shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof in a court of law, shall be punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000 or imprisonment for not more than six months, or by both. Each person shall be deemed guilty of a separate offense for every day during any portion of which any violation of any provision of this chapter, including any physical condition created in violation of this chapter, is continued or permitted to continue and shall be punishable as provided for in this chapter.
(B) Any lot, street, alley, road or driveway constructed contrary to the provisions of this chapter shall constitute a public nuisance.
(Ord. 3378 § 5 (part), 2023; Ord. 2568 § 1, 2002.)