A grading permit is required to control all forms of grading activity on a site. The grading permit may be phased at the applicant’s discretion into segments of work as long as the site is not left in an unstable, erodible or unsafe condition. The possible phasing of the grading permit is referenced below.
a. (Rough) Grading Permit. The purpose of a rough grading permit is to allow the applicant to begin working on a site requiring minor to moderate grading. It can also be used for mass grading or infrastructural improvements in which building pads, street rights-of-way and slopes are graded to substantial conformance with the approved plans, but no specific improvements are proposed. The scope of work covered by a rough grading permit includes the following:
1. Site preparation, site private drainage, over-excavation (if required), clearing and grubbing;
2. Grading of building pads, street rights-of-way and cut slopes to a rough grade condition:
3. Importation and stockpiling of fill material required for the project which will be compacted in place within five (5) working days;
4. Implementation of erosion-control measures;
5. Any other work deemed reasonable and necessary by the Town Engineer to bring the site to a stable geological condition.
b. Fine Grading Permit. Grading that is required to take a project from pad certification to project completion is called fine grading, and falls under the authority of the Chief Building Official. It may also be used to encompass the entire grading aspect of a project.
The scope of work covered by the free grading permit includes the following:
1. Re-grade to acceptable line and grade tolerances (fine grade) of any areas to be covered by any paving or hardscape surface;
2. Finish grading of all cut and/or fill slopes, landscape berms and berms adjacent to the building;
3. Lot drainage and side-yard swale.
c. Hillside Grading Permit. A hillside grading permit is required when the existing average gradient of the site is ten (10%) percent or greater. This permit category serves to identify hillside sites and to ensure adequate attention is given to potential problems, such as slope stability and erosion control, associated with hillside grading and falls under the authority of the Town Engineer.
Grading necessary to construct retaining wall structures in hillside areas (Zones 3 and 4), as defined in paragraph c. of this subsection, shall be confined within seven (7’) feet of the building footprint of the structure and within the necessary roadways to permit vehicular access to the site. Applicants for grading permits will be encouraged to construct retaining walls within the footprint if it is apparent that graded cut and fill slopes cannot be integrated into the natural surroundings in an acceptable manner.
Plans prepared for sites designated as falling within hillside areas as defined in the Hillside/Ridgeline Ordinance Scenic Hillside and Major Ridgeline Development Ordinance 29-84
1
or as defined above shall include the following:
1. Detailed sections of keyways, retaining structures, buttressing and daylighting of all slopes;
2. Private drainage improvements such as slope drainage devices, terrace drains, desilting basins and subdrain systems; and
3. Any other design considerations which were utilized to preserve the natural terrain.
(Ord. #89-22, §92-8.12)
* Editor’s Note: Ordinance #29-84, Scenic Hillside and Major Ridgeline Development, is codified as Section 32-69 of Chapter XXXII, Planning and Land Use.