Section 3313 entitled Demolition and Excavation of Chapter 33 of the state’s Building Code herein adopted shall be added to read as follows.
3313.1 Protection.
All excavations shall be so protected by the owner making them or causing them to be made, that adjoining soil shall not cave in by reason of its own weight, and shall be properly guarded and protected so as to prevent the same from becoming dangerous to life and limb. Permanent excavations are to be protected by retaining walls with guard fences or rails.
3313.2 Damage by excavation.
If the owner or possessor of any lot or land digs, or causes to be dug, any cellar, pit, vault or excavation to a greater depth than nine feet below the curb of the street or streets on which such lot or land abuts or, if there be no curb, below the established grade of the street or streets on which such lot or land abuts, or if there be no curb or established grade below the surface of the adjoining lots, and by such excavation causes any damage to any wall, house or other building upon the lots adjoining thereto, such owner or possessor shall be liable, in a civil action to the party injured, to the full amount of the damage aforesaid. When there is a curb or established grade, the depth of such excavation, at any point thereof, shall be measured downward from the pitchline projected laterally over the lot or land from and between the corresponding points in the nearest curb or established grade opposite the ends of such pitch line.
3313.3 Depth of excavation allowable.
Such owner or possessor may dig or cause to be dug any such cellar, pit or excavation to the full depth of any foundation wall of any building upon the adjoining lot or lots or to the full depth of nine feet below the established grade of the street or streets whereon such lot abuts, without reference to the depth of adjoining foundation walls, without incurring the liability prescribed in this Building Code, and may, on 30 days’ notice to adjoining owners, grade and improve the surface of any lot to correspond with the established grade of the street, streets or alley upon which such lot or land abuts, without incurring liability.
3313.4 Excavations below footings.
Excavations in any building for the foundations of any machinery or for any cistern or pit of any kind, or for a tunnel or any sewer, water or other pipe line running parallel with a foundation wall or the side of any supporting pier, shall not be dug below the bottom of the footings of such wall or pier when such excavations extend within one foot of the angle of repose or natural slope of the foundation soil underneath such footings. The excavations for the foundations of any vibratory machinery, engine or dynamo shall not be made within one foot of the footings of any wall or pier.
(Ord. 7316, passed 7-17-1979)