1. Subject to the exceptions set forth below, no person shall commence any grading, excavation or fill without first having obtained a grading permit from the Borough Engineer or his designee. The fee for a grading permit shall be established from time to time by resolution of Borough Council. One permit shall be required for each site and shall include both excavation and fill to be done on such site.
2. Exceptions to the above requirement are:
A. Grading limited to the mining, quarrying or stockpiling of coal, rock, sand, aggregate or clay that satisfies the requirements or regulations of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
B. Grading limited to solid waste disposal or sanitary landfills operated in accordance with the requirements, rules and ordinances adopted by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Allegheny County Health Department.
C. An excavation which does not exceed five feet in vertical depth at any point and does not include any area of more than 1,000 square feet and is not located in an area recognized by the soil survey as containing landslide-prone soils. The determination of landslide-prone soil, areas can also be made by the Pennsylvania Bureau of Topographic and Geological Survey or an engineering geologist. This exception shall not affect the applicability of this Part to or the requirement for a grading permit for any fill made with a material from such excavation, unless such fill is within the scope of paragraph B. hereof.
D. A fill which does not exceed 25 cubic yards of material on any one site and a fill which does not exceed five feet in vertical depth at any point and does not cover an area of more than 1,000 square feet and is not in an area recognized by the Soil Survey as containing landslide-prone soils, provided that the surfaces of such fills do not have a slope at any point steeper than a ratio of three horizontal to one vertical.
E. An excavation below finished grade for basements and footings of a building, swimming pool, or underground structure authorized by a building permit and excavation of a driveway between a building site and a public road or street when conditions such as excessive cut or fill make such permit necessary. This exception shall not affect the applicability of this Part to or the requirement of a grading permit for any fill made with the material from such excavation unless such fill is within the scope of Subsection B. hereof. A grading permit shall not be required for the temporary stockpiling on the same site of the material from such excavation.
F. A single-family dwelling site with the maximum gradient between property lines and the maximum excavation or fill (exclusive of the situations referred to in Subsection C. hereof) not in excess of the quantities set forth in the following table:
Single-Family Dwelling Site | Maximum Gradient Without Permit | Maximum Excavation or Fill Without Permit |
Less than 6,000 square feet | 12 in 100 feet | 75 cubic yards |
From 6,000 to 10,000 sq. feet | 15 in 100 feet | 100 cubic yards |
From 10,000 to 18,000 sq. feet | 15 in 100 feet | 200 cubic yards |
From 18,000 to 30,000 sq. feet | 15 in 100 feet | 250 cubic yards |
Over 30,000 sq. feet | 20 in 100 feet | 250 cubic yards |
(Ord. 965, 10/13/2022)