(A) Pre-grading, pre-paving, and pre-construction meeting. Prior to any grading or clearing, brushing, and grubbing there shall be a pre-grading or pre-construction meeting held on the site or at City Hall, unless waived by the City Engineer/Public Works Director. Prior to placing concrete for curb and gutter, sidewalk, pavement base material, or other similar improvements in the public right-of-way, there shall be a pre-paving meeting held on the site, unless waived by the City Engineer/Public Works Director. The permittee shall notify the City Engineer/Public Works Director and request at least five working days (for pre-grading), and at least three working days (for pre-paving), 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/Public Works Director may inspect the site of the work to determine that the approved plans are current and reflect existing conditions. If the City Engineer/Public Works Director 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/Public Works Director 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/Public Works Director.
(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/Public Works Director at least 24 hours 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 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 during 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 during 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 backfilling.
(b) City storm drains and inlets. After installation of form work and placement of reinforcement, but before concrete placement and then again during 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. 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 non erosive 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/Public Works Director.
(5) Rough grade inspection. All rough grading work shall be inspected when all rough grading is complete. Inspection shall occur after the City Engineer/Public Works Director 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 a 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 onsite. The civil engineer shall provide approval of line and grade. The subgrade must then pass a yield test performed by a full water truck prior to placing the base.
(b) Base. After base course is in place, tested, and approved by the soils engineer and city inspector, but prior to prime coat and asphalt placement. The soils 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. Proper equipment shall also be used, in accordance with the contract specifications. 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/Public Works Director may establish special inspection requirements in accordance with the California Building Code, as amended. Special cases may apply to work where, in the opinion of the City Engineer/Public Works Director, it is necessary to supplement the resources or expertise available for inspection.
(8) Special inspections for receiving hauled earth material. In cases where earth material is hauled to the grading site for use as part of the grading activities such as for fill placements, the City Engineer/Public Works Director may establish special inspection requirements to ensure imported earth material meets the requirements set forth in this chapter.
(9) 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 work is subject to rejection by the Public Works Inspector and approved by the City Engineer/Public Works Director. The City Engineer/Public Works Director may require that all the work be exposed for examination in the presence of the Public Works Inspector or the City Engineer/Public Works Director's designee. Any cost for exposing, necessary removal, re-working, and recovering such non-inspected work shall be at the permittee's sole cost and expense.
(2) The provisions of the California Building Code, Section 114, Stop Work Orders, shall apply, whenever the City Engineer/Public Works Director 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/Public Works Director may order the work stopped by notice in writing served to 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/Public Works Director 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 need for subdrains or other groundwater drainage devices. The engineering geologist shall report all findings to the soil engineer for engineering analysis.
(3) The structural engineer, if applicable, shall be responsible for the professional inspection and approval of non-standard retaining walls or retaining walls to be constructed in connection with the grading plans, and all other structures designed under the structural engineer's supervision.
(4) When preliminary soil engineering reports are not required by the City Engineer/Public Works Director, 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.
(5) The City Engineer/Public Works Director, 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 ensure conformance with the approved plans.
(F) Noncompliance; notification; corrective measures. If the civil engineer, the soil engineer, the engineering geologist, the structural engineer, the public works inspector, 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/Public Works Director. The civil engineer, the soil engineer, the engineering geologist, the structural engineer, or the testing agency shall submit recommendations for corrective measures to the City Engineer/Public Works Director for review and approval. The City Engineer/Public Works Director 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/Public Works Director into the approved plans, and the changes shall automatically be deemed part of the grading plans and 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 a liaison between the other professionals, the grading contractor and the City Engineer/Public Works Director. 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/Public Works Director. 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. 2022-364, passed 11-16-2022)