(a) When the City Engineer, under any section of this chapter, has set, finally determined and/or established the natural and/or finished grade lines of any parcel of real estate, lot or land within the City, thus providing for the drainage of surface water therefrom, the owner, occupant or any other person in charge of such premises shall continue to maintain and adhere to said grade lines of the premises and shall further keep all drains, ditches, swales or other surface water conductors open and free and clear of any and all obstructions.
(b) Any builder, contractor, landscaper or owner doing any grading, regrading, landscaping, sodding or performing any other work affecting drainage of any parcel of land in the City shall, prior to doing any such work, and in addition to obtaining any other permit required by this chapter, obtain from the City Engineer a landscaping permit to perform such work. Such person or persons shall furnish a landscaping plan of the parcel of land upon which the work is to be performed. The plan shall show all data necessary to determine the extent and character of the work to be done and its effect upon drainage. Said plan shall also include landscaping of all areas on the site in which the soil is not already covered with approved ground cover, buildings or paved areas. Approved ground cover shall mean grass seeding, sodding or other landscape plants in which the soil is stabilized against erosion into the City’s drainage system or onto another property. In addition, if no approved grading plan for said parcel is on file with the Engineering Division, then such person or persons shall also furnish a grade plan for the parcel of land, prepared and certified by a registered surveyor. The landscaping permit shall be applied for and obtained prior to the issuance of any conditional or permanent occupancy permit for the house, building, addition, or other structure, or part of structure, upon said property for which an occupancy permit is required. All work shown upon the landscaping plan for which a landscaping permit has been issued must be completed within six months from the date of issuance of the landscaping permit, unless an extension of time is granted to the permit holder by the City Engineer based upon demonstrable hardship.
(c) As a condition for issuance of a permit for grading, regrading, landscaping, sodding and other such work affecting drainage of any parcel of land in the City, the person or persons performing such work shall pay a permit fee of thirty dollars ($30.00) and make a deposit with the City Engineer in the sum of seventy-five dollars ($75.00) per 10,000 square feet or fraction thereof of parcel area.
(1) This deposit shall be used for checking of plans, establishing finished grades, where necessary, and inspection and/or surveys. Costs shall be calculated on the basis of the actual time expended at the current hourly rate as established by and on file in the Engineering Division.
When the work has been completed, inspected and approved by the City Engineer, whatever balance remaining in the deposit may be refunded.
(Ord. 2013-46. Passed 6-4-13.)