A. In accordance with Section 15.92.020(B), this appendix contains the prescriptive measures that a project may comply with as an alternative to complying with the other provisions of this chapter.
B. Compliance with the following is mandatory and must be documented on a landscape plan to use the prescriptive compliance option:
1. A landscape documentation package that includes the following elements:
a. Date;
b. Project applicant;
c. Project address (if available, parcel and/or lot number(s));
d. Total landscape area (square feet), including a breakdown of turf and plant material;
e. Project type (e.g., new, rehabilitated, public, private, cemetery, homeowner-installed);
f. Water supply type (e.g., potable, recycled, well) and identify the local retail water purveyor if the applicant is not served by a private well;
g. Contact information for the project applicant and property owner; and
h. Applicant signature and date with statement, "I agree to comply with the requirements of the prescriptive compliance option to Chapter 15.92 of the Sacramento City Code."
2. A compost rate of at least four cubic yards per one thousand (1,000) square feet to a depth of six inches into landscape area (unless contra-indicated by a soil test);
3. Plant material that complies with all of the following:
a. For residential areas, climate adapted plants that require occasional, little, or no summer water (average WUCOLS plant factor 0.3) for seventy-five (75) percent of the plant area excluding edibles and areas using recycled water. For nonresidential areas, climate adapted plants that require occasional, little, or no summer water (average WUCOLS plant factor 0.3) for one hundred (100) percent of the plant area excluding edibles and areas using recycled water;
b. A minimum three-inch layer of mulch shall be applied on all exposed soil surfaces of planting areas except in turf areas, creeping or rooting groundcovers, or direct seeding applications where mulch is contraindicated.
4. Turf that complies with all of the following:
a. Turf does not exceed twenty-five (25) percent of the landscape area in residential areas, and there shall be no turf in nonresidential areas;
b. Turf shall not be planted on sloped areas that exceed a slope of one foot vertical elevation change for every four feet of horizontal length;
c. Turf is prohibited in parkways less than ten feet wide, unless the parkway is adjacent to a parking strip and used to enter and exit vehicles. Any turf in parkways must be irrigated by subsurface irrigation or by other technology that creates no overspray or runoff.
5. Irrigation systems that comply with the following:
a. Automatic irrigation controllers are required and must use evapotranspiration or soil moisture sensor data and utilize a rain sensor.
b. Irrigation controllers shall be of a type that does not lose programming data in the event the primary power source is interrupted.
c. Pressure regulators shall be installed on the irrigation system to ensure the dynamic pressure of the system is within the manufacturers recommended pressure range.
d. Manual shut-off valves (such as a gate valve, ball valve, or butterfly valve) shall be installed as close as possible to the point of connection of the water supply.
e. All irrigation emission devices must meet the requirements set in the ANSI standard, ASABE/ICC 802-2014 - "Landscape Irrigation Sprinkler and Emitter Standard." All sprinkler heads installed in the landscape must document a distribution uniformity low quarter of 0.65 or higher using the protocol defined in ASABE/ICC 802-2014.
f. Areas less than ten (10) feet in width in any direction shall be irrigated with subsurface irrigation or other means that produces no runoff or overspray.
6. For nonresidential projects with landscape areas of one thousand (1,000) square feet or more, a private submeter that measures landscape water use.
C. At the time of final inspection, the permit applicant must provide the owner of the property with a certificate of completion, certificate of installation, irrigation schedule, and a schedule of landscape and irrigation maintenance. (Ord. 2015-0038 § 2)