What to include in a grading permit application

(a) An applicant for a grading permit shall file a written application which shall: (1) Describe, by tax map key number or street address, the land on which the proposed work is to be done; (2) State the estimated dates for the starting and completion of the proposed work; (3) Show the names and addresses of the owner or owners of the property; (4) Show the names of the permittee, the person who shall be responsible for the work to be performed and that person’s contractors or employees, or both, and any person responsible for requesting the inspection required herein. A person signing the application for the permittee shall present evidence that the person is authorized to act for the permittee; (5) Include a vicinity sketch map or plan adequately indicating the site location; property lines, easements, and setbacks of the property on which the work is to be performed; location of any buildings, structures, and improvements on the property where the work is to be performed and location of any building or structure on adjacent property which is within 15 feet of the property to be graded when the grading may affect the building or structure; elevations, dimensions, location, extent, and the slopes of all proposed grading shown by contours or other means, or both; the area in square feet of the land to be graded; the quantities of excavation and fill involved; and the locations of any streams, waterways, and wetlands; (6) State the current development plan land use map designation and zoning designation of any property that will be subject to the permit; (7) Include a copy of any environmental impact statement or environmental assessment required by the United States or by any State or city agency; (8) State the purpose of the grading work in terms of a use or structure permitted on the zoning lot under Chapter 21 ; (9) If the use or structure for which the grading work is being done requires a conditional use permit, plan review use resolution, planned development approval, site plan review permit, special district permit, special management area use permit or special management area minor permit, the applicant shall include a copy of the applicable permits, approvals, and resolutions; and (10) If the use or structure for which the grading work is being done requires an amendment to any permit, resolution or approval referred to in subdivision (9), the applicant shall include a copy of the amendment. (b) In the event the area of the zoning lot or portion thereof subject to the permit is 15,000 square feet or more for single-family or two-family dwelling uses or 7,500 square feet or more for other uses, or in the event the total area to be developed is more than 15,000 square feet for single-family or two-family dwelling uses or 7,500 square feet for other uses and grading is being done in increments of less than that square footage, the applicant shall: (1) Include a contour map, prepared by a surveyor or an engineer, which shall show the location and type of existing trees with a trunk diameter larger than 12 inches, prominent visible rock outcroppings, utility lines, structures, dimensions, and azimuths of property lines, easements, and setbacks, and the name and location of streets, roadways, and rights-of-way; and (2) Include a grading plan and specifications prepared by an engineer, which plan shall show the contours of the land before grading and the finished conditions to be achieved by the proposed grading, to be shown by contours, cross-sections, spot elevations, or other means. The grading plan shall provide information regarding the location and source of imported fill material and the location where excess excavation material is to be disposed of when the application is made. The borrow or disposal sites, or both, must also fulfill the requirements of this chapter. Where the area is proposed to be graded in increments, the grading plan shall also include the plan for the future development of the area and the proposed grading work for the future increments. The chief engineer may also require submittal of a plan showing the location of proposed structures, buildings, streets, utilities, easements, permanent engineering measures to control soil erosion and storm runoff, and other improvements where the grading work is to be performed. One of the purposes of the grading plan is to show that only the minimum grading necessary to develop the area in conformity with zoning will be performed, and hence the natural contours and topography will be retained wherever feasible, and exposed or finished cuts or fills will be rounded off in a natural manner and sharp angles will be avoided. The grading plan shall provide that exposed finished soil surfaces shall be covered with vegetation or matting immediately to control soil erosion. (c) (1) In the event the total area including any areas developed incrementally that is to be graded is 15,000 square feet or more for single-family or two-family dwelling uses or 7,500 square feet or more for other uses, or in the event a proposed cut or fill is greater than 15 feet in height for single-family or two-family dwelling uses or 7.5 feet in height for other uses, in addition to the foregoing, a drainage and erosion control plan shall be included in the application. The objective of the drainage and erosion control plan is to employ best management practices to the maximum extent practicable at the construction site. BMPs shall be specified on all erosion control plans. The drainage and erosion control plan shall: (A) Be prepared by an engineer in accordance with the soil erosion standards and guidelines approved by the chief engineer, a copy of which shall be on file in the division of engineering, department of facility maintenance, which is incorporated herein by reference and made a part of this article; (B) Show the general scheme for controlling soil erosion and disposal of stormwater runoff, including but not limited to structural best management practices (BMPs) such as terraces, berms, ditches, culverts, subsurface drains, dams, sediment traps, dikes, detention/retention ponds, and nonstructural BMPs such as seeding and planting, mulching, sprigging, sodding, or temporary covering; and (C) Show the acreage of the areas served by each drain and drainage structure. (2) The permittee shall submit temporary erosion control plans and procedures for the chief engineer’s approval before grading, which shall include a statement of the schedules and sequence of construction operations. The limits of the area to be graded shall be delineated by flagging before the commencement of the grading work. Where construction equipment will make frequent crossings of a natural drainage course, plans shall provide for temporary culverts or bridge structures to be installed. Where any operations are delayed for any reason, a revised schedule shall be submitted to the chief engineer together with such modifications of the temporary drainage and erosion control plan as the chief engineer may require. Plans shall provide that the area of bare soil exposed at any one time by construction operations shall be held to a minimum. No drainage structure shall discharge onto a fill slope in such a manner as to cause erosion or gullying. Temporary erosion controls shall not be removed before permanent erosion controls are in place and established; (3) The permittee and the permittee’s contractor shall be responsible for construction, installation, and maintenance of structural and nonstructural BMPs at construction sites in accordance with the approved drainage and erosion control plan. The adequacy of any BMPs employed or any corrective action that needs to be taken at the construction site is the responsibility of the permittee, the permittee’s engineer, and the permittee’s contractor, and the cost of any corrective action or work shall be borne by the permittee; and (4) In addition to temporary erosion control plans for construction activities, the chief engineer may require the permittee to prepare and submit permanent erosion control BMPs for the control of storm runoff pollutants and erosion after construction has been completed. (d) (1) If a proposed cut or fill is greater than 15 feet in height for single-family or two-family dwelling uses or 7.5 feet in height for other uses; the proposed grading is on land with slopes exceeding 15 percent; any fill is to be placed over a gully, or a swamp, pond, lake, waterway, or wetland; the fill material will be a highly plastic clay; or the fill is to be used to support foundations for residential or other buildings, an engineer’s soils report shall be submitted. The soils report shall include data regarding the nature, distribution, and engineering characteristics of existing soils, the surface and subsurface conditions at the site or the presence of groundwater when detected, and shall recommend the limits for the proposed grading, the fill material to be used and the manner of placing it, including the height and slopes of cut and fill sections. (2) If the proposed grading includes modification to an existing slope with a cut greater than 15 feet in height and a grade steeper than 40 percent, an evaluation of slope hazards is required and the findings of the evaluation shall be included in a report. The slope hazard evaluation shall, at a minimum, include an evaluation of hazards posed by potential rock, soil, or other slope movement to the proposed development, and an evaluation of the hazard posed to adjacent existing properties or buildings by the proposed grading. The engineering slope hazard report and construction plans shall include mitigative measures to minimize the hazards posed by potential rock, soil, and other slope movement, as well as the threat the development poses to properties adjacent to the proposed grading. )