§ 33-1326. Landscape documentation package.

• (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), building permit applications for projects subject to section 33-1323 shall include a landscape documentation package that complies with the provisions of this article and with the Landscape Design Manual.

• (b) An applicant for a building permit for a single family residence with a landscaped area less than 5,000 square feet is not required to submit a landscape documentation package with the permit application, but shall comply with section 33-1328. An applicant for a permit for a cemetery is not required to submit a landscape documentation package, but shall comply with section 33-1329.

• (c) The landscape documentation package required by subsection (a) shall contain the following:

  • (1) A soil management report and plan that complies with section 33-1326-1 that analyzes the soil within each landscaped area of the project and makes recommendations regarding soil additives;

  • (2) Planting and irrigation plans that comply with section 33-1326-2 that describe the landscaping and irrigation for the project;

  • (3) A water efficient landscape worksheet that complies with section 33-1326-3 that calculates the MAWA and the ETWU for the project;

  • (4) A grading design plan that complies with section 33-1326-4 that describes the grading of the project. If the project applicant has submitted a grading plan with the application for the project, the director may accept that grading plan in lieu of the grading design plan required by this subsection if the grading plan complies with section 33-1326-4.

• (Ord. No. 2010-01, § 4, 2-3-10)

• (a) The soil management report required by section 33-1326 shall be prepared by a licensed landscape architect, licensed civil engineer, licensed architect, or other landscape professional licensed by the state to do this work and shall contain the following information:

  • (1) An analysis of the soil for the proposed landscaped areas of the project that includes information about the soil texture, soil infiltration rate, pH, total soluble salts, sodium, and percent organic matter;

  • (2) Recommendations about soil amendments that may be necessary to foster plant growth and plant survival in the landscaped area using efficient irrigation techniques.

• (b) When a project involves mass grading of a site the applicant shall submit the soil management report that complies with subsection (a) with the certificate of completion required by section 33-1335.

• (c) The soil management report shall include information regarding proposed soil amendments and mulch:

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City of Escondido, CA

ESCONDIDO CODE

§ 33-1326-1

§ 33-1326-2

• (1) The report shall identify the type and amount of mulch for each area where mulch is applied. Mulch shall be used as follows:

  • (A) A minimum two inch layer of mulch shall be applied on all exposed soil surfaces in each landscaped area except in turf areas, creeping or rooting ground covers or direct seeding applications where mulch is contraindicated;

  • (B) Stabilizing mulch shall be applied on slopes;

  • (C) The mulching portion of seed/mulch slurry in hydro-seeded applications shall comply with subsection (A);

  • (D) Highly flammable mulch material shall not be used.

(2) The report shall identify any soil amendments and their type and quantity. (Ord. No. 2010-01, § 4, 2-3-10)

• (a) The planting and irrigation plans required by section 33-1326 shall be prepared by a licensed landscape architect, licensed civil engineer, licensed architect, or other landscape professional licensed by the state to do this work. The plans shall:

  • (1) Include the MAWA for the plans, including the calculations used to determine the MAWA. The calculations shall be based on the formula in section 33-1326-6;

  • (2) Include the ETWU for the plans, including the calculations used to determine the ETWU. The calculations shall be based on the formula in section 33-1326-7;

  • (3) Include a statement signed under penalty of perjury by the person who prepared the plan that provides, "I am familiar with the requirements for landscape and irrigation plans contained in the Escondido Water Efficient Landscape Regulations. I have prepared this plan in compliance with those regulations and the Landscape Design Manual. I certify that the plan implements those regulations to provide efficient use of water";

  • (4) Demonstrate compliance with best management practices required by sections 22-19 et seq. (Stormwater management and discharge control regulations);

  • (5) Address fire safety issues, demonstrate compliance with applicable requirements for defensible space around buildings and structures, and shall avoid the use of fire prone vegetation.

(b) The planting plan shall meet the following requirements:

• (1) The plan shall include a list of all vegetation by common and botanical plant name, which exists in the proposed landscaped area. The plan shall state what vegetation will be retained and what will be removed. Existing invasive plant species shall be removed.

• (2) The plan shall include a list of all vegetation by common and botanical plant name, which will be added to each landscaped area. No invasive plant species shall be added to a landscaped area. The plan shall include the total quantities by container size and species. If the applicant intends to plant seeds, the plan shall describe the seed mixes

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City of Escondido, CA § 33-1326-2

ZONING

• (3) The plan shall include a detailed description of each water feature that will be included in the landscaped area.

  • (4) The plan shall be accompanied by a drawing showing on a page or pages, the specific location of all vegetation, retained or planted, the plant spacing and plant size, natural features, water features, and hardscape areas. The drawing shall include a legend listing the common and botanical plant name of each plant shown on the drawing.

  • (5) All plants shall be grouped in hydrozones and the irrigation shall be designed to deliver water to hydrozones based on the moisture requirements of the plant grouping. A hydrozone may mix plants of very low and low water use, or of moderate and low water use, or mix plants of high water use with plants of moderate water use. No high water use plants shall be allowed in a very low or low water use hydrozone. The plan shall also demonstrate how the plant groupings accomplish the most efficient use of water.

  • (6) The plan shall identify areas permanently and solely dedicated to edible plants.

  • (7) The plan shall demonstrate that landscaping when installed and at maturity will be positioned to avoid obstructing motorists' views of pedestrian crossings, driveways, roadways and other vehicular travel ways. If the landscaping will require maintenance to avoid obstructing motorist's views, the plan shall describe the maintenance and the frequency of the proposed maintenance.

  • (8) The plan shall avoid the use of landscaping with known surface root problems adjacent to a paved area, unless the plan provides for installation of root control barriers or other appropriate devices to control surface roots.

  • (9) Plants in a transitional area shall consist of a combination of site adaptive and compatible native and/or non-native species. No invasive species shall be introduced or tolerated in a transitional area. The irrigation in a transitional area shall be designed so that no overspray or runoff shall enter an adjacent area that is not irrigated.

  • (10) On a project other than a single-family residence, the plan shall identify passive and active recreational areas.

• (c) The irrigation plan shall meet the following requirements:

  • (1) The plan shall show the location, type and size of all components of the irrigation system that will provide water to the landscaped area, including the controller, water lines, valves, sprinkler heads, moisture sensing devices, rain switches, quick couplers, pressure regulators, and backflow prevention devices.

  • (2) The plan shall show the static water pressure at the point of connection to the public water supply and the flow rate in gallons, the application rate in inches per hour and the design operating pressure in pressure per square inch for each station.

• (3) The irrigation system shall be designed to prevent runoff, overspray, low-head drainage and other similar conditions where irrigation water flows or sprays onto areas not intended for irrigation. The plan shall also demonstrate how grading and drainage techniques promote healthy plant growth and prevent erosion and runoff.

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City of Escondido, CA § 33-1326-2

ESCONDIDO CODE

• (5) The plan shall provide that any slope greater than 25% will be irrigated with an irrigation system with a precipitation rate of .75 inches per hour or less to prevent runoff and erosion. As used in this article, 25% grade means one foot of vertical elevation change for every four feet of horizontal length. An applicant may employ an alternative design if the plan demonstrates that no runoff or erosion will occur.

  • (6) The plan shall provide that all wiring and piping under a paved area that a vehicle may use, such as a parking area, driveway or roadway, will be installed inside a PVC conduit.

  • (7) The plan shall provide that irrigation piping and irrigation devices that deliver water, such as sprinkler heads, shall be installed below grade if they are within 24 inches of a vehicle or pedestrian use area. The director may allow on-grade piping where landform constraints make below grade piping infeasible.

  • (8) The plan shall provide that only low volume or subsurface irrigation shall be used to irrigate any vegetation within 24 inches of an impermeable surface unless the adjacent impermeable surfaces are designed and constructed to cause water to drain entirely into a landscaped area.

  • (9) The irrigation system shall provide for the installation of a manual shutoff valve as close as possible to the water supply. Additional manual shutoff valves shall be installed between each zone of the irrigation system and the water supply.

  • (10) The irrigation system shall provide that irrigation for any landscaped area will be regulated by an automatic irrigation controller.

  • (11) The irrigation system shall be designed with a landscape irrigation efficiency necessary to meet the MAWA.

  • (12) The plan shall describe each automatic irrigation controller the system uses to regulate the irrigation schedule and whether it is a weather based system or moisture detection system. The plan shall depict the location of electrical service for the automatic irrigation controller or describe the use of batteries or solar power that will power valves or a smart controller.

• (Ord. No. 2010-01, § 4, 2-3-10)

The water efficient landscape worksheet required by section 33-1326 shall be prepared by a licensed landscape architect, licensed civil engineer, licensed architect, or other landscape professional licensed by the state to do this work and shall contain the following:

• (a) A hydrozone information table that contains a list of each hydrozone in the landscaped area of the project and complies with the following requirements:

  • (1) For each hydrozone listed, the table shall identify the plant types and water features in the hydrozone, the irrigation methods used, the square footage and the percentage of the total landscaped area of the project that the hydrozone represents.

  • (2) The plant types shall be categorized as turf, high water use, moderate water use, low

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City of Escondido, CA § 33-1326-3

ZONING

• (b) Water budget calculations, which shall meet the following requirements:

  • (1) The plant factor used shall be from WUCOLS. The plant factor shall be 0.1 for very low water use plants, 0.3 for low water use plants, 0.5 for moderate water use plants and 0.8 for high water use plants. A plan that mixes plants in a hydrozone that require a different amount of water shall use the plant factor for the highest water using plant in the hydrozone.

  • (2) Temporarily irrigated areas shall be included in the very low and low water use hydrozones. Temporarily irrigated as used in this article means the period of time when plantings only receive water until they become established.

  • (3) The surface area of a water feature, including swimming pools, shall be included in a high water use hydrozone.

  • (4) The calculations shall use the formula for the MAWA in section 33-1326-6 and for the ETWU in section 33-1326-7.

  • (5) Each special landscaped area shall be identified on the worksheet and the area's water use calculated using an ETAF of 1.0.

• (Ord. No. 2010-01, § 4, 2-3-10)

The grading design plan required by section 33-1326 shall be prepared by a California-licensed civil engineer, licensed landscape architect, licensed architect, or other landscape professional licensed by the state to do this work and shall comply with following requirements:

• (a) The grading on the project site shall be designed for the efficient use of water by minimizing soil erosion, runoff and water waste, resulting from precipitation and irrigation.

• (b) The plan shall show the finished configurations and elevations of each landscaped area including the height of graded slopes, the drainage pattern, pad elevations, finish grade and any stormwater retention improvements.

• (Ord. No. 2010-01, § 4, 2-3-10)

The irrigation schedule required by section 33-1335 shall be prepared by a licensed landscape architect, licensed civil engineer, licensed architect, or other landscape professional licensed by the state to do this work and provide the following information:

• (a) A description of the automatic irrigation system that will be used for the project;

• (b) The ETo data relied on to develop the irrigation schedule, including the source of the data;

• (c) The time period when overhead irrigation will be scheduled and confirm that no overhead irrigation shall be used between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.;

• (d) The parameters used for setting the irrigation system controller for watering times for:

  • (1) The plant establishment period,

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City of Escondido, CA

ESCONDIDO CODE

§ 33-1326-5

§ 33-1326-7

• (2) Established landscaping,

• (3) Temporarily irrigated areas,

• (4) Different seasons during the year;

• (e) The consideration used for each station for the following factors:

  • (1) The days between irrigation,

  • (2) Station run time in minutes for each irrigation event, designed to avoid runoff,

  • (3) Number of cycle starts required for each irrigation event, designed to avoid runoff,

  • (4) Amount of water to be applied on a monthly basis,

  • (5) The root depth setting,

  • (6) The plant type setting,

  • (7) The soil type,

  • (8) The slope factor,

  • (9) The shade factor.

• (Ord. No. 2010-01, § 4, 2-3-10)

• (a) A landscape project subject to this article shall not exceed the MAWA. The MAWA for a landscape project shall be determined by the following calculation:

MAWA = (ETo)(0.62)(0.7 x LA + 0.3 x SLA)

• (b) The abbreviations used in the equation have the following meanings:

  • (1) MAWA = Maximum Applied Water Allowance in gallons per year.

  • (2) ETo = Evapotranspiration in inches per year.

  • (3) 0.62 = Conversion factor to gallons per square foot.

  • (4) 0.7= ET adjustment factor for plant factors and irrigation efficiency.

  • (5) LA = Landscaped area includes special landscaped area in square feet.

  • (6) 0.3 = the additional ET adjustment factor for a special landscaped area (1.0 - 0.7 = 0.3)

  • (7) SLA = Portion of the landscaped area identified as a special landscaped area in square feet.

• (c) If a public water purveyor establishes a MAWA for a property that is lower than the MAWA established pursuant to this section nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the water purveyor from enforcing its rules, regulations or ordinances.

• (Ord. No. 2010-01, § 4, 2-3-10)

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City of Escondido, CA § 33-1326-7

ZONING

§ 33-1329

• (a) An applicant for a project subject to this article shall calculate the ETWU for each landscaped area and the entire project using the following equation:

  • (1) ETWU = (ETo)(0.62)(PF x HA / IE + SLA)

• (b) The abbreviations used in the equation have the following meanings:

  • (1) ETWU = Estimated total water use in gallons per year.

  • (2) ETo = Evapotranspiration in inches per year.

  • (3) 0.62 = Conversion factor to gallons per square foot.

  • (4) PF = Plant factor from WUCOLS.

  • (5) HA = Hydrozone area in square feet. Each HA shall be classified based upon the data included in the landscape and irrigation plan as high, medium, low water use, or very low water use.

  • (6) IE = Irrigation efficiency of the irrigation method used in the hydrozone.

  • (7) SLA = Special landscaped area in square feet.

• (c) The ETWU for a proposed project shall not exceed the MAWA.

• (Ord. No. 2010-01, § 4, 2-3-10)