Chapter 20.08 — DEFINITIONS

For the purpose of this title, certain terms used herein are defined as found in this chapter. For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Average cross slope" means the ratio, expressed as a percentage, of the vertical difference in elevation to the horizontal distance between two points on the perimeter of the area, with the line connecting the two points being essentially perpendicular to the contours between the two points. Different points of any area may have different average cross slopes.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Bedrock" means the relatively solid, undisturbed rock in-place either at the ground surface or beneath surficial deposits of gravel, sand, or soil.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Bench" means a relatively level step excavated into earth material on which fill is to be placed.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Bond" means a form of security posted to guarantee the performance of an obligation, and shall consist of a corporate surety bond, cash, or an instrument of credit as that phrase is defined in Section 11612 of the Business and Professions Code of the State of California and as approved by the city attorney.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Borrow" means earth material acquired from an off-site location for use in grading on a site.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Building pad" means the aggregate portion or portions of a lot having a uniform grade of less than ten percent as a result of grading which is intended for a building or appurtenant uses.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Certification" means a written engineering or geological report and statement in accordance with applicable principles and accepted geotechnical and soils engineering practices and in substantial conformance to the approved grading design.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"City engineer" means that person charged with the responsibility of coordinating all phases of engineering for the city government. He or she shall be the custodian of and responsible for all maps, final soils reports, plans, profiles, field notes and other records and memoranda belonging to the city and pertaining to his or her office and work thereof. It shall also be his or her responsibility to enforce all state regulations, ordinances, policies, standards, etc., pertaining to his or her office and work and to delegate authority and responsibilities to subordinates under his or her jurisdiction.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Civil engineer" means a professional engineer in the branch of civil engineering holding a valid certificate of registration issued by the State of California.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Compaction" means the densification of fill by mechanical means in accordance with Uniform Building Code latest edition.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Continuous" means periodically during the day.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Deleterious material" means all substances of an organic nature such as trees, brush, lumber, tires, paper, asphalt; also plastics, tin cans, barrels, metal drums, broken concrete, bottles, ashes, junk metal, and other types of trash.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Developer" means any person who is the owner or has controlling interest of any land within the city who proposes to develop the land in a manner which requires the issuance of a grading permit.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Director of community development" means that person charged with the responsibility of directing all phases of the planning and building and the enforcement of all state statutes and city laws pertaining to his or her office, or his or her duly authorized representative.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Director of public works" means that person charged with the responsibility of coordinating all phases of administration determining policy and procedures and directing the work of subordinates within the various divisions encompassed within the department of public works.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Diversion" or "diver" means a change in the direction of the flow of surface, stream, or storm waters.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Drainage course" means a well defined natural or man-made channel which conveys storm run-off either year-round or intermittently.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Earth material" means any rock, natural soil and/or any combination thereof.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Engineered grading" means any grading conducted pursuant to a plan prepared by an engineer registered or licensed by the State of California.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Engineering geologist" means a person holding a valid registration as an engineering geologist and certified in the specialty of engineering geology issued by the State of California under provisions of the Geologist Act of the Business and Professions Code.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Erosion" means the wearing away of the ground surfaces as a result of the movement of wind or water.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Erosion protection" means any type of plant and organic material and/or natural or manmade erosion materials used to stabilize soils.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Excavation" means the mechanical removal of earth, sand, gravel, rock or any other similar or related material and shall include the resultant excavation site condition.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Existing grade" means the natural state of the property prior to grading or stockpiling.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Expansive soil" means that soil defined as expansive in accordance with the Uniform Building Code (UBC) latest edition.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Fill" means a deposit of earth, sand, gravel, rock or any other similar or related material transported to a place other than the place from which it was excavated, and shall include the resultant fill site condition.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Finished grade" means the final grade or elevation of the site, which conforms to the approved plan (with a tolerance of plus or minus 0.1 feet).

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Grade" means the vertical location of the ground surface.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Grading" means an excavation or fill, or any combination thereof, and shall include the site condition resulting from any excavation and/or fill.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Grading permit" means a permit required by this title for all proposed excavations and/or fills or combination thereof.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Grading plan" means a plan or map showing the property boundaries, existing and proposed contours and proposed final grades, retaining walls, drainage facilities and all other features, structures and designs pertinent to the proposed grading.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Hillside areas" means those portions of the city identified as hillside areas within the city Municipal Code Title 21, entitled Zoning.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Key" means a designed compacted fill placed in a trench excavated in earth material beneath the toe of a proposed fill slope.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Landscape architect" means a landscape architect licensed as such under the laws of the State of California.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Natural grade" means the vertical location of the ground surface prior to any excavation or fill or stockpiling.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Natural watercourse" means a ravine, swale, depression, cleft, etc., naturally occurring over and upon the land, which receives drainage from the adjoining land areas and conducts it away from its source.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Normal inspection hours" for services provided pursuant to or in connection with the provisions of this title means from seven-thirty a.m. to three p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. "Holidays" shall be defined as those week days (exclusive of Saturdays) shown as nonworking days on the working day calendar of the city.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

"Rainy season" means the period between September 1st and April 30th in which most rainfall occurs within the city.

(Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, adopted August 20, 2013, created a new § 20.08.390, rainy season, and renumbered §§ 20.08.390—20.08.480 as 20.08.400—20.08.490.

"Rough grade" means the stage at which the grade approximately conforms to the approved plan (with a tolerance of plus or minus 0.5 feet).

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

Editor's note— See note at § 20.08.390.

"Site" means any lot or parcel of land or contiguous combination thereof, under the same ownership, where grading is performed or permitted.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

Editor's note— See note at § 20.08.390.

"Slope" means an inclined ground surface the inclination of which is expressed as a ratio of horizontal distance to vertical distance.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

Editor's note— See note at § 20.08.390.

"Soil" means all earth material of whatever origin, which overlies bedrock.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

Editor's note— See note at § 20.08.390.

"Soils engineer" means an engineer experienced and knowledgeable in the practice of soils engineering and its application; who investigates and reports on the stability of existing or proposed slopes, controls the installation and compaction of fills, recommends soil bearing values and provides design criteria and calculations for special earth structures such as buttress fills and retaining walls.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

Editor's note— See note at § 20.08.390.

"Soil testing agency" means an agency which has technically qualified personnel and adequate facilities for the making of accurate inspections and soil tests in accordance with approved engineering practice as determined by the city engineer.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

Editor's note— See note at § 20.08.390.

"Subdrain" means any type of perforated or permeable drainage pipe or facility installed to intercept and carry off water originating from springs and water seeps so as to lower the ground water level in the vicinity of the drain.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

Editor's note— See note at § 20.08.390.

"Surface water drainage" means drainage from the surface of the land area which would naturally occur, or which will occur after the final grading pursuant to this title.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

Editor's note— See note at § 20.08.390.

"Temporary stockpiles" means soils stockpiled upon a land area for future site development or for temporary storage for a maximum period of six months unless otherwise approved by the city engineer.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

Editor's note— See note at § 20.08.390.

"Terrace" means a relatively level step constructed in the face of a graded slope surface for drainage and maintenance purposes.

(Ord. 702 N.S. (part), 1995; Ord. No. 994 N.S., § 4, 8-20-2013)

Editor's note— See note at § 20.08.390.