Suisun City Municipal Code Art. II Grading Permits

Except as exempted in Section 15.12.060, no person shall commence or perform any grading, filling, excavation or clearing of vegetation for any purpose without having first obtained a grading permit from the building department.

(Ord. 443 § 621-1, 1980)

A. A grading permit is not required if the proposed work consists of the following activities, and where such activities will not endanger adjacent property, cause increased erosion, sedimentation and rate of water runoff, divert or impair the flow of water within a watercourse or cause a public nuisance:

1. Gardening primarily for home use, community gardens and landscaping activities which involve land disturbance of less than ten thousand square feet of surface area and which:

a. Does not result in the movement of more than fifty cubic yards of material on any one site,

b. Is less than five thousand square feet of surface area,

c. Is less than two feet in vertical depth at its deepest point measured from the natural ground surface,

d. Does not create a cut slope steeper than one and one-half vertical and which is greater than five feet in height, and

e. Which is promptly stabilized or revegetated where needed to prevent erosion;

2. A fill which:

a. Does not exceed fifty cubic yards of material on any one site,

b. Is less than five thousand square feet of surface area,

c. Is less than three feet in vertical depth at its deepest point measured from the natural ground surface,

d. Is placed on a surface having a slope not greater than five horizontal to one vertical,

e. Does not change the existing off-site drainage patterns above or below the grading site,

f. Will not be used for structural support, and

g. Is promptly stabilized or revegetated where needed to prevent erosion;

3. Well drilling, tunnels and trenches for utilities and exploratory excavations under the direction of soil engineers or engineering geologists;

4. Development and maintenance of fire access roads and fire breaks.

B. All development activities exempted from the grading permit requirement shall be carried out in a manner consistent with the design principles set out in this chapter to assure that the potential for erosion of any project is minimized.

(Ord. 443 § 621-2, 1980)

A. The application for a grading permit shall be made in writing on a form prescribed by the building department and shall include all information, plans and maps deemed necessary for comprehensive review of the project by the city.

B. The application for a grading permit shall include a vicinity map, site map, grading map and an erosion, sediment and runoff control plan.

C. The erosion, sediment and runoff control plan shall indicate necessary land treatment, structural measures and timing requirements which will effectively minimize soil erosion, sedimentation and rate of water runoff.

D. All maps and plans required to be submitted by this section shall be prepared under the direction of a registered civil engineer and signed by the engineer.

E. Following submittal of the application, the city shall determine the adequacy of the date presented and may require the submission of further information when necessary to judge the adequacy of the planned erosion, sediment and runoff control measures.

F. The city may also require information to be supplied by the applicant which may include, but is not limited to, the following:

1. A soil engineering report including data regarding the nature, distribution and strength of existing soils, conclusions and recommendations for grading procedures, and design criteria for corrective measures when necessary, and opinions and recommendations covering the sites to be developed by the proposed grading;

2. An engineering geology report including an adequate description of the geology of the site, conclusions and recommendations covering the adequacy of sites to be developed by the proposed grading.

(Ord. 443 § 621-3, 1980)

The runoff control plan submitted shall indicate the calculated runoff from the site under natural conditions, and after development has been completed using city drainage standards. The runoff control plan shall demonstrate that such peak runoff from the site will not increase after development and shall include all necessary measures to ensure this result to the satisfaction of the city engineer.

(Ord. 443 § 621-4, 1980)