Trinity County Municipal Code Ch. 12.12 Construction Improvement Standards for Roadways in Decomposed Granite…

This chapter shall be known and cited as the "construction improvement standards for roadways in decomposed granite areas of the county of Trinity."

(Ord. 379 §1, 1981)

This chapter is adopted to promote and protect the public health, safety and general welfare, and to promote and protect the soil, water and fishery resources of the county.

(Ord. 379 §2, 1981)

For the purpose of this chapter certain terms are defined as follows:

A. "Decomposed granite areas" are those areas identified on the most current Soil Conservation Service map(s) of Trinity County, and/or Geologic Map of California, that depict all decomposed granite soils. It shall be the responsibility of any operator within the county to conform to this chapter where decomposed granite soils are located outside of these maps.

B. "Roadways" are those routes, both public and private, constructed for purposes of providing access to a subdivision; or to individual parcels, or as a means of access for purposes of removing forest products. For purposes of this chapter, a roadway shall include roadbed, shoulders, slopes, culverts, drainage structures, ditches and all other elements constructed for the purpose of providing access to lands. A roadway shall also include driveways providing access from a main road to individual dwellings, structures or other sites, and parking areas at those dwellings, structures, or sites.

C. "Subdivision" is any division of land regardless of the method of division, including but not limited to gift deed, grant deed, parcel map, subdivision map, or quarter-quarter division.

(Ord. 1100 §1, 1987; Ord. 379 §3, 1981)

The following construction and improvement standards shall apply to all roadways constructed in decomposed granite areas of the county:

A. Maximum road grades in decomposed granite shall be ten percent, except where grades up to fifteen percent can be shown to result in less impact than a ten percent slope will create. Road surfaces shall have a six-inch, wellgraded gravel or shale bed and be suitably compacted.

B. Road beds shall have a minimum width of twelve feet, and shall be outsloped at two percent except for short inslopes immediately above culverts and/or where outsloping will result in diverting runoff onto fill slopes or nonvegetated soils. Rolling dips shall be placed as follows:

C. Runoff from rolling dips shall discharge onto selected areas where protection from erosion is afforded by rocky ground, slash or vegetative cover. Rolling dips shall be constructed as per Exhibit "A," attached to Ordinance 379. Cut slopes shall be 1-½:1 and fill slopes shall be 1-½:1 or flatter. Exceptions to these ratios shall be supported by determinations of a civil engineer.

D. Drain culverts shall be installed in all drainageways. Culvert size shall be determined by a civil engineer or equivalent, or by using the following table:

E. Culvert outlets shall terminate on energy dissipating surfaces, adequate, in the judgment of a civil engineer, to minimize erosive processes arising from any flows carried by said culverts.

F. The road alignment in most cases will be determined by land slope. In general, slope greater than forty percent will not meet road standards for granite soils.

G. All cut-and-fill slopes shall be seeded and fertilized with seed, fertilizer and mulch as approved by the Soil Conservation Service for the site under consideration. This shall be accomplished prior to the first growing season following completion of construction. The objective is to achieve a vegetative cover sufficient, in the judgment of the county's designated representative, to prevent soil loss from the slopes within two growing seasons following completion of construction. If, in the judgment of said county's representative, this is not physically possible, some other acceptable slope stabilization method may be recommended by the Soil Conservation Service and approved by the county.

H. When a parcel of land is divided, it shall be the responsibility of the owner to construct the main access road. Such road shall touch each piece of property in such a manner as to allow the new owner access to his property.

I. The landowner or controlling agent shall be responsible for construction and continued maintenance of such roadways, to comply with the intent of this chapter.

(Ord. 1100 §2, 1987; Ord. 379 §4, 1981)

Roadways constructed and maintained for purposes of removing forest products which are regulated by the California Department of Forestry, and any watershed restoration work carried on by a federal, state or local public entity shall be exempt from the provisions of this chapter.

(Ord. 1169 §1, 1992: Ord. 379 §5, 1981)

A. Issuance. The county public works department is given authority and direction to establish additional standards and conditions to meet the intent of this chapter, to issue permits for the construction and/or improvement of roadways in decomposed granite areas of the county, and to act as the county's representative in the carrying out of all provions of this chapter.

B. Application. Application for a road construction permit, made to the public works department in writing in a form approved by that agency, shall contain statements, plans and elevations necessary to show all necessary details of the proposed roadway.

C. Responsible Applicant. It shall be the responsibility of the principal contractor or, in the event that roadway is constructed by other than a licensed contractor, it shall be the responsibility of the on-site representative of the owner to secure the permit described in this section. Further, it shall be the responsibility of said on-site representative or owner to have such permit available for work at all times that work is being performed as described by this section.

(Ord. 1100 §3, 1987)

It shall be the duty of the county road commissioner to enforce the provisions of this chapter pertaining to the construction or reconstruction of roadways in decomposed granite areas. It shall be the duty of the sheriff of the county, and all officers of the county herein and/or otherwise charged by law with the enforcement of this chapter, to assist the county road commissioner as necessary in the enforcement of this chapter.

(Ord. 379 §7(a), 1981)

Any person, firm or corporation, whether as principal, agent, employee, or otherwise, violating or causing or permitting the violation of any of the provisions of this chapter, shall be guilty of an infraction and upon conviction thereof shall be punishable by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars. Such persons, firm or corporation shall be deemed to be guilty of a separate offense for each and every day during any portion of which any violation of this chapter is committed or permitted by such person, firm or corporation.

(Ord. 1100 §4, 1987)