Woodside Municipal Code § 151.44 Driveways

(A) General.

(1) All finished grading shall be blended with the existing grade to form a smooth transition where possible.

(2) Cuts and fills pursuant to §§ 151.20(A)(1) through 151.20(A)(10) shall be balanced on site, unless an exception is granted by the Town Engineer and Planning Director. Basement grading is exempt from this requirement.

(B) Excavations.

(1) Steepness. No surface grading shall be made with a cut face steeper than two horizontal to one vertical unless allowed by the Town Engineer and Town Geologist in accordance with the approved grading specifications.

(2) Setback from property lines. The tops and toes of all cuts and fills shall be at least ten feet from any property line, except for grading necessary to construct an Accessory Dwelling Unit as defined in Chapter 153 that complies with required building setbacks from property lines that do not require approval of a variance or setback exception.

(3) Contour grading. Contour grading of all tops and toes shall be required for a minimum of ten feet horizontal distance.

(4) Stricter standards. The Town Engineer may require an excavation to be made with a cut face flatter in slope than two horizontal to one vertical if he/she finds the material in which the excavation is to be made is subject to significant erosion or if other conditions make such flatter cut slope necessary for stability or safety to adjoining property.

(1975 Code, § 7-4.08(a), (b)) (Ord. 1984-317, effective 4-12-84; Am. Ord. 2020-610, § 1, effective 8-13-20)

(C) Fills.

(1) Steepness. No fill shall be made which creates any exposed surface steeper in slope than two horizontal to one vertical.

(2) Stricter standards. The Town Engineer may require that the fill be constructed with an exposed surface flatter than two horizontal to one vertical if he/she finds that, under the particular conditions, such flatter surface is necessary for stability, safety, and planting.

(3) Fill material. All fills shall be made of clean earth, sand, gravel, or rock.

(4) Surface preparation. The ground surface shall be prepared to receive the fill by removing vegetation, topsoil, and other unsuitable materials and shall be scarified to provide a bond with new fill. Where slopes are steeper than five to one, and the height is greater than five feet, benching or keying into sound bedrock or other component material as determined by the Soils Engineer may be required.

(5) Compaction of fills. All fills intended to support buildings or structures or where otherwise required to be compacted for stability of material shall be compacted, inspected, and tested in accordance with the approved geotechnical report. Where no geotechnical report exists, the following provisions shall apply:

(a) Surface preparation. The natural ground surface shall be prepared by the removal of topsoil and vegetation and, if necessary, shall be graded to a series of terraces.

(b) Moisture control. The moisture content of the fill material shall be controlled at the time of spreading and compaction to obtain the required maximum density.

(c) Compaction density. The fill material shall be compacted to a relative compaction density of not less than 90 percent, determined by the current ASTM standard.

(1975 Code, § 7-4.08(c)—(e)) (Ord. 1984-317, effective 4-12-84; Am. Ord. 2016-575, effective 6-9-16)

Cross reference— Penalty, see § 10.99.

(A) Development standards. Basements shall meet the following development standards:

(1) No more than 50 percent of the maximum allowable basement grading, pursuant to Section 151.22(C), shall take place beyond the footprint of an above grade structure;

(2) Any basement not located under an above grade structure or impervious area shall have at least two and one-half feet of soil between the finished grade and the top of the basement structure;

(3) Below grade patios and egress/light wells, in aggregate, shall comprise no more than 15 percent of the maximum allowable basement grading;

(4) Below grade tunnels, in aggregate, shall comprise no more than 15 percent of the maximum allowable basement grading;

(5) All basements shall meet the required setbacks, except basements beneath nonconforming structures, which may encroach into the required setbacks so long as that portion of the newly constructed basement located in the setback does not exceed the footprint of the nonconforming structure. Egress/light wells which encroach into setbacks shall be sized to the minimum required by the California Residential Code (CRC) and/or California Code (CBC), whichever is applicable;

(6) All grading for basements, egress/light wells, and below grade tunnels shall adhere to Section 151.40(B)(2);

(7) The maximum interior finished height of a basement shall be 20 feet; and

(8) All tunnels shall be a maximum of eight feet wide in interior finished width, and nine feet high in interior finished height. Vehicular tunnels (tunnels leading to above or below grade vehicular parking) shall be excluded from this requirement.

(B) All portions of basements located below grade shall not count towards total floor area pursuant to Section 153.055.

(Ord. 2016-575, effective 6-9-16)

Maximum cuts and fills. Cuts and fills for such accessory uses as sport courts and decking or terraces around swimming pools shall not exceed a height of six feet measured vertically from the toe to the top of the slope.

(1975 Code, § 7-4.08(f)) (Ord. 1984-317, effective 4-12-84; Am. Ord. 2016-575, effective 6-9-16)

Cross reference— Penalty, see § 10.99.

Adequate provisions shall be made to dispose of surface waters and to prevent such surface waters from damaging the face of an excavation or any portion of a fill in accordance with the 1978 Town Storm Drain Master Plan and any subsequent revisions, and the following:

(A) Subsurface drainage. Cut and fill slopes shall be provided with subsurface drainage as necessary for stability.

(B) Disposal. All drainage facilities shall be designed to carry waters to the nearest practicable drainage way approved by the Town Engineer as a safe place to discharge such waters. The erosion of ground in the area of discharge shall be prevented by the installation of downdrains, retention basins, or other devices.

(C) Building pads. Building pads and all finished grading shall comply with the drainage slope gradient required by the Building Code. If it is not practical to slope the finish grade away from the building, alternative methods may be approved by the Town Engineer. Surface drainage shall be toward approved drainage facilities to the satisfaction of the Town Engineer. Building pads, if necessary, shall be protected by berms, walls, fills, or trenches which drain to a protected outlet.

(D) Drainfields. The site drainage system shall be designed and constructed so that surface drainage shall not cross septic tank drainfields. Interceptor trenches or curtain drains may be used if approved by the County Environmental Health Officer and Town Engineer.

(E) Driveways. To prevent erosion and ponding on the roadside and road surface, all driveways shall have a minimum cross slope of three percent or as approved by the Town Engineer. Shoulders shall be protected from erosion. All gravel or rock surfaced driveways shall be protected through the construction of water bars or drainage depressions, the design and location of which shall be to the satisfaction of the Town Engineer. Culverts or bridges approved by the Town Engineer shall be installed on all waterways, streams, or ditches when road crossings are required.

(1975 Code, § 7-4.08(g)) (Ord. 1984-317, effective 4-12-84; Am. Ord. 2016-575, effective 6-9-16)

Cross reference— Penalty, see § 10.99.

All driveways shall be designed and constructed in accordance with the following:

(A) Number of entrances. All residential lots shall have only one driveway with only one opening which shall be from only one public or private serving road. Second driveway exceptions may be granted by the Planning Commission if all of the following findings can be made:

(1) The proposed additional ingress and egress point meets Town standards for the line of sight, case of public identification, and any other traffic safety consideration; and

(2) The proposed additional ingress and egress point does not detract from the scenic and rural quality of the Town.

(3) The proposed additional ingress and egress point cannot be accommodated off of the primary driveway; or, if could be accommodated, would be more environmentally damaging than the proposed second driveway, such as crossing a stream corridor or developing significant portions of slopes that are in excess of 35 percent.

(4) The site would not have more than two driveway openings with approval of the Second Driveway Exception.

(B) Reserved.

(C) Alignment. The horizontal alignment of the driveway shall be adequate for safe and convenient travel, and the minimum center line radius shall be 40 feet. If a special case involving a restricted site, steep grades, or the like occurs, the Town Engineer may consider curve widening in place of the 40-foot radius. The curve widening shall be in the range of 12 feet to 25 feet in width, and the curve widening shall permit the use of the driveway by emergency vehicles. The Town Engineer shall specify the required turning radii.

(D) Gradients. Driveways shall have a minimum grade of one percent and a maximum grade of 20 percent. All grade changes shall be connected with vertical curves long enough to prevent the contact of any passenger vehicle's undercarriage or bumper with the driveway surface. The center line grade of the driveway at the edge of the fronting road surface shall be a maximum of five percent (up or down) for 25 feet to provide a transition from the fronting road to the driveway. A vertical curve shall be used, and the minimum length shall be 50 feet, and the maximum tangent grade adjoining the existing road shall be five percent. A similar transition shall also be required where the driveway joins the parking area at the garage, or at the garage.

(E) Design and construction standards.

(1) Width and road connection. Driveways shall have a minimum paved width, asphalt or rocked, of 12 feet and a maximum paved width, asphalt or rocked, of 20 feet, except as provided in division (C) above. Driveways shall connect to a public or private road meeting the driveway standards of this chapter.

(2) Length and turnout requirements. Driveways longer than 200 feet and less than 350 feet shall contain a turnout if required by the Town Engineer for reasons of public safety. Driveways 350 feet or longer shall contain one or more turnouts. No two adjacent turnouts shall be more than 350 feet apart. The total width of the driveway at the turnout shall not be less than 18 feet. The length of the turnout shall not be less than 25 feet. In addition, tapers shall be provided at each end.

(3) Crown/cross-slope. The crown or cross-slope of driveways shall be three percent.

(4) Construction specifications. Driveway subgrades shall be compacted to a minimum of 95 percent. Driveways shall have a minimum compacted thickness of compacted rock base of five inches. Where the center line grade of any section of driveway exceeds five percent, the driveway shall be surfaced with a plant-mixed material of 1½ inches or be constructed of another combination of base and surface providing equal strength and durability; unless an exception is granted by the Town Engineer and Fire District. Any driveway exceeding 15 percent center line grade shall have a minimum four-inch concrete slab with a brushed concrete surface. Surfacing materials for driveways and parking lots shall conform to Caltrans Standard Specifications, January 1978.

(5) Backarounds. A backaround at the end of a driveway shall be constructed, at a minimum, in accordance with the Town Backaround Standard.

(6) Load capacity. All bridges, culverts, and driveway structures shall be designed to sustain an H-20 truck loading in accordance with AASHO standards.

(1975 Code, § 7-4.08(h)) (Ord. 1984-317, effective 4-12-84; Am. Ord. 2016-575, effective 6-9-16; Am. Ord. 2017-585, effective 4-27-17; Am. Ord. 2020-610, § 2, effective 8-13-20)

Cross reference— Penalty, see § 10.99.

(A) Timing, means, and methods. All grading operations pursuant to Sections 151.20(A)(1) through 151.20(A)(10) shall be conducted between April 15 and October 15. All grading work shall be winterized by providing weather protection for the exposed graded surfaces no later than October 15th. All exposed surfaces shall be protected (for example, planted, fertilized, and covered with a straw mulch or burlap netting) in a manner satisfactory to the Town Engineer and Planning Director. Temporary structures, such as retention basins, sand bag baffles, plastic covering, and temporary culverts, shall be provided if required by the Town Engineer. Work may be stopped by the Town Engineer if, in his/her opinion, it appears that storm damage may result if grading is allowed to continue. The permittee may be required to install temporary planting to control erosion, install temporary structures, or take such other measures as may be required to protect adjoining property or the public safety. The Town Engineer may specify the time of starting grading and the time of completion or may require that the operation be conducted in specified stages so as to ensure the completion of protective measures or devices prior to the advent of seasonal rains.

(B) Securing cut and fill surfaces. The faces of cut and fill slopes and other areas where vegetation has been removed shall be prepared and maintained to prevent soil erosion. All cut and fill surfaces shall be planted with ground covers or grasses which are compatible with the natural ground covers and grasses found in the Town and which will thrive with little maintenance. Earthen slopes shall be contour graded to encourage plant growth. Cut and fill surfaces along public and private roads may be required to be landscaped to blend into the natural surroundings. Plants used shall not obstruct vehicular sight distances. Adequate sight distance shall be determined by the Town Engineer. All plant materials shall be satisfactory to the Planning Director.

(C) Slope protection. Slope protection shall be installed as soon as practicable and prior to calling for final grading approval.

(D) Further means and methods. Check dams, cribbing, riprap, or other methods shall be employed to control erosion and provide safety if required by the Town Engineer.

(E) Winter grading exception. An applicant for a site development permit may apply to the Town Engineer for an exception to allow grading to commence after October 15 and before December 1 of any year. The Town Engineer shall not grant an exception unless he/she finds:

(1) That no detriment is likely to occur to neighboring properties;

(2) That no detriment is likely to occur to public or private roads;

(3) That the applicant can complete the grading within 30 days of the granting of exception;

(4) That the site will be winterized as required by this chapter, with an erosion plan to the satisfaction of the Town Engineer.

(F) Public project grading. Grading for a public project of the Town may be commenced after October 15 and before December 1 of any year where the Town Engineer makes a report to the Town Council with the findings required in division (E) above.

(1975 Code, § 7-4.08(i)) (Ord. 1984-317, effective 4-12-84; Am. Ord. 1987-347, effective 8-13-87; Am. Ord. 1988-360, effective 4-15-88; Am. Ord. 1989-419, effective 1-11-90; Am. Ord. 2016-575, effective 6-9-16)

Cross reference— Penalty, see § 10.99.