Yuba City Municipal Code Art. 6 Definitions

The following words and phrases when used in this chapter shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them in this article.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Applicant means any person seeking or receiving grading approval, in accordance with the terms of the grading ordinance, to perform grading after the issuance of a building permit or the approval of improvement plans, or to commence grading prior to such issuance or approval.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Best management practices (BMP) means any program, technology, technique, process, siting criteria, operating method, measure or device which controls, prevents, removes or reduces pollution, erosion, and sediment transport, including, but not limited to, any BMP required or implemented under the City's Stormwater Management and Discharge Control ordinance, set forth in Section 4-21 of the City's Municipal Code.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

City means the City of Yuba City.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

City Council means the City Council of the City of Yuba City.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Civil engineer means a professional engineer registered as a civil engineer by the State of California.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Compaction means the increase of density of a soil or rock fill by mechanical means.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Cut (excavation) means the removal of naturally occurring earth materials by manual or mechanical means, and the conditions resulting therefrom.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Director means the Director of the Department of Development Services of the City of Yuba City, or his or her designees.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Drainage waters means surface waters which collect, or are accumulated, on the ground and which, by means of drainage ways or water courses, flow off the surface to larger rivers, streams, or lakes. Such waters shall include, but are not limited to, natural precipitation and irrigation waters.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Drainage way means a depression in the earth's surface such as a swale, ravine, gully, slough, draw, hollow, or ditch in which surface water collects for drainage.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

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

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Embankment (fill) means the deposit of soil, rock or other material placed by artificial means and the conditions resulting therefrom.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Encroachment permit means a written permit issued by the City of Yuba City Department of Public Works authorizing certain work within a publicly maintained right-of-way.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Engineering geologist means a registered geologist certified as an engineering geologist by the State of California.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Erosion means the washing or wearing away and transportation of earth material as a result of the movement of wind, water, or ice.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Erosion and sediment control plan (ESCP) consists of a set of BMPs or equivalent measures designed to control surface runoff and erosion, retain sediment on a particular site and prevent pollution of site runoff during the period beginning when any preconstruction or construction related grading or soil storage first occurs, until all final improvements and permanent structures are completed. ESCP requirements are set forth in Title 4, Public Safety, Chapter 21, Stormwater Management and Discharge Control, Section 4-21.65(c).

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Excavation (cut) means the removal of naturally occurring earth materials by manual or mechanical means, and the conditions resulting therefrom.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Existing grade means the elevation of the ground surface at a given point prior to excavating or filling.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Fill (embankment) means the deposit of soil, rock or other materials placed by artificial means and the conditions resulting therefrom.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Finish grade means the final grade of the site after excavating or filling which conforms to the approved final grading plan. The finish grade is also the grade at the top of a paved surface.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Geologic hazard means any condition in naturally occurring earth materials which may endanger life, health or property.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Geotechnical engineer means a civil engineer registered by the State of California who is qualified in the field of soil mechanics and soil engineering and has the authority to use the title "soil engineer."

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Grade means the vertical location of the ground surface.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Grading means any land excavation or filling or combination thereof, or the removal, plowing under or burial of vegetative groundcover.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Grading plan means a plan prepared in accordance with this chapter showing grading and related work.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Municipal Code means the City of Yuba City Municipal Code.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Owner means the legal owner of the property where the grading work is to be done, as shown on the latest equalized assessment roll in the office of the county assessor.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Parcel (lot) means the land described as a lot or parcel in a recorded deed or shown as a lot or parcel on a subdivision map or parcel map on file in the Sutter County Recorder's Office.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Permit means either a building permit, encroachment permit, or a separate grading permit.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Person means any person, firm, corporation, or public agency whether principal, agent, employee, or otherwise.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Post construction plans consists of a set of best management practices or equivalent measures designed to control surface runoff and erosion and to retain sediment on a particular site after all final structures and permanent improvements have been erected or installed.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Preliminary grading plan means a plan that shows the proposed grading work in relation to the existing site prepared and submitted with the application for a grading permit.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Rainy season means the period of the year during which there is a substantial risk of rainfall. For the purpose of this chapter, the rainy season is defined as from October 1 to April 30, inclusive.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Rough grade means the stage at which the grade approximately conforms to the approved plan.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Sediment means any material transported or deposited by water, including soil debris or other foreign matter.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Site means any lot or parcel of land or combination of contiguous lots or parcels of land, whether held separately or joined together in common ownership or occupancy, where grading is to be performed or has been performed.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Slope means an inclined ground surface the inclination of which may be expressed as the ratio of horizontal distance to vertical distance.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Soil means all earth material of any origin that overlies bedrock and may include the decomposed zone of bedrock which can be excavated readily by mechanical equipment.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Vegetation means plant life or total plant cover of an area.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)

Watercourse means any natural or manmade channel in which water flows continuously or intermittently in a definite direction and course, or which is used for the holding, delay or storage of waters, or which functions at any time to convey or store stormwater runoff.

(Ord. No. 002-16, § 1, 2-16-2016)