Grading Permit Application

Grading Term and Purpose: The term grading means an excavation or filling of onsite materials and or importing of soil related materials or a combination of these actions.
The grading permit is intended to assure that development related grading, fill, or excavation activities do not pose adverse impacts to adjoining public and private properties.

Authority and Enforcement: The City requires the acquiring of a grading permit to address grading, filling, and excavation activities under certain circumstances in accordance with the provisions of Article 5, Section 5.133 of the City’s Land Use Development Code. A violation of this code provision may subject the owner and/or occupants to criminal, civil or other sanctions noted in Article 1, Section 1.180.

If it is determined a grading permit is needed, the applicant will fill out the grading permit form (below) to include submittal of certain drawings, calculations, and engineering reports. The applicant’s application, drawings, specifications, computations, and other data will be reviewed by the City staff or designates for grading guidance.

Some general grading prescriptions:
a. Cut slopes shall not exceed one and one-half feet horizontally to one foot vertically unless otherwise approved.
b. Fill slopes shall not exceed two feet horizontally to one foot vertically unless otherwise approved.
c. The type and characteristics of importing fill soils shall be of the same or of a constituency compatible with existing site soils.
d. All street and building site fills shall be engineered and subject to City approval.
e. All sites shall be graded to direct storm water to City storm sewers, natural drainage ways or to other locations determined through engineering evaluation process. Existing drainage pathways shall be maintained.

Grading Permits are required for the following activities:
a. Grading in excess of 50 cubic yards;
b. Grading potentially impacting, riparian areas, drainage ways, flood hazard areas or greenways;
c. Grading that could possibly impact adjacent properties;
d. Grading proposed over public storm drains, sanitary sewers or water lines;
e. Grading requiring tree removal;
f. Other areas with potential impacts as determined by the City; and
g. Land partitions. F://SHARED DRIVE/Forms_Templates/Building_Permitting/F-BP-01_Grading Permit Ver. 1.0 July 2018

Generally, the following activities do not require a permit:
a. Grading of less than 50 cubic yards, which is equivalent to 4 or 5 dump trucks of soilrelated material;
b. Routine farming activities on farm designated land;
c. Grading review covered by a building permit;
d. Grading associated with small landscape efforts;
e. Grading incidental to development of an approved subdivision plat;
f.  Grading incidental to public work activities such as roads, utilities and well projects;
g. Cemetery grave sites; and
h. Areas with minimal land disturbances where that action does not impact adjacentproperties and determined through City review.

Permit Application Process
When it is determined a grading permit is required the applicant will fill out the form (below) and include a vicinity map showing the applicant’s property and the adjoining properties and a property map illustrating existing and proposed physical elements of the site including the following features:

• Trees, riparian areas, structures, and drainage ways; flood hazard areas or greenways
• The area of the site subject to soil importation or excavation;
• Accurate existing ground contours and contours proposed after grading,including typical cross sections;
• Proposed on-site construction elements; and
• Proposed protections and erosion controls

See the permit application for more details.