The rainy season is rapidly approaching, which means it’s time to think about whether you will be doing any grading between November 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013. If Geotechnical Special Inspections were assigned for your project and if your project is in an environmentally critical area or involves a large quantity of earth-moving, check the Geotechnical Special Inspection assignment letter sent to you shortly after permit issuance.
If you see an item called “Monitor Grading Season Restriction,” this means that grading between November 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013 is prohibited unless you apply for and receive a Grading Season Extension. For smaller projects in ECA’s, there may be a note in the assignment letter allowing you to follow the additional measures for wet weather work (shown in the approved plan set) in lieu of a formal grading season extension application.
You can find the application for a Grading Season Extension in Director’s Rule 17-2011, Requirements for allowing grading in ECA between Oct. 31st and April 1st (grading season extension application), available on the DPD website. Allow up to two weeks for DPD to review your application.