Ridgecrest's Environmental Rules: The Rules That Matter
Every city handles environmental rules a little differently. In Ridgecrest, California, there are 4 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.
Flood Zones
Ridgecrest requires a development permit before any construction or grading begins within a mapped special flood hazard, erosion, or mudslide area, administered by the director of public works as floodplain administrator.
Key details: Permit required: before any flood-hazard construction. Administered by: director of public works. FIRM source: FEMA Kern County, 9-26-2008. Violation: misdemeanor.
Building or altering land in a mapped flood hazard area without a development permit is a misdemeanor; the city council may also pursue any other lawful action to halt or remedy the work.
Flood Elevation Requirements
New construction and substantially improved structures in Ridgecrest's mapped flood zones must have the lowest floor, including any basement, built at or above the FEMA base flood elevation.
Key details: Standard: lowest floor at/above base flood elevation. Applies to: new construction & substantial improvements. Alternative: floodproofing for nonresidential structures. Certification: engineer, surveyor, or building inspector.
Occupying or certifying a structure whose lowest floor sits below the base flood elevation without proper floodproofing documentation is a misdemeanor, and the structure is presumed in violation until compliance is proven.
Stormwater Management
Ridgecrest's landscape ordinance encourages stormwater best management practices in landscape and grading design to cut runoff, and requires all planted landscape areas in qualifying projects to use friable soil that maximizes water retention and infiltration.
Key details: Governs: landscape stormwater/runoff design. Mandatory element: friable soil for retention. Rest of section: encouraged, not required. Citation: Ridgecrest City Code § 5-75.
Like the rest of the water-efficient landscape ordinance, compliance runs through the city's landscape documentation package and plan-check process (Sec. 5-62); failing the friable-soil requirement can hold up a landscape permit or certificate of completion.
If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Ridgecrest gives residents more flexibility on stormwater management.
Erosion Control
Ridgecrest requires a grading permit once 51 or more cubic yards of soil are moved, and an engineered grading plan once the total reaches 200 cubic yards, to control wind erosion.
Key details: 51-199 cy: requires standard grading permit. 200+ cy: requires engineered plan, licensed engineer. Under 50 cy, <10,000 sf lot: exempt. Issuing authority: city engineer.
Disturbing land above the permit threshold without first obtaining a city engineer permit is a misdemeanor under § 104-1.
The Bottom Line
Ridgecrest's environmental rules rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Ridgecrest is broadly strict or permissive.
These rules come from Ridgecrest's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.