Fountain Valley, CA Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

Section 18.06.100 sits in the grading chapter of Title 18 and opens by adopting the erosion control provisions imposed by the NPDES permit. Subsection (a) requires the project site to be prepared and maintained against erosion. Cut slopes made of erosion-resistant material can skip protection only with approval from the building official or director of public works. Subsection (b) requires temporary or permanent devices such as desilting basins, check dams and riprap where necessary.

Other subsections add hard requirements. Paved streets and sidewalks must stay free of loose soil, construction debris and trash, and a vacuum sweeper or equally effective means must run on a regular basis. Unless the city approves otherwise, the owner must retain a civil engineer who designs the erosion control improvements and reviews field conditions during each rainy season until the grading permit receives final approval. Desilting basins built of compacted earth need 90 percent relative compaction, verified by a soils engineering report. Slopes over five feet high need effective planting, fully germinated before final approval. Graded areas around a tract perimeter must drain away from slope faces at the end of each working day, and emergency workers and stockpiled materials must be available at all times.

Section 18.06.110 covers upkeep. After each rainstorm, silt and debris come out of check berms and desilting basins, and the basins are pumped dry. Devices cannot be moved or modified without approval. If a contractor, permittee or owner fails to maintain them, the building official can order emergency work and charge the owner an initial mobilization cost plus salaries, equipment and materials, and can revoke the grading permit in writing. The permit is not renewed until an approved erosion control system is installed.

Grading that starts without a permit can force the owner to prepare and carry out an approved erosion control plan. Under § 18.06.120 no one can conduct grading, clearing, brushing or grubbing without a grading permit, and § 18.06.140 bars final approval until all erosion-control measures are complete. Section 18.06.100(l) treats a violation of a federal or state stormwater permit, or of the stormwater rules in Chapter 14.40, as a violation of the chapter.