Santa Ana, CA Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

2, adopted by Ordinance No. NS-2905 on December 6, 2016, sets out when the city's grading permit requirement does not apply. Nine categories are exempt: grading under 50 cubic yards in an isolated, self-contained area that poses no danger to the public or adjoining properties; excavation for a permitted structure; cemetery graves; refuse disposal sites already controlled by other regulations; excavations for wells or utility trenches; mining, quarrying or stockpiling operations that do not affect the lateral support of neighboring soil; exploratory excavations directed by a registered design professional; excavations under 50 cubic yards that are either less than 2 feet deep or that do not create a cut slope steeper than 1:2 (50 percent) and over 5 feet high; and fills under 1 foot deep on slopes flatter than 1:5 (20 percent), or under 3 feet deep, that do not exceed 50 cubic yards on a lot and do not obstruct a drainage course.

Outside these nine categories, any grading work in Santa Ana needs a permit from the Planning and Building Agency before work begins, and fees are set by city council resolution under Section 8-5. 2 also makes clear that qualifying for an exemption does not authorize work that otherwise violates the Municipal Code or any other law, a self-contained grading job that damages a neighbor's drainage course, for example, can still be cited even though it falls under the 50-cubic-yard threshold. Exempted and permitted grading alike remain subject to the contractor-licensing rule in Section 8-6, which bars issuance of a permit to anyone who is not a licensed contractor, the contractor's authorized representative, or the property owner performing their own work.