Monterey County, CA Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

08, Grading, which the county administers only in the unincorporated area; Salinas, Monterey, Seaside, Marina, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Pacific Grove and King City run their own grading codes. The section applies to 'all disturbed surfaces resulting from grading operations,' and the default compliance method is effective planting, naming rye grass and barley as examples of fast-germinating seed. 040. The Building Official retains two discretionary powers: requiring supplemental watering of planted areas to assure the vegetation actually establishes, and waiving the planting requirement altogether where cut slopes are made of erosion-resistant material that does not need cover.

Where vegetation alone will not hold a slope, the section requires 'check dams, cribbing, riprap or other devices or methods' to control erosion, giving the county latitude to demand engineered solutions on steeper or more erodible sites. The same section folds in dust control, making the owner or contractor responsible for keeping adequate equipment on site to prevent dust problems during the grading operation. 300's requirement that any area cleared of vegetation but not graded within thirty days be replanted under this same section to prevent uncontrolled erosion.