Vallejo, CA Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit trigger
- Nearly all excavation or fill work
- Rainy season controls
- October 15 through April 15
- Slope protection threshold
- Slopes over 5 ft must be planted
- Bond requirement
- Required for permits over 1,000 cubic yards
- Permit expiration
- 2 years from issuance if incomplete
- Enforcing official
- City engineer / director of public works
Summary
Vallejo requires a grading permit under Municipal Code Chapter 12.40 before any excavation or fill, and construction sites must control erosion year-round. The city engineer and director of public works can require sediment basins on large developments and mandate extra erosion-control measures during the rainy season, October 15 through April 15, with permanent siltation basins required in biologically sensitive areas.
Sediment basins shall be constructed on large developments, as determined by the city engineer/director of public works, to detain runoff into biologically sensitive areas or onto adjacent property and to trap sediment during construction up until slope erosion planting has been established. The sediment basin dam and collected silt shall then be removed and the resulting material hauled from the site or used as topsoil. Additional erosion control measures shall be employed during the rainy season (October 15 through April 15) as required by the city engineer/director of public works. Temporary erosion-control devices, as required, shall be in place prior to the rainy season: Permanent siltation basins may be required in biologically sensitive areas. ... All exposed finished banks or slopes over five feet in vertical height of any fill or excavation shall be protected from erosion by approved planting, hydroseeding, cribbing, walls, or terracing or a combination thereof. ... Other unprotected graded surfaces exceeding five thousand square feet in area shall be planted, paved or built upon, or shall be provided with berms and approved drainage facilities adequate to prevent erosion and to conduct the accumulation of runoff of surface waters to an approved place of discharge.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Update 12 - 25).
Full Breakdown
030), with narrow exceptions for shallow excavations under three feet, cemetery graves, well and utility trenches, and emergency work to protect life or property. 050(B)(1), an erosion control plan showing installation methods and a schedule; projects of fifty acres or two hundred lots or more require that plan to be prepared by a hydrologist specializing in erosion control. 070 sets the operative erosion standards: sediment basins must be built on large developments to trap runoff and silt until slope planting is established, additional erosion-control measures are required during the rainy season of October 15 through April 15, and temporary erosion-control devices must be in place before the rains start.
Exposed cut or fill slopes over five feet in vertical height must be protected with planting, hydroseeding, cribbing, walls, or terracing, and any unprotected graded area over five thousand square feet must be planted, paved, or provided with berms and drainage facilities adequate to prevent erosion. 120). The exceptions to the permit requirement never apply to grading within or immediately adjacent to natural drainage channels.
Violations & Fines
Under Section 12.40.150, the city engineer/director of public works may issue a stop-work order until any violation is corrected, and can require the applicant to immediately abate a dangerous or hazardous grading condition; if the applicant fails to act, the city calls the grading bond and charges the cost of corrective work against it. Violating any provision of Chapter 12.40 is separately declared a public nuisance the city may abate, in addition to criminal penalties provided elsewhere in the municipal code.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to grade my Vallejo property?
When does Vallejo require extra erosion control on a job site?
What happens if I grade without controlling erosion?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Vallejo
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Erosion Control in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Solano County handle erosion control.