SEC. 91.7008. PROFESSIONAL INSPECTION AND CERTIFICATION FOR ENGINEERED GRADING.

(Amended by Ord. No. 171,939, Eff. 4/15/98.)

Grading operations, as indicated in LAMC Subsection 91.108.9, for which a permit is required shall be subject to inspection by the Department. Professional inspection of grading operations shall be provided by the civil engineer, soils engineer and the engineering geologist retained to provide such services in accordance with LAMC Subsection 91.7008.6 for engineered grading and as required by the Department for regular grading. (Amended by Ord. No. 185,587, Eff. 7/16/18.)

91.7008.1. Civil Engineer. The civil engineer shall provide professional inspection within such engineer’s area of technical specialty, which shall consist of observation and review as to the establishment of line, grade and surface drainage of the development area. If revised plans are required during the course of the work, they shall be prepared by the civil engineer.

Upon completion of hillside tract grading, grading work in excess of 5,000 cubic yards (3825 m3) of either cut or fill, or a combination thereof, and other grading work if deemed warranted by the Department, the civil engineer or land surveyor responsible for the design shall submit a dated as-graded plan to the Department for approval of all work covered by the grading permit(s) and shall include the following:

l. The plan shall be no more than one-inch equals 40 feet scale (25 mm equals 12 192 mm scale)and shall show the locations of streets, pads, slopes, structures, pertinent elevations, original contours and finished elevations, and other pertinent information required to accurately show the as-graded condition.

2. The plan shall bear the signature of the design civil engineer or land surveyor which shall certify the engineer or surveyor has inspected the site, prepared the as-graded plans and that the work within the engineer’s or surveyor’s area of responsibility was done in accordance with the final approved grading plan.

91.7008.2. Soils Engineer. The soils engineer shall provide professional inspection within such engineer’s area of technical specialty, which shall include observation during grading and testing for required compaction. The soils engineer shall provide sufficient observation during the preparation of the natural ground and placement and compaction of the fill to verify that such work is being performed in accordance with the conditions of the approved plan and the appropriate requirements of this division. Revised recommendations relating to conditions differing from the approved soils engineering and engineering geology reports shall be submitted to the owner, the Department and the civil engineer.

The soils engineer, at the completion of hillside tract grading, grading work in excess of 5,000 cubic yards (3825 m3) of either cut or fill, or a combination thereof, and other grading work if deemed warranted by the Department, shall submit a final report. The final report shall include:

1. The soil engineer’s professional opinion of the suitability of the fill material and their placement, and the ability of the natural materials to support the compacted fill without excessive settlement of the fill or potential damage to structures erected thereon;

2. The results of all in-place density tests;

3. A statement that all subdrains were inspected prior to backfill;

4. A statement to the effect that the soils engineer has inspected all cuts and fills and that in the soil engineer’s opinion they meet the design requirements; and

5. All locations of the in-place density tests, retaining walls, subdrains and cut/fill slopes shall be shown on a plot plan which may be referenced to a dated as-graded plan prepared by the design civil engineer or land surveyor.

91.7008.3. Engineering Geologist. The engineering geologist shall provide professional inspection within such geologist’s area of technical specialty, which shall include professional inspection of the bedrock excavation to determine if conditions encountered are in conformance with the approved report. Revised recommendations relating to conditions differing from the approved engineering geology report shall be submitted to the soils engineer and the Department. (Amended by Ord. No. 186,488, Eff. 12/27/19.)

For hillside tract grading, grading work in excess of 5,000 cubic yards (3825 m3) of either cut or fill, or a combination thereof, and other grading work if deemed warranted by the Department, geologists shall submit periodic in-grading inspection reports at intervals determined by the Department. In addition, the engineering geologist at the completion of grading shall submit a final geological report stating that the geologist had maintained the required in-grading inspection, the recommendations of their pregrading report(s) have been followed, that in their professional opinion all known adverse geologic conditions have been corrected or provided for, future adverse geologic conditions are not anticipated, and all lots or sites are geologically suitable and safe for construction.

The final report shall include the geologist’s certification that the geologist has inspected all cut slopes and sidehill fill placement areas prior to placement of fill. The engineering geologist shall also certify that all subdrain placement areas were inspected prior to installation of the subdrains. The final report shall be referenced to a dated as-graded plan prepared by the design civil engineer or land surveyor.

91.7008.4. Grading Contractor. For hillside tract grading, grading work in excess of 5,000 cubic yards (3825 m3) of either cut or fill, or a combination thereof, and other grading work if deemed warranted by the Department, the grading contractor shall submit in a form prescribed by the Superintendent of Building a statement of conformance to said as-built plan and the specifications.

91.7008.5. Transfer of Responsibility. If, for any reason, the civil engineer, the soils engineer, or the engineering geologist of record is terminated during the progress of the grading work, that engineer or geologist, and the owner, shall immediately notify the Department in writing.

Such transfer of responsibility may result in temporary delays in the grading operations until satisfactory arrangements are made to assure the Department that competent professional supervision is provided. The new professional(s) shall submit to the Department a letter of responsibility that the previous professional’s designs, reports and recommendations have been reviewed and all provisions of the Department required as conditions of the grading permit will be complied with during the course of the work.

91.7008.6. Owner. (Amended by Ord. No. 185,587, Eff. 7/16/18.) The owner shall be responsible for the work to be performed in accordance with the approved plans and specifications and in conformance with the provisions of this Code, and the owner shall engage consultants, if required, to provide professional inspections on a timely basis. The owner shall provide a Registered Deputy Grading Inspector as required by LAMC Section 91.1704. The owner shall act as a coordinator between the consultants, the contractor and the Superintendent of Building. In the event of changed conditions, the owner shall be responsible for informing the Superintendent of Building of such change and shall provide revised plans for approval. The Department may require the submittal of a supplemental soils and/or geological report justifying such change.

91.7008.7. Notification of Noncompliance. (Amended by Ord. No. 186,488, Eff. 12/27/19.) If, in the course of fulfilling their respective duties under this division, the civil engineer, the soils engineer or the engineering geologist finds that the work is not being done in conformance with this division or the approved grading plans, the discrepancies shall be reported immediately in writing to the owner and to the Grading Division of the Department.