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Santa Clara County · Building on your lot

Grading and erosion control in Santa Clara County

Santa Clara County's own rules on grading and erosion control, with the code text for every value.

Ask about grading and erosion control in Santa Clara County See coverage

Each rule below links to the section of the Santa Clara County Municipal Code it was read from, with the code text one click away (checked October 2026). General information, not legal advice.

What Santa Clara County's code says

Santa Clara County code What Santa Clara County's code adds
When a grading permit is needed
  • More than 150 cubic yards of cut, or more than 150 cubic yards of fill.
    Also needed for cut or fill over 5 feet deep or work altering a watercourse; amounts add up over time, not per year.
    § C12-406 · code text
    Cuts or fills, which each independently are greater than 150 cubic yards;
Grading without a permit
  • Up to 300 cubic yards, with no cut or fill slopes over 5 feet deep at the deepest point.
    Applies: Temporary site access for geotechnical, geologic or septic studies, or for temporary water tanks or story poles.
    § C12-407 · code text
    This exemption shall allow up to 300 cubic yards of material on any site, and no cuts or fills shall create slopes greater than five feet in vertical depth at their deepest points measured from the natural ground surface or affect a watercourse.
  • Foundation digs, grading within 5 feet, attached pools or walls; utility and septic trenching or wells restored within 45 days.
    Applies: Foundation work needs a valid building permit. Not exempt in a watercourse, with unsupported cut or fill over 5 feet, or for leftover soil.
    § C12-407 · code text
    Grading associated with excavation of a foundation for a building or structure that is authorized by a valid building permit.

Who this affects

HomeownersContractorsDesigners

Frequently asked questions

What are the grading rules in Santa Clara County?

Santa Clara County's code: More than 150 cubic yards of cut, or more than 150 cubic yards of fill. (Also needed for cut or fill over 5 feet deep or work altering a watercourse; amounts add up over time, not per year.) (§ C12-406); Up to 300 cubic yards, with no cut or fill slopes over 5 feet deep at the deepest point. (Temporary site access for geotechnical, geologic or septic studies, or for temporary water tanks or story poles.) (§ C12-407).

General information, not legal advice.

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Santa Clara County Municipal Code — full text