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Grading and erosion control in Seaside

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

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

What Seaside's code says

Seaside code What Seaside's code adds
Steepest cut or fill slope
  • No steeper than 2:1.
    Applies: Fill slopes no more than 20 feet high or 75 feet long without a terrace break; the city engineer may allow steeper.
    § 15.32.150 · code text
    Fill slopes shall be no steeper than 2:1 and shall not exceed twenty feet vertical height or seventy-five feet slope (horizontal) distance without a terrace break.
Grading without a permit
  • Grading for building pads and driveways under a valid building permit; an excavation that does not exceed seventy-five cubic yards and is less than two feet deep, or that does not create a cut slope that is both greater than five feet in height and steeper than two horizontal to one vertical; fill of earth materials only, less than two feet deep on natural terrain flatter than five horizontal to one vertical, not over one hundred cubic yards on any one site, not in a riparian zone, that does not alter or obstruct a drainage course and is not for structural support or roadways; basement and footing excavation under a valid building permit (not an excavation with an unsupported height greater than five feet when done); excavations for wells
    § 15.32.050 · code text
    An excavation below finished grade for basements and footings of a building, retaining wall or other structure authorized by a valid building permit.
Rainy-season limits
  • Land disturbance may be limited or stopped October 15 to April 15; erosion controls required and bare soil covered daily.
    Applies: Grading and land development; the controls and daily cover apply when work is allowed.
    § 15.32.180 · code text
    Land disturbance or development operations may be restricted or temporarily halted between October 15th and April 15th (the normal rainy season)

Who this affects

HomeownersContractorsDesigners

Frequently asked questions

What are the grading rules in Seaside?

Seaside's code: Grading for building pads and driveways under a valid building permit; an excavation that does not exceed seventy-five cubic yards and is less than two feet deep, or that does not create a cut slope that is both greater than five feet in height and steeper than two horizontal to one vertical; fill of earth materials only, less than two feet deep on natural terrain flatter than five horizontal to one vertical, not over one hundred cubic yards on any one site, not in a riparian zone, that does not alter or obstruct a drainage course and is not for structural support or roadways; basement and footing excavation under a valid building permit (not an excavation with an unsupported height greater than five feet when done); excavations for wells (§ 15.32.050); Land disturbance may be limited or stopped October 15 to April 15; erosion controls required and bare soil covered daily. (Grading and land development; the controls and daily cover apply when work is allowed.) (§ 15.32.180).

General information, not legal advice.

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