Verona City Zoning Code

No grading shall occur within two feet of any property or street right-of-way line.

Excavation of earth materials during grading shall result in a finished grade not in excess of one-foot vertical rise to each 1 1/2 feet of horizontal run, provided no fill material is placed over undisturbed soil in the disturbed area except topsoil, which shall immediately be planted to prevent erosion. "Excavation" shall imply removal of earth materials that have laid dormant for at least two years prior to grading; in all other situations, earth materials shall be considered as "fill."

Placing of earth fill upon previously undisturbed soil shall result in a finish grade not in excess of one-foot vertical rise to every two feet of horizontal run.

Fill slopes shall be keyed in to preexisting undisturbed earth and well-compacted in layers not to exceed eight inches in thickness. All vegetative cover shall be removed from area to receive fill before fill is placed.

The toe, or lowest edge of a slope, shall be either graded to a natural existing drainageway or stormwater drainage system or provided with a stormwater pipe draining to such a system or drainageway.

Where a slope continues upward beyond the limits of grading, the top of the graded area shall be protected from accumulation of stormwater by a sloped bench and/or a collection pipe sloped to a drainage system or drainageway.

Slope areas shall be planted with erosion-resisting materials such as hardy grasses, shrubs, etc., immediately upon completion of grading work.

Where soil conditions apparently will permit steeper grades without sacrificing the stability of the graded slopes and areas the slopes support, the developer, if he chooses to employ steeper slopes than allowed in Subsections B and C above, shall present to the Zoning Officer a report prepared by a registered professional engineer, bearing his Pennsylvania seal, testifying that the soil conditions in the area to be developed will tolerate grades up to a maximum slope established by the said engineer. In the event the developer proposes to utilize retaining walls, he shall keep them two feet from any property or street right-of-way line and shall provide drainage above the wall and at its toe as required in Subsections E and F above. The Planning Commission may require a wall or fence be provided along the top of a retaining wall if a dangerous condition will exist.

Any proposal for the development of a property shall indicate the grading by cross sections through the property at critical locations, indicating existing and proposed grades and noting percentages of slopes. For retaining walls, working drawings and specifications shall be required, showing foundations, cross sections, reinforcing, drainage and soil conditions below and behind the wall. The Zoning Officer shall not approve any development proposal until he is satisfied that the proposed grading will not exceed the requirements of this section.

Stormwater shall not be permitted to collect upon any property, nor to flow from one property across another without benefit of an easement, nor from any property across a public street. This subsection shall not prevent a property owner from directing stormwater to the gutter in a curbed street adjacent to his property nor shall it supersede any existing drainage conditions or arrangements present at the time of adoption of this chapter.

The maximum storm of record over a twenty-four-hour period during the preceding 50 years shall be the design condition to be used in developing the storm drainage system.

Solutions to drainage problems shall take into account areas upstream of the property under development and shall prevent passage of any eroded materials downstream from the property.

Any proposal for the development of a property shall indicate the means of collection and disposal of stormwater, and the Zoning Officer shall not approve any proposal until he is satisfied adequate drainage is provided, including easements if needed.