Good to know
When does grading need a plan or a permit here?
Unless the work is exempt, no one may grade in unincorporated Humboldt County without a grading permit from the county's Building Official. For a house in unincorporated Humboldt County, the county asks for a grading plan when the grading is 50 cubic yards or more (not counting the foundation excavation), or when the job triggers the county grading ordinance in any other way.
The detail
Humboldt County: the permit
Unless the work is exempt, no one may grade in unincorporated Humboldt County without a grading permit from the county's Building Official.
The work that needs no grading permit, and where those exemptions do not apply, is listed in Humboldt County Code §331-14(d)(2) and (d)(3).
Source: Humboldt County Code §331-14 (grading, excavation, erosion and sediment control)
Humboldt County: the plan
For a house in unincorporated Humboldt County, the county asks for a grading plan when the grading is 50 cubic yards or more (not counting the foundation excavation), or when the job triggers the county grading ordinance in any other way.
Source: Humboldt County: Residential (Standard) construction documents
Humboldt County: erosion and sediment control plans
Under Humboldt County Code §331-14, a site-specific erosion and sediment control plan has to be submitted with any development application involving grading that has any one of these characteristics: it covers one acre or more; it is on a slope of 15 percent or steeper; it is in an area of moderate or high geologic instability; it is within a Streamside Management Area or other wet area; it is within a floodplain; it is for a driveway or road longer than 300 feet; or it is planned for the winter period, October 15 to April 15.
The Chief Building Official may also require a plan, prepared by a qualified professional at the owner's expense, at any time during design or construction.
The county's grading ordinance treats October 15 through April 15 as the winter period.
On projects that need a building, grading or development permit, bare ground has to be seeded and mulched before October 15, unless the project's conditions say otherwise.
Source: Humboldt County Code §331-14 (grading, excavation, erosion and sediment control)
Trinity County
Trinity County grading permits are applied for through the county Planning Department, on its Director's Use Permit application, and the review itself is done by the county Department of Transportation.
Rain
Eureka averages 40.4 inches of rain a year, and 77 percent of it falls from November through March (NOAA, 1991-2020 normals).
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991-2020 normals: Eureka (Woodley Island)
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