City of Sammamish

DEFINITIONS

Clearing

Limbing, pruning, topping, trimming, cutting or removal of vegetation or other organic plant matter by physical, mechanical, chemical or other means.

Grading

Excavation, filling, removing the duff layer or any combination thereof.

Before you begin any site work, you must obtain a Clearing & Grading Permit or a Site Development Permit, unless explicitly exempted by SMC 21.03.070.E.

Any activity within critical areas or their buffers, except on publicly owned land (SMC 21.03.070.E.14), as defined per SMC 21.04.040.B.71, cannot be exempted and will always require a permit. State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) review may also be required.

Slope of cut and fill surfaces cannot be steeper than what is safe for the intended use and cannot exceed a ratio of 2:1 (horizontal to vertical), unless approved by the Director. For most areas, clearing and grading activity may occur between May 1 and September 30.

CLEARING & GRADING EXEMPTIONS

PER SMC 21.03.070.E EXEMPTIONS INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:

Excavation authorized by a Building Permit
Maintenance of existing driveways, lawns, and landscaping
Removal of non-significant trees
Routine maintenance of existing single-family drainage systems that do not exceed 50 cubic yards
Excavations of 10 feet (see Figure 1)

figure 1: retaining wall for a 10-foot cut

Fills of 5 feet (see Figure 2)

figure 2: retaining wall for a 5-foot fill