“Abbreviated plan” means the project threshold for abbreviated plans described in the Gig Harbor stormwater management and site development manual.

“Approved” means approved by the designated permit authority for grading permits.

“As-graded” means the surface condition after the completion of grading.

“Bench” means a relatively level step excavated into earth material on which fill is to be placed.

“Borrow” means earth material acquired from an off-site location for use in grading on a site.

“Brush” means vegetation one foot to four feet in height.

“Building” means any structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or occupancy.

“Civil engineer” means a professional engineer licensed to practice in the state of Washington in civil engineering.

“Civil engineering” means the application of knowledge of the forces of nature, principles of mechanics and the properties of materials to the evaluation, design and construction of civil works for the beneficial uses of mankind.

“Clearing” means the act of destroying or removing vegetation by mechanical or chemical means. See Chapter 17.94 GHMC.

“Compaction” means the densification of a fill by mechanical means.

“Critical area” means those lands which are subject to natural hazards, contain important or significant natural resources or which have a high capability of supporting important natural resources. See Chapter 18.08 GHMC.

Cut. See “Excavation.”

“Development standards” means the public works standards and/or the Gig Harbor stormwater management and site development manual as approved by the city council.

“Earth material” means any rock, natural soil or any combination thereof.

“Engineering geologist” means a professional engineering geologist licensed to practice in the state of Washington experienced and knowledgeable in engineering geology.

“Engineering geology” means the application of geologic knowledge and principles in the investigation and evaluation of naturally occurring rock and soil for use in the design of civil works.

“Erosion” means the wearing away of the ground surface as a result of action by wind, water and/or ice.

“Excavation” means the removal of earth material by artificial means, also referred to as a cut.

“Existing grade” means the land elevation prior to grading.

“Fill” means deposition of earth material by artificial means.

“Filling” means any act by which earth, sand, gravel, rock or other solid material is deposited, placed, pushed, pulled or transported to a place other than the place from which it is excavated, and the materials so placed.

“Finished grade” means the grade of the site after alterations are completed.

“Grade” means the vertical location of the ground surface.

“Grading” means any act which changes the elevation of the ground surface, including either excavation activities or fill activities.

“Grading permit” means the written permission of the permit authority to the permittee to proceed with the act of grading and land development within the provisions of this chapter.

“Ground cover” means root vegetation normally less than one foot in height.

“Grubbing” means the act of root vegetation removal from beneath the surface of the earth.

“Hydrologist” means a professional hydrologist licensed to practice in the state of Washington who has experience or specialized training in hydrology.

“Impervious” means without significant capacity to transmit water.

“Intermittent” means interrupted at intervals, periodic, recurrent, flowing in the same direction (streams), or depressions which fill on a frequent basis (ponds).

“Key” means a compacted fill placed in a trench excavated in earth material beneath the toe of a slope.

“Overstory” means vegetation above 10 feet in height.

“Permit authority” means the public works director. The director may designate subordinate(s) to make approvals, sign permits, and carry out other responsibilities in application to this code.

“Permittee” means the person(s) or entity to whom a grading permit is issued.

“Professional finding” means a written professional opinion with the professional’s seal from the state of Washington stating the facts observed or found and comparison of the characteristics of the work with the known minimal required criteria, followed by an opinion of the suitability of such work to perform the intended function.

“Registered professional” means a person currently licensed by the state of Washington to practice in engineering, architecture, landscape architecture, geotechnical engineering, geology, hydrology and/or surveying.

“Regulatory agencies” means appropriate departments of a governmental body.

“Rough grade” means the stage of construction at which the ground elevations are near the finished elevations planned.

“Sediment” means waterborne particles, graded or undefined, occurring by erosive action.

“Sedimentation” means the process of deposition of soil and organic particles displaced, transported, and deposited by water or wind.

“Sensitive lands” means lands possessing slopes in excess of 25 percent on unstable soil, natural drainage, geological or vegetative characteristics which pose potentially hazardous impacts for occupants of the land or its neighbors. See also “Critical area.”

“Significant vegetation” as defined in GHMC 17.99.590.

“Siltation” means deposition of fine textured sediment in streams and surfaced waters.

“Site” means that defined portion of any lot(s) or parcel(s) of land or contiguous combination thereof, where grading is performed or permitted.

“Slope” means an inclined ground surface the inclination of which is expressed as a ratio of horizontal distance to vertical distance.

“Soil” means naturally occurring superficial deposits overlying bedrock.

“Soils engineering” means the application of the principles of soils mechanics in the investigation, evaluation and design of civil works involving the use of earth materials and the inspection and/or testing of the construction thereof.

“Stage” means a defined increment of work.

“Storm return interval” is an expression of the probability with which a storm of a given intensity and duration can be expected to occur; term used by a hydrologist to predict runoff quantities.

“Stream” means the surface water route generally consisting of a channel with bed, banks, or sides, in which surface waters flow in draining from higher or lower land, both perennial and intervening; the channel and intervening artificial components, excluding flows which do not persist more than 24 hours after cessation of rainfall at some time of the year.

“Structure” means that which is built or constructed including, but not limited to, tanks, towers, fences, silos, and chimneys. See also “Building.”

“Surface waters” means water bodies exposing a free water surface, with or without movement, such as streams, lakes, bogs, and ponds.

“Terrace” means a relatively level step constructed in the face of a graded slope surface for drainage and maintenance purposes.

“Tree” means a woody perennial plant with one or more main stem(s) or trunk(s) which develop many branches.

“Understory” means vegetation four feet to 10 feet in height.

“Vegetation” means all organic plant life growing on the surface of the earth. (Ord. 1169 § 4, 2009).