A zoning clearance is needed before permit issuance. A completed R&R application package must be submitted along with a project soils report (note: soils reports are accepted under a separate review fee). Once you have paid the fee for the soils report review you can show the receipt to B&S to satisfy that item of the “Group A” part of the B&S checklist for soils review.

Once the grading permit application and soils report has been accepted  the permit will be issued. Before you can start grading, a preconstruction meeting will need to be held with the county grading inspector, Geotech representative, contractor, and owner/owner’s representative.

Though rare during an R&R Grading Permit, a Rough Grade Clearance may be needed to issue a building permit in order to complete the  grading. A RGC  site inspection will need to be requested, and an interim compaction report for fill placed with LDS-09 certification form will need to be turned in to the county grading inspector. The inspector will review the compaction report, visit the site and prepare a LDS-10 memo for your and B&S records.

To close a R&R Grading Permit a final compaction report with accompanying LDS-08 form will need to be provided to your county inspector. The compaction report and LDS-08 will then be reviewed by your inspector and a final site inspection will be conducted. Land Development Services will then process the closure of the project, and during this time we may ask for additional deposits to take care of an outstanding account balance. Once closure is finished, a completion memo and any final grading clearances that are needed are issued. If your account has a credit balance after final charges are posted a refund will be given around 60 days after closure.

Grading Permits can be applied for online through the Ventura County Citizen Access website at vcca.ventura.org. You can also submit your grading permit application documents to our group email PWA_LDServices@ventura.org.

Remove and Re-compact (R&R) Permit Package. This package contains an application form, fee schedule, instructions, and a checklist for use in applying for a remove and compact grading permit for a Building & Safety Division approved foundation(PDF ZIP)

• LDS-RR – R&R checklist . A check list for a complete R&R permit application.
• LDS-01 – Grading permit application for all types of grading permits. Permit Form/application.
• LDS-03 – Authorization of agent. Document authorizing the agent to manage the plan check process on the owners behalf.
• LDS-04 – Acknowledgement of employment of consultants An owner acknowledgment regarding employment of consultants.
• LDS-06, Stormwater Permit Req’s for New & Re-Development. Questionnaire regarding Best Management Practices Post Construction
• LDS-07, Stormwater Permit Req’s for Construction Activities . Questionnaire regarding Best Management Practices during Construction.
• Stormwater Quality form(s): SW-1, SW-2, SW-HR. Select and complete stormwater forms applicable to the project.
• Remove and Re-compact (R&R) Cover Sheet.  The Remove and Re-compact Cover Sheet must be included in the R&R permit application. (PDF ZIP)

Fees and Deposits are set each year by the County Board of Supervisors and can found at this location (Schedule of Fees and Deposits)

Please see the Geotechnical Report Review page, linked here, for geotechnical report requirements.

Hydrology and hydraulic study may be required for R&R grading projects to demonstrate that the project will not result in diversion of storm water, increase in peak flow rates, or contribute to downstream erosion potential. Hydrology report requirements and data can be found at the following Watershed Protection District site, https://www.vcpublicworks.org/wpd/hydrology/.

Rough Grade Clearance

A Rough Grade Clearance is needed if you have a portion of a project completed and ready for building permit issuance. An example would be that the soil preparation work for a retaining wall foundation is completed but to call for building permit inspection  on the retaining wall  requires that the soil engineer and civil engineer have accepted the work.  Land Development Services would issue a LDS-10 Rough Grade Clearance once we have received an interim compaction report and LDS-08 grading certification form from the project geotechnical engineer and civil engineer .

• LDS-08 – Rough grading inspection certification(Includes R&R permits)
• LDS-09 – Fine Grading certification form
• Grading Inspection Certificate to be completed prior to permit Close out.

To close out your R&R grading permit a final compaction report will need to be submitted to your grading inspector. Once received your grading inspector will review the report then conduct the final site inspection to verify site conditions. Once the report and site visit are satisfactory the permit will be processed for closure.

• LDS-09 – Grading Inspection Certificate to be completed prior to permit Close out.