Echo Park

LA City hillside ordinance applies when your property has an average slope of 20% or greater. This requires a more detailed grading plan submittal that includes slope analysis, retaining wall design, and drainage documentation. We evaluate your specific site to determine if hillside requirements apply and put together the appropriate documentation.

LA City requires that any construction below street grade must outlet stormwater to the street. On steep hillside lots where the building pad sits below street level, gravity drainage is often impossible. A stormwater sump pump collects water in a basin and pumps it up to street level where it can flow to the storm drain. We design these systems based on your specific site grades and drainage patterns.

Most Echo Park hillside projects need a grading plan that includes drainage design and erosion control plans. If you are excavating for a basement or lowering the building pad, you will need an excavation plan showing cut slopes, shoring, and cross-sections. The shoring design is structural engineering work that requires a separate structural engineer. We handle the civil engineering scope: excavation plans, grading, drainage, and sump pump design. Properties below street grade require a stormwater sump pump system.

Echo Park falls under LA City LADBS, not LA County. This means different plan check requirements, different forms, and different review standards. LA City tends to be more detailed in its review of hillside grading and drainage. We are familiar with LADBS specific requirements and know how to put together submittals that move through efficiently.