Future Projects May Require Permits for Moving Soil

Officials may consider introducing an ordinance that would require property owners to seek a permit before moving soil on and off the property as part of big or small construction or upgrade projects.

Currently the borough does not have anything in place that would require one to seek a permit for adding landfill for example, explained Ken Job, the borough’s engineer who recommended the mayor and council consider this.

He referred to a recent construction project in town involving a property owner looking to raise the land by two-feet with landfill in order to build a parking lot as an example of why permits for moving soil should be required.

Small yard projects, such as constructing a flower bed, could fall into the need for a permit if a large amount of soil were to be used in the project. Job explained that normally 100 cubic yards was usually the cut off point where anything under would be handled by the building department and anything above the Planning Board. He said 100 cubic yards is a large amount of soil, enough to fill about eight trucks.

Cases where small quantities like 5 and 10 cubic yards would most likely be exempt but a specific amount would be defined in the ordinance.

If it is decided that the borough will pursue this further, an ordinance may possibly be introduced at a council meeting later this month or sometime in June. 

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