Google Translate
Translation – Explanation and Caution

The electronic translation service on the City of Surrey’s web site is hosted by Google Translate. The quality of the translation may vary in some of the languages offered by Google. The goal of the basic translation is to capture the general intention of the original English material.

Google Translate is a free service and currently offers translation in over 50 languages. Unfortunately, not all the languages spoken in the City of Surrey are translated. Punjabi is one of the languages not currently offered, and to remedy the situation, the City has been in contact with Google and they have committed to making Punjabi available in the future.

The City of Surrey cannot guarantee the quality, accuracy, or completeness of any translated information. Before you act on translated information, the City encourages you to confirm any facts that are important to you and the decisions you make.

The City of Surrey offers interpretation services at all its facilities. If you have a question about the material you read on our web site, we encourage you to stop by a City facilities to discuss it. You can also contact the City at (604) 591-4011 to receive interpretation support.

The City is committed to enhancing the accessibility of its web site to all its citizens, and appreciates any feedback that it receives.

Chinese, Korean, Punjabi, Tagalog, Hindi

Soil Deposit & Removal Permits

In order to ensure that placement of materials on sites does not affect neighbouring properties or local stormwater system operations and is in conformance with the Agricultural Land Reserve requirements, the City of Surrey requires soil permits for fill material to be placed on properties within the City.

Soil Permits are required for deposition or removal of soil in excess of 15m3 (slightly less than 3 single {5 – 6m3} truck loads) or soil placed to a depth of 0.5m (whichever is less) on a given property. Under certain conditions a Notice of Intent letter from the City of Surrey may be approved for volumes between 15 and 100m3. A Notice of Intent does not require a fee or bonding but a copy of the letter must be posted on-site while soil is being deposited. 

Where sites are located on slopes >20% (1:5 slope), a Professional Engineer must be retained to advise on any volume of soil to be removed or deposited.

Removal or deposition of soil volumes greater than 100m3 triggers a requirement for a soil permit which requires:

  • plan and profile drawings
  • a report addressing items on checklist below; and
  • an ESC Plan prepared by a Professional Engineer.

Soil permits are subject to fees and bonding. A laminated copy of the soil permit must be posted on-site for the duration of the deposition or removal of soil.  A good place to start when applying for a soil permit is to fill out the Soil Permit Application check list.

 

Soil Permit Exemptions & Considerations

Exemptions

  • Soil permit exemptions include soil volumes associated with building permits and subdivisions (except as described below). City infrastructure projects and projects involving senior government agencies may also be exempt.

Considerations

  • Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) related soil permits, where more than 0.2 Ha (~1/2 acre) of land is proposed to be disturbed by deposition of soil, requires approval from the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) and are usually not supported by the ALC. This 0.2 Ha area includes the sum of soil placement for driveways, “home plate” and septic fields. Accessory buildings for farm use, and their associated soil placement, can be up to 2% of total farmable land.
  • For soil applications that will trigger ALC involvement/approval please visit the following web links:

Agricultural Land Commision Website

Home Plates on Agricultural Lands

  • Soil permit applications within the Nicomekl and Serpentine River flood plains must be given special consideration and be consistent with City of Surrey’s Overall Floodplain Strategy.
  • Note that organic soils, mineral soils (including cobbles, gravel and sand), and pavement grindings are all considered to be “soil”. Manure, hog-fuel and sawdust used for farming activities are not considered to be soil.
  • All Soil permits will require an Erosion and Sediment Control (ESC) plan if the disturbed area is more than 2000 m2. The review of this plan will be through the City’s staff administering the soil permit. Details on what is required in an ESC plan can be found on the Erosion and Sediment Control page.

Other web links related to soil deposition and removal