# Site Grading

**URL:** https://community.blackspectacles.com/t/site-grading/6533
**Category:** Project Development & Documentation
**Created:** [February 20, 2025, 3:20pm UTC](https://community.blackspectacles.com/t/site-grading/6533 "2025-02-20T15:20:57Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![theresaninh69](https://blackspectacles.com/uploads/images/15.png) [@theresaninh69](https://community.blackspectacles.com/u/theresaninh69)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2025, 3:20pm UTC](https://community.blackspectacles.com/t/site-grading/6533/1 "2025-02-20T15:20:57Z")

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![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/uploads/blackspectacles/original/2X/d/d3eed2f4e63bb9a3b2bf7a72cbcf9f80ff8883d1.png)  
On IBC1804.4 Site Grading, I am confused when should we use 5% and when to use 2% slope.

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### Author: ![kiaragalicinao](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/community.blackspectacles.com/kiaragalicinao/32/1607_2.png) [@kiaragalicinao](https://community.blackspectacles.com/u/kiaragalicinao)
#### Post date: [February 24, 2025, 8:22pm UTC](https://community.blackspectacles.com/t/site-grading/6533/2 "2025-02-24T20:22:24Z")

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Welcome to the ARE Community, @theresaninh69! Thanks for writing in.

According to this code section, the site grading must slope away from footings at 5% minimum slope for at least 10 feet. This prevents ponding of water against the footings. As an alternative, swales may be used and sloped at 2% minimum where located within 10 feet of the building foundation.

Per exception #1, a minimum 2% slope may be allowed in certain climatic/soil conditions.

Check out _Building Codes Illustrated_ (page 378) for a great visual of this. While this resource is not specifically an NCARB-recommended resource, I found it very helpful to visualize various code requirements.

Hope this helps!

Kiara Galicinao, AIA, NCARB  
**Black Spectacles**