SOUTH WEBER — People who want to build on sensitive lands in South Weber will now have to submit to a more rigorous review of their property before construction can begin.

The South Weber City Council recently voted to strengthen its ordinances for property owners who build on sensitive lands — those that may be affected by landslides, liquefaction, fault lines or erosion — in the city.

The old sensitive-lands ordinance required property owners to meet certain conditions before the city would pass the property off as safe. But the city's new engineer recommended requiring geotechnical studies to explain how to protect homes, said South Weber city manager Matt Dixon.

And if someone desires to build in a sensitive area of the city, it gives the city's review committee the ability to look more closely at projects.

"It gives us a chance to require more extensive studies," Dixon said.

One of the new sections of city code specifically bans the construction of residential structures on any identified faults or on any areas known to be an active landslide according to geotechnical analysis.

Another section bans the construction of structures within the 100-year floodplain.

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The ordinance also now incorporates the interface between homes and wild lands, which exists between the borders of South Weber and Layton and on the city's east bench. The provisions of the wildland-urban interface section are effective retroactively and may require certain properties to have a vegetation-management or fire-management plan.

Various other requirements are designed to reduce the risk of homes being destroyed by wildfires.

e-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com

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