Environmental Rules in Davidson County, NC (2026)
4 rules for unincorporated Davidson County, North Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
Stormwater Management
Davidson County's Watershed Protection Ordinance (Ch. 152) governs stormwater runoff and land-disturbing development inside state-designated Public Water Supply Watersheds. It caps impervious built-upon area, requires a 50-foot vegetative buffer along perennial waters, and conditions any building activity on a Watershed Protection Permit from the county's Watershed Administrator.
Davidson County Watershed Stormwater Rules
Some RestrictionsDavidson County Code of Ordinances § 152.26, § 152.28
(a) WS-III Watershed Areas - Critical Area (WS-III-CA)...(2) Density and Built-Upon Limits. (a) Single Family Residential. Development shall not exceed one dwelling unit per one acre (40,000 square feet excluding roadway right-of-way) (b) All Other Residential and Non-Residential. Development shall not exceed 12% built-upon area on a project by project basis. § 152.28 BUFFER AREAS REQUIRED. (A)...
Erosion Control
Subdividers in unincorporated Davidson County must mulch, seed, sod, or otherwise protect all grading, excavations, open cuts, and side slopes to comply with the county's sedimentation and pollution control standards under Article 8.4.
Davidson County Erosion Control During Construction
Some RestrictionsDavidson County Subdivision Regulations, § 9.1.05
9.1.05 Erosion Control. The subdivider shall cause all grading, excavations, open cuts, side slopes, and other land surface disturbances to be so mulched, seeded, sodded, or otherwise protected to comply with the provisions of Article 8.4.
Flood Zones
In unincorporated Davidson County, land mapped as floodplain on the HUD Flood Insurance Program maps cannot be platted for dwellings or other uses unless the site is flood-protected. No structure or fill may go in the floodway if it would interfere with the natural water course.
Davidson County Floodplain Development Limits
Significant RestrictionsDavidson County Subdivision Regulations, § 8.2.02, § 8.2.021
Any land identified as "floodplain" on the maps prepared for Davidson County under the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Flood Insurance Program shall be prohibited from development for dwellings or other uses unless the sites are flood protected as follows: 8.2.021 No structures or fill shall be placed in the floodway which would interfere with the natural water course.
Flood Elevation Requirements
Dwellings and self-contained sewage disposal units in unincorporated Davidson County's mapped floodplain must be built at an elevation above the maximum flood heights shown on the county's flood plain maps before a subdivision plat can be approved.
Davidson County Above-Flood-Height Building Rule
Significant RestrictionsDavidson County Subdivision Regulations, § 8.2.023
8.2.023 Dwellings and self-contained sewage disposal units (if used) shall be built at an elevation above maximum flood heights as shown on the flood plain maps described in 8.2.02.
All Davidson County ordinances
See every category we cover for Davidson County: parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Davidson County Ordinance Hub →