Erosion Control
Environmental Rules
Rules to prevent soil erosion during construction and landscaping, including required sediment barriers and ground cover standards.
How Erosion Control Rules Differ by Place
Bay County, FL: Bay County Erosion Control Requirements
Heavy RestrictionsErosion and sediment control in Bay County runs through the Environmental Resource Permit. Under Fla. Stat. §373.413, land clearing and construction that alters a stormwater system…
Jupiter, FL: Environmental: Grading Drainage
Heavy RestrictionsJupiter grading permits required for fill over 50 cubic yards or any change affecting neighboring drainage. Lots must drain to street or approved swale without directing runoff onto…
Shreveport, LA: Permit required before any land-altering activity
Heavy RestrictionsShreveport requires an erosion and sedimentation control permit from the Department of Engineering and Environmental Services before clearing, grading, excavating or filling anywhere…
Baytown, TX: Baytown Erosion Control Requirements
Few RestrictionsBaytown requires erosion and sediment controls on construction sites to prevent soil runoff into storm drains and waterways. Projects disturbing one acre or more must file for a TCEQ…
La Porte, TX: La Porte Grading & Drainage Regulations
Few RestrictionsLa Porte requires that grading and drainage changes on residential properties do not adversely affect neighboring properties or the public storm sewer system. A grading permit or…
Hoover, AL: Hoover Erosion & Sediment Control Rules
Some RestrictionsAny land-disturbing activity in Hoover needs a city permit and an approved BMP plan before grading starts, with structural controls sized to curb erosion and sediment reaching the…
Erosion Control Rules by State
Statewide law governs this topic in many states. Each entry links to that state's full page.
Arizona
Some RestrictionsArizona bans discharging pollutants to protected waters without an AZPDES permit under A.R.S. § 49-255.01. Construction sites disturbing one acre or more must obtain ADEQ's…
California
Significant RestrictionsCalifornia requires anyone clearing, grading, or disturbing one acre or more of land to obtain coverage under the State Water Board's Construction General Permit, file a Notice of…
Colorado
Some RestrictionsUnder C.R.S. § 25-8-501, any construction site disturbing one acre or more must obtain a CDPS stormwater discharge permit (COR400000) from Colorado's Water Quality Control Division and…
Connecticut
Heavy RestrictionsConn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 22a-329 requires every municipality to adopt soil erosion and sediment control regulations consistent with state guidelines. Plans are required for development…
Delaware
Heavy RestrictionsDelaware Code Title 7, Chapter 40 mandates statewide erosion and sediment control standards for any land disturbance, with the binding 2023 Delaware Erosion and Sediment Control…
District of Columbia
Significant RestrictionsWashington DC requires a DOEE-approved Erosion and Sediment Control plan for any construction or redevelopment that disturbs more than 50 square feet of land, plus a pre-construction…
Florida
Some RestrictionsFlorida runs its own federally approved NPDES stormwater permit program under Fla. Stat. 403.0885, requiring construction sites that disturb one or more acres to obtain FDEP coverage…
Georgia
Heavy RestrictionsThe Georgia Erosion and Sedimentation Act sets minimum land-disturbing-activity standards, certified-personnel requirements, and stream buffers that apply statewide whether or not a…
Hawaii
Heavy RestrictionsHawaii regulates shoreline erosion through state Coastal Zone Management law. Statewide setback rules and special management area permits govern coastal construction. Counties…
Illinois
Heavy RestrictionsIllinois law authorizes Soil and Water Conservation Districts to establish erosion control standards while NPDES rules require erosion controls at construction sites of one acre or…
Iowa
Some RestrictionsIowa Code Chapter 161A makes every landowner statewide responsible for establishing and maintaining erosion control practices that meet their soil and water conservation district's…
Kansas
Heavy RestrictionsKansas requires statewide erosion and sediment controls on construction sites disturbing one or more acres under KDHE's general NPDES permit, mandating SWPPPs, best management…
Maine
Heavy RestrictionsPer 38 MRS § 420-C, any person filling, displacing or exposing soil in Maine must prevent unreasonable erosion of soil or sediment beyond the project site or into a protected natural…
Maryland
Heavy RestrictionsMaryland Environment Article 4-101 through 4-116 requires erosion and sediment control plans approved by soil conservation districts before any earth disturbance of 5,000 square feet…
Michigan
Some RestrictionsMichigan's Part 91 of NREPA imposes uniform statewide soil erosion permits for earth changes near water or disturbing one acre or more.
Minnesota
Heavy RestrictionsMPCA's NPDES Construction Stormwater General Permit, authorized under Minn. Stat. Ch. 115, applies statewide to land-disturbing activities of one acre or more, requiring SWPPPs, BMPs…
Missouri
Significant RestrictionsMissouri requires a state land disturbance operating permit from the Department of Natural Resources before construction disturbing one or more acres, mandating a stormwater pollution…
Montana
Some RestrictionsMontana requires an MPDES construction stormwater permit before any land disturbance of one acre or more, enforced by the Department of Environmental Quality under the Water Quality…
Nebraska
Some RestrictionsNebraska Revised Statute 81-1506(2)(a) makes it unlawful to discharge pollutants into waters of the state without an NPDES permit. Construction disturbing one acre or more must obtain…
Nevada
Some RestrictionsNevada bans discharging sediment-laden stormwater or any pollutant into state waters without an NDEP permit under NRS 445A.465, the core of the state's erosion and construction-runoff…
New Hampshire
Heavy RestrictionsNew Hampshire RSA 485-A:17 and shoreland protection laws require erosion and sediment controls during land disturbance, with NHDES setting uniform best management practices that…
New Jersey
Heavy RestrictionsThe New Jersey Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Act gives Soil Conservation Districts uniform statewide authority to certify erosion plans for projects disturbing 5,000 square feet or…
New Mexico
Few RestrictionsNew Mexico's statewide erosion-control policy lives in the Soil and Water Conservation District Act, NMSA 1978 Section 73-20-26, which commits the legislature to control and prevent…
New York
Significant RestrictionsNew York's Environmental Conservation Law makes it unlawful to discharge stormwater pollutants to state waters from a construction site without a SPDES permit. Operators disturbing one…
North Carolina
Heavy RestrictionsThe North Carolina Sedimentation Pollution Control Act, codified at N.C.G.S. 113A-50 through 113A-66, requires erosion and sediment control plans for land-disturbing activities…
North Dakota
Some RestrictionsNorth Dakota erosion control runs through soil conservation districts under N.D.C.C. chapter 4.1-20. Districts can adopt binding land-use regulations, terracing, contour cultivation…
Oklahoma
Some RestrictionsAny construction activity in Oklahoma that disturbs one acre or more must obtain a DEQ stormwater discharge permit (OKR10) before breaking ground, install erosion and sediment…
Rhode Island
Some RestrictionsRhode Island requires erosion and sediment control on land-disturbing activities under RIGL Chapter 45-46 and the RI Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Handbook, with statewide…
South Carolina
Heavy RestrictionsSouth Carolina's Sediment Reduction Act sets statewide minimum erosion and sediment-control standards for construction sites. SCDES (formerly DHEC) enforces uniform technical…
South Dakota
Some RestrictionsSouth Dakota does not impose a uniform statewide residential grading or drainage code. Grading, lot drainage, and surface-water runoff from individual parcels are governed by (1) the…
Tennessee
Heavy RestrictionsTennessee's Water Quality Control Act and TDEC rules require erosion and sediment controls on regulated construction sites, with state inspectors empowered to enforce requirements…
Texas
Some RestrictionsAny Texas construction that disturbs one acre or more must get TCEQ Construction General Permit (TXR150000) coverage and develop a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan with erosion and…
Utah
Some RestrictionsLand-disturbing construction of one acre or more in Utah must obtain a UPDES Construction General Permit from the Division of Water Quality before ground is broken, and control erosion…
Vermont
Heavy RestrictionsVermont uniformly regulates construction-site erosion and sediment control through the state Construction General Permit and Stormwater Management Rule, requiring approved erosion…
Virginia
Heavy RestrictionsVirginia's Erosion and Sediment Control Law requires erosion plans and approved control measures for regulated land-disturbing activities, with technical standards uniform across all…
Washington
Significant RestrictionsWashington makes it unlawful under RCW 90.48.080 to discharge sediment or other polluting matter into state waters, and the Department of Ecology requires an NPDES Construction…
West Virginia
Some RestrictionsWest Virginia regulates land grading and drainage through DEP construction stormwater rules in WV Code §22-11, surface mining and oil-and-gas earthwork rules in §22-3 and §22-6A, and…
Wisconsin
Heavy RestrictionsWisconsin requires erosion control practices on construction sites under NR 151 and SPS 321. State standards apply uniformly, and one- and two-family dwelling sites follow Department…
Wyoming
Heavy RestrictionsWyoming requires erosion and sediment controls on construction sites under WYPDES Construction General Permits issued by DEQ. These statewide standards apply to qualifying sites…
Cities & Counties with Erosion Control Rules
615 locations
Alabama
Louisiana
New Mexico
North Carolina
Other Environmental Rules Topics
Stormwater Management
Requirements for managing rainwater runoff on your property, including retention basins, permeable surfaces, and drainage plans.
Coastal Development
Building restrictions near coastlines, including setbacks from the water, dune protection rules, and coastal commission permits.
Flood Zones
Building requirements for properties in FEMA flood zones, including elevation standards, flood insurance mandates, and construction limits.
Shoreline Management
Regulations for properties along lakes, rivers, and coastlines, including buffer zones, dock permits, and vegetation requirements.
Sea Wall & Bulkhead
Requirements for maintaining sea walls, bulkheads, and retaining structures on waterfront properties, including inspection schedules and repair obligations.
Mangrove Protection
Rules protecting mangrove trees and coastal vegetation, including trimming restrictions, removal prohibitions, and required setbacks from mangrove habitat.
Boat Dock Permits
Permits required to build or modify boat docks, lifts, and davits on waterfront properties, including size limits, setbacks, and environmental reviews.
Defensible Space
Mandated vegetation clearance zones around homes in fire hazard zones, including the 100-ft Zone 0/1/2 model used by California and other wildfire-prone states.
Vehicle Idling Restrictions
Limits on how long heavy-duty vehicles, buses, and passenger cars may idle, including bans near schools and residential areas.
Climate Emergency Mobilization
Local climate-emergency declarations and mobilization plans, including building electrification mandates, gas-hookup bans in new construction, and reach codes.
Sustainable Procurement
City rules requiring sustainable, recycled, or low-emissions products in municipal purchasing, and how those rules trickle down to contractors and concessions.
Cool Pavement
Reflective-coating road treatments deployed by LA Bureau of Street Services to reduce surface temps; pilot streets and expansion plans under Cool Streets LA.
Cool Roof Requirements
Mandatory high-reflectance roofing materials for new construction and reroofs. LA Green Building Code thresholds and Title 24 Pt 6 baseline.
Heat Island Mitigation
Citywide programs to reduce urban heat, tree canopy goals, cool surfaces, shade structures at bus stops, and cooling-center requirements during heat waves.
Flood Elevation Requirements
FEMA NFIP minimum base flood elevation (BFE) construction standards for properties in mapped flood zones, including freeboard requirements above BFE.