Collier County, FL Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

Sec. 22-112(11) of the Collier County Excavation Regulations requires that, upon completion of any lake construction, a silt fence be installed around all portions of the lake contiguous to proposed new construction such as homes, roads or drainage improvements. Sections of that silt fence may only come down after the adjacent construction has been approved by the county. A permittee who wants to use something other than silt fence must submit a plan to the Engineering Services Director or designee showing the proposed alternate method, and that method must still meet federal and state erosion-control standards, not just the county's own.

This sits inside a broader construction-requirements article covering excavation depth limits in Estates zoning, sideslope ratios, building-envelope sizing, littoral zone plantings and required SFWMD/DEP/USACE permits where jurisdictional wetlands are involved. Compliance is checked through monthly inspections under Sec. 22-113, and commercial and development excavations must also file annual and final status reports, including sealed topographic surveys, verifying as-built slopes match the approved design. Excavation permits also carry a performance guarantee of $25,000 to $1,000,000 under Sec. 22-115, computed per foot of lake bank perimeter, which the county can draw on to correct erosion or other violations if the permittee does not.