Chapel Hill, NC Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

Article V of the Code of Ordinances, the Chapel Hill Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Ordinance (section 5-80), makes it unlawful within the town and its extraterritorial jurisdiction to engage in land-disturbing activity without first obtaining a permit and complying with its conditions, under section 5-83(b). Section 5-85(b) sets the trigger: before any land-disturbing activity that will uncover more than twenty thousand square feet, the person conducting the activity must prepare and submit an erosion control plan, get it approved, and obtain a grading permit before starting.

Section 5-87 layers on mandatory design standards, including a buffer zone along any lake or natural watercourse sufficient to confine visible siltation within twenty-five percent of the buffer nearest the disturbance, graded slopes stabilized within thirty working days of completing any grading phase, and permanent ground cover established within thirty working days or one hundred twenty calendar days of completing construction, whichever is shorter. Section 5-92 places responsibility for installing and maintaining every temporary and permanent control measure on the person conducting the land-disturbing activity during construction, shifting to the landowner once development is complete.

The erosion control officer, designated under section 8-95, administers the program, and section 5-100 lets an aggrieved applicant appeal a plan denial to the board of adjustment within ten days.