Davis, CA Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

010(c) of the Davis Municipal Code requires whoever holds title or a leasehold interest in property where construction will occur to prepare and submit an erosion and sediment control plan before, and as a condition of, getting a grading or building permit. The plan must include site-specific construction best management practices, the reasoning behind selecting or rejecting particular BMPs, a quantified estimate of expected soil loss where necessary, a list of other permits tied to the grading activity, and proof those permits have been obtained.

No construction activity of any kind may begin before the city engineer issues written approval of the plan. A stormwater pollution prevention plan developed under the state's construction general permit can substitute for the local erosion and sediment control plan, but it still has to be submitted to the city for its own review and approval under subsection (c). 010(b) layers on a separate state trigger: any project disturbing one acre or more of soil, or less than an acre but part of a larger common plan of development covering an acre or more, must also comply with the state's NPDES General Permit for Construction Activity and show proof of that separate compliance before a grading or building permit issues. 010(e) lets the director additionally require BMPs during construction to keep pollutant discharges from causing or contributing to a water quality standard exceedance.