Dothan, AL Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

Dothan regulates construction-site erosion under Chapter 83, Article II, Stormwater Management, enacted to control the discharge of pollutants from newly developed and redeveloping sites under the city's Phase II MS4 NPDES permit. Section 83-22 requires a permit before any land disturbing activity begins that affects one acre or more, that is part of a common plan of development or sale reaching one acre or more, or that involves non-residential development of any size. The applicant must file a Construction Best Management Practices (BMP) Plan under § 83-24, built to Alabama Department of Environmental Management standards, along with a nonrefundable fee set under Chapter 14, Article I, and the city may require a bond of up to $5,000.00 per acre of disturbed land, callable if the applicant fails to comply with permit conditions.

The city must approve or disapprove a complete BMP plan within ten days, and a plan is deemed approved if the city misses a 30-day deadline; a plan certified by a Qualified Credentialed Professional is deemed approved immediately. Section 83-26 fixes the sequence of work: clearing beyond what is needed to install erosion and sediment controls may not begin until those controls are in place and stabilized, and controls must meet the design criteria in the Alabama Handbook for Erosion Control, Sediment Control and Stormwater Management on Construction Sites.

Section 83-23 exempts minor activities such as home gardening, landscaping, minor driveway grading and agriculture. Inspections under § 83-27 can occur without notice if a discharge poses an imminent threat, and § 83-28 requires deficiencies found at inspection to be corrected within five days.