Dubuque, IA Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

Dubuque City Code chapter 12 of title 14, the Erosion and Sediment Control Ordinance of the City of Dubuque, applies to all land disturbing activity in the city (14-12-2). The city manager administers, implements and enforces the chapter (14-12-3). Anyone required by law to obtain the state NPDES general permit no. 2 from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, or who already holds one, must also get a city ESC permit in addition to, not instead of, the state permit (14-12-6(A)). The application goes to the city engineer's office on city manager-approved forms with a fee, and if the applicant already holds the state permit, they must submit copies of their plans and specifications, their NPDES authorizations, and their stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) (14-12-6(B)).

The SWPPP must meet IDNR's minimum mandatory requirements, comply with any joint Iowa/Army Corps application, and be prepared by a licensed professional engineer, licensed landscape architect, licensed erosion-control professional, or a soil and water conservation district representative credentialed to the city manager's satisfaction (14-12-6(B)(4)). Since September 1, 2007, no city ESC permit issues until the site plan is approved, and the ESC permit itself is a condition precedent to issuance of a city building permit for the land-disturbing activity (14-12-6(E)). Permittees must keep the city informed of the on-site person overseeing compliance and any contractors implementing SWPPP measures (14-12-6(F)), and can transfer the permit on sale of the property with written confirmation of the state permit transfer and payment of a transfer fee (14-12-6(G)). The chapter also sets a severability clause and clarifies the standards are minimums that do not guarantee zero erosion (14-12-4, 14-12-5).