Duluth, MN Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

D of the Natural Resources Overlay require a shoreland permit for structures, grading, filling, excavating, new impervious surfaces and removal of natural vegetation within 1,000 feet of Lake Superior or 300 feet of rivers, creeks, streams and tributaries. Once that permit is in play, erosion and sediment control measures are required for any land-disturbing activity in the shoreland, with no minimum size trigger on that baseline rule. A second, more detailed requirement kicks in above a specific threshold: grading or filling of more than 250 square feet, or placing more than ten cubic yards of material within the shore impact zone, is only permitted if the applicant has an approved plan covering erosion control, stormwater management and shoreline buffer restoration, and that plan has to be effectively implemented, not just approved on paper.

Impervious surfaces must be designed to minimize and control runoff and erosion into regulated waters, and removing natural vegetation has to be designed to prevent erosion into those waters while preserving shoreland aesthetics. Removing trees or shrubs in a contiguous patch, strip, row or block inside the shore impact zone is prohibited outright, and any vegetation buffer disturbed by a project must be restored to the extent feasible once construction wraps up.