Henrico County, VA Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

Henrico County Code § 10-34 requires an ESC plan whenever land disturbing activity triggers regulation under § 10-29, which sets the threshold at 2,500 square feet or more of disturbance below one acre, or any activity of one acre or more (or part of a larger common plan of development disturbing an acre or more). The plan must include measures to control erosion and sediment, a permittee statement that those measures will be maintained, calculations for sediment traps, basins and outlet protection, a clear delineation of both the preliminary and ultimate limits of disturbance (including stockpiles, borrow areas and staging areas), and a construction sequence detailing schedules for installing, inspecting and maintaining ESC measures.

Compliance with the water quantity requirements of § 10-39 is deemed to satisfy 9 VAC 25-875-560(A)(19). An agreement in lieu of a plan can substitute for a full ESC plan for a single-family residential structure (including additions to an existing single-family detached home) or for a farm building on a parcel where total impervious cover, including the new structure, stays under five percent. No certificate of competence is required for someone carrying out an agreement in lieu of a plan, but if a violation occurs during the work, that person must correct it and either obtain a responsible land disturber certification or name an individual holding one to take charge; failing to name that individual is itself a violation of the article.

Minor disturbances such as home gardens, individual landscaping and septic tank line repair are exempt under § 10-29(b) unless folded into a larger building project.