Everett, MA Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

Article III of Chapter 15A sets the construction-site rules. Section 15A-41 applies to all activities that disturb ten thousand (10,000) square feet of land or more that drains to the MS4, and no person can perform such an activity except as the stormwater authority authorizes. Section 15A-42 requires an application to the stormwater authority and says approval or permit must be obtained before land-disturbing or redevelopment activity begins. The permit file includes an Erosion and Sedimentation Control Plan, defined in Section 15A-2 as a document with narrative, drawings and details developed by a qualified professional engineer (PE) or a certified professional in erosion and sedimentation control (CPESC), setting best management practices to control runoff, erosion and sedimentation during pre-construction and construction.

Section 15A-41(b) lists five exemptions: maintenance of existing landscaping, gardens or lawn areas at a single-family dwelling that causes no nuisance; fencing that will not substantially alter terrain or drainage; non-drainage utilities that will not alter drainage or send sediment to the MS4; normal maintenance of agricultural or aquacultural land; and land under Wetlands Protection Act jurisdiction, or needing other Planning Board permits, that shows compliance through a valid order of conditions from the conservation commission. Section 15A-44 requires inspections to verify compliance. Section 15A-45 lets the authority require a surety bond, irrevocable letter of credit, cash or other security before work starts, and release part of it phase by phase.

Under Section 15A-46, a reviewed project files a written notice with photographic evidence, while a permitted project files a report with certified as-built plans from a Professional Engineer or Professional Land Surveyor certifying that all erosion and sedimentation control devices were completed as approved.