Hinds County, MS Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing instrument
- Storm Water Quality Mgmt Ordinance §§ 5.7-5.10
- Enforcing agency
- Hinds Co. Dept. of Public Works Director
- Buffer strip minimum width
- 25 feet for sheet flow
- Stabilized construction exit pad
- 6 in. thick, 100 ft. long
- Inspection window
- 7 days after devices installed
- Max penalty, no permit
- $10,000, +50% per repeat
- Appeal deadline
- 10 days to Director, then Committee
Summary
Hinds County requires a Perimeter Control Plan and grading plan before any clearing or grading begins on a construction site. The Storm Water Quality Management Ordinance ties this to a Perimeter/Outfall Protection Permit, inspected by the Department of Public Works before work proceeds.
5.7 Compliance with this ordinance requires that a grading plan be developed and submitted, as part of the Storm Water Quality Management Permit, and a perimeter control plan be implemented before any clearing or stripping. 5.8 PERIMETER CONTROL PLAN A. The Perimeter Control Plan shall include measures to prevent sediment from leaving the site during initial disturbance activities and prior to any major clearing, grading or other land disturbing activities. D. ... Buffer strips may only be utilized for sheet flow and must be at least, but not limited to, twenty-five (25) feet in width.
Full Breakdown
7 of the Hinds County Storm Water Quality Management Ordinance requires that a grading plan be developed and submitted as part of the Storm Water Quality Management Permit, and that a perimeter control plan be implemented before any clearing or stripping occurs on a site. 8 spells out what the Perimeter Control Plan must cover: preventing sediment from leaving the site during initial disturbance, protecting downstream outfall points, and shielding adjacent properties and receiving waters using vegetated buffer strips, sediment barriers, filters, diversion berms, or sediment basins.
Buffer strips used for sheet flow must be at least twenty-five (25) feet wide. Construction entrances and exits crossing into a public right-of-way, alley, sidewalk, or parking lot must first pass over a stabilized stone pad at least six inches thick and one hundred feet long, built of two- to three-inch crushed coarse graded stone, underlaid with filter fabric in wet conditions; any sediment tracked onto nearby roadways must be removed daily. Outlets such as pipes, drains, culverts and channels must be protected with rock, grouted rip-rap, or concrete rubble to dissipate flow energy and prevent scour.
9, Hinds County must inspect and approve the perimeter protection before any land disturbance proceeds; the inspection happens within seven days of the devices being installed, and the inspector either approves the work or notifies the permittee where it fails to comply. 10 lets the County adopt additional guidance documents as design standards for these plans. Enforcement under Section 8 gives the Director of the Hinds County Department of Public Works authority to issue a written Notice of Violation, revoke a permit for substantial departure from approved plans, or issue a Compliance Order requiring unlawful conditions to be abated on a set schedule; where danger is imminent, the County may abate the condition itself and bill the property owner. Each day of noncompliance counts as a separate offense.
Violations & Fines
Civil penalties run up to $10,000 for development or land disturbance without a required permit and up to $5,000 for work inconsistent with an approved plan or for any other act or omission violating the ordinance. The maximum penalty increases 50% for each subsequent violation, and a separate penalty can attach for each day beyond a compliance schedule. The Director weighs harm to water quality, cost to rectify damage, money saved by noncompliance, and willfulness in setting the amount, and the County may also pursue civil or criminal court action and injunctive relief.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Hinds County require a Perimeter Control Plan?
How wide must a vegetated buffer strip be?
What happens if I skip the required inspection?
Can I appeal a violation notice from the County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hinds County
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