Hudson, NH Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

Chapter 290, Stormwater Management, sets Hudson's construction-phase erosion rules in Section 290-6, which requires every project's Stormwater Management and Erosion Control Plan (SMECP) to meet, at minimum, the Best Management Practice guidance in the state's NH Stormwater Management Manual. Subsection A lists specific field requirements: natural vegetation must be retained and protected wherever practical, with vegetated areas to be preserved marked off by construction fencing; soil disturbance is barred within the buffer setbacks of the Town's Wetland and Conservation Overlay District; and construction stone access pads must be installed at every site entrance and exit to keep mud off pavement. A pre-construction meeting with the Town Engineer or a designated representative is required before earth-moving activity begins, and it must happen only after perimeter erosion controls, protective fencing, waste disposal and access pads are already in place.

The chapter's timing rule is exact: disturbed soil that will sit idle for more than 30 days must be temporarily stabilized, with seed and mulch, erosion control blankets, crushed stone or another approved measure, no later than five days after the initial disturbance, and any area that reaches final grading must be permanently stabilized within three days. Areas left idle over winter need separate winter stabilization measures from the NH Stormwater Manual, Volume 3. All erosion and sediment control measures must be routinely inspected and maintained by a qualified professional until the site is fully stabilized, after which the temporary measures and any accumulated sediment must be removed.

Enforcement runs through Section 290-12: a written Notice of Violation or Cease and Desist Order issued by the Town Engineer sets a deadline to correct the problem, and a violation that continues carries a civil penalty of $275 for a first offense and $550 for each subsequent offense, per day the violation continues after notice.