Johnston County, NC Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

Johnston County Code § 14-686(a) makes it unlawful to begin any land-disturbing activity of one acre or more, or any smaller tract that is part of a larger common plan of development or sale such as a subdivision, until the County has issued an approved erosion and sedimentation control plan. Applicants must submit the plan to the Johnston County Stormwater Manager at least 30 days before work begins, along with the items on the county's Erosion and Sedimentation Control Checklist, administrative fees, engineering drawings, maps and a statement of financial responsibility naming the party who will answer for the site (§ 14-686(b)-(d)).

The County has 30 days to approve, approve with modifications or disapprove a complete plan; a plan not acted on within 30 days is deemed approved (§ 14-686(f)). An approved permit becomes null and void if no construction begins within three years (§ 14-686(g)(1)). Mandatory field standards under § 14-685 require a buffer along any lake or natural watercourse sufficient to confine visible siltation within the 25 percent of the buffer nearest the disturbed area, temporary ground cover on graded slopes within 14 calendar days of completing a grading phase, and permanent ground cover within 90 calendar days of completing construction.

A disapproved plan can be appealed directly to the state Sedimentation Control Commission, and a civil penalty assessment can be contested before the Johnston County Board of Adjustment within 30 days, with further appeal by certiorari to Superior Court (§§ 14-686(i), 14-699(a)(4), (6)).