Lower Paxton, PA Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

Section 170-501 of the Lower Paxton Township Code sits in Chapter 170, Stormwater Management, Drainage and Erosion Control, Article V. It governs earth disturbance activities in Lower Paxton Township, Pennsylvania. Subsection A makes the applicant responsible for meeting the requirements of 25 Pa. Code, Chapters 92 and 102 as required and applicable. The township lists five duties under that heading: implementing and maintaining erosion and sediment control BMPs, developing written plans, submitting plans for approval, obtaining erosion and sediment control and NPDES permits, and maintaining plans and permits on site.

Subsection B sets the local trigger. Except for agricultural activities, any earth disturbance over 5,000 square feet of land area requires an adequate erosion and sedimentation control plan submitted to the County Conservation District for review and approval. In Lower Paxton Township that means the Dauphin County Conservation District, which subsection C names alongside PADEP. Subsection C requires evidence of any necessary plan or permit approval for earth disturbance activities from PADEP or the Dauphin County Conservation District to be provided to the Township, so the Township holds proof that the state-level review happened. Subsection D requires a copy of the approved Erosion and Sediment Control Plan, and any other permit required by PADEP or the Conservation District, to be available at the project site at all times if Chapter 102 requires it.

The article reaches beyond ordinary building pads. Under subsection E, temporary roadways built for utility construction or timber harvesting must meet 25 Pa. Code Chapters 102 and 105, and their plan goes to the Dauphin County Conservation District. That plan has to address the haul road and staging layout, runoff control structures such as diversions, culverts and detention ponds, stream crossings, a rock construction entrance for mud and debris control, and a remediation plan with re-grading, topsoil placement and reseeding. Subsection F adds protection for infiltration BMPs: the areas must be shielded from sedimentation and compaction during construction, kept from receiving sediment-laden runoff, and the protection must be identified, for example orange construction fence around the BMP perimeter. Downstream channel velocities under § 170-502C are measured against the DEP Erosion and Sediment Pollution Control Program Manual.