Monroe Township (Gloucester County), NJ Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

Section 175-136 of the Monroe Township Code applies to all site plans and major subdivisions in the Township, and each has to incorporate soil erosion and sediment control programs phased according to the scheduled progress of the development, including anticipated starting and completion dates. The stated purpose is to control soil erosion, sediment damages and related environmental damage by requiring adequate provisions for surface water retention and drainage and for the protection of exposed soil surfaces.

Three conditions follow. Under Subsection A, no building permit is issued for any development application until all provisions of the State of New Jersey Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Act, P.L. 1975, c. 251, have been satisfied or waived. Under Subsection B, applicants submit to the approving authority and the Construction Official copies and documentation of the Soil Conservation District's approval and certification of the Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Plan, or proof of a waiver. Under Subsection C, before any performance guaranty is released, or before a certificate of occupancy issues in the case of a site plan, evidence that the Soil Conservation District accepted all soil erosion control measures has to go to the Construction Official and the Township Engineer.

Related sections tighten the field rules. Section 175-137 requires excavation and grading to follow the Soil Conservation District approved plan, prohibits excavation of soil other than what approved structures and supporting facilities such as streets, driveways and parking areas require (except authorized resource extraction under § 175-130), and requires regraded areas to be stabilized by seeding and planting. Section 175-117.1F, the residential lot grading standards, requires topsoil moved during construction to be redistributed with at least five inches of spread cover on seeded and planted areas and stabilized by seeding or planting, sets slopes no steeper than three horizontal to one vertical, and bars grading within five feet of a property line unless needed to direct drainage into acceptable facilities. Subsection E of that section withholds a certificate of occupancy until the Engineer approves an as-built final survey. Section 175-140 on stormwater names stream channel erosion and sediment transport as consequences of poorly managed runoff.