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

Chapter 108, Land Development, § 108-12.22, Soil erosion and sediment control, applies to all developments. Subsection A requires them to protect streams, lakes and ponds from sedimentation and to control erosion in accordance with the Standards for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control in New Jersey, set forth in the Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Act, Chapter 251, Laws of 1975. Subsection B requires certification of the soil erosion and sediment control plan from the Freehold Soil Conservation District, with four exemptions. The first covers land disturbance for a single-family dwelling unit unless the unit is part of a subdivision, site plan, zoning variance or building permit application involving two or more such units. The second covers land disturbance of 5,000 square feet or less of surface area for construction that would require a building permit. The third covers agricultural land disturbance operated under a farm conservation plan approved by the Freehold Soil Conservation District, or where the district has determined the use will not cause excessive erosion and sedimentation. The fourth covers gardening primarily for home consumption.

Two application-stage rules back this up. Section 108-5.18 states that a developer applying for site plan or subdivision approval must apply to the Freehold Soil Conservation District and can be required to submit a Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Plan, and the applicant must provide a copy of the district certification of approval or letter of exemption. Section 108-11.5 directs the Planning Board Subdivision Committee or Board of Adjustment to confirm, before a certificate of completeness is issued or a final plat of a major subdivision is scheduled for public hearing, that an application for a land disturbance permit from the Freehold Soil Conservation District has been submitted. The soil mining and excavation chapter also requires a copy of a plan approved by the district, and states that no action shall be taken on a mining application before that approved plan is submitted. The Zoning Officer enforces Chapter 108 under § 108-14.1, and the Township Engineer can issue cessation orders under § 108-14.4(D).