Madison County, AL Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

Madison County folds erosion and sediment control into its Subdivision Regulations rather than a standalone ordinance, since the county has no zoning code to house one. 4, Construction Requirements, ties every road-building project to the state manual: best management practices must be designed and installed per the Alabama Handbook for Erosion Control, Sediment Control and Stormwater Management on Construction Sites and Urban Areas, and the Developer, not the County, is responsible for erosion control in accordance with ADEM guidelines and for securing any ADEM permit the project needs.

The Developer must hand the County proof that all required ADEM permits or approvals have been requested and supported before the Proposed Plat can even be approved. 8(2)(j) requires the Applicant to show the location, description and details of every temporary and permanent erosion and sedimentation control measure to be used, naming silt fences, silt dikes, hay bale dikes, construction entrances, siltation ponds and permanent ground cover, plus a schedule for installing and finally stabilizing each one. 8 separately requires drainage ditches, swales and detention or retention ponds to be sodded for erosion control, though the County Engineer may approve hydroseed or fiber netting with Bermuda seed as a written, engineer-certified alternative to sod. All of this applies at the subdivision-plat stage; a project that never goes through platting is not reached by these Regulations.