Owensboro, KY Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

Chapter 26, Article II of the Owensboro Municipal Code (the Stormwater Ordinance) makes construction-site erosion control mandatory citywide. Sec. 26-355 requires an excavation, cut or fill permit before building on any lot, and the city engineer decides during that permit review whether a KPDES Notice of Intent and Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (NOI/SWPPP) is required; if so, the NOI goes to the state Division of Water and a copy of the NOI/SWPPP must reach the city engineer's office before construction starts, then stay on the job site and be updated as field conditions change.

Sites that trigger an NOI/SWPPP must employ a qualified inspector, trained through the KEPSC program, to inspect the site and keep records on hand for the city engineer's staff; sites that do not trigger one must still maintain erosion-control devices, including rock runouts and sediment-transport controls, per the OMPC public improvement specifications. Sec. 26-354 separately bars dumping concrete, building material or yard waste into curbed gutters, ditches or storm inlets that drain to the MS4. Violations move through a graduated notice ladder under Sec. 26-358: a Notice of Deficiency gives 7 calendar days to fix a problem, a Level I Notice of Violation gives 3 days, a Level II notice adds a stop-work order with 7 days to correct (appealable in writing to the director of public works within 3 days), and a Level III notice triggers the penalties in Sec. 26-359. The article took effect July 1, 2014, per Sec. 26-363.