Plano, TX Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

Plano's erosion control article, Chapter 14, Article VI, applies to any 'responsible party', a business entity, franchised utility, developer, property owner, contractor, or permit holder, engaged in construction activities or 'land disturbing activity,' defined in § 14-92 as excavation, planting, tilling, or grading that exposes 5,000 or more square feet of natural or improved ground cover to erosive forces, including all franchise-utility installation and maintenance work. Section 14-93(a) requires the responsible party to prepare an erosion control plan and submit it to the city for approval before beginning the activity, and this duty applies 'regardless of whether a responsible party is required to obtain a permit from the city' for the underlying work, meaning even utility trenching or grading that needs no building permit still triggers the plan requirement.

Once approved, § 14-93(b) requires implementation and maintenance of the erosion measures shown on the plan to keep silt, earth, and topsoil from leaving the site onto city streets, drainage easements, storm drains, or other city property, and the responsible party is liable for violations committed by third parties working on its project. Off-site borrow areas, spoil areas, and construction staging areas count as part of the project site under § 14-93(c), and permanent erosion control must be established on all related land areas before final occupancy or subdivision acceptance under § 14-93(d).

Residential subdivision developers additionally post a $100-per-lot erosion control deposit before final plat approval (§ 14-96), and noncompliant sites get a 24-hour cure period before the city deducts a $150 reinspection fee, issues a stop work order, and cites each violation (§ 14-96(d)). Farming and ranching land-disturbing activity must separately submit a plan under § 14-98. The article traces to Ordinance No. 98-3-9, adopted March 16, 1998.