Pocatello, ID Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

Chapter 8.44, Construction Site Sediment And Erosion Control, exists to satisfy the city's NPDES permit number IDS-028053 and the federal Clean Water Act by controlling sediment discharge and soil erosion from construction activity within city limits. Section 8.44.060 requires every person to obtain a permit before commencing construction activity, bars erosion or sediment from crossing onto property not controlled by the permit holder, and requires an approved erosion control plan before any final plat, site plan, grading permit, or building permit can be approved. Section 8.44.070 sets three permit tiers: a general permit for single family homes, duplexes, and utility trenching; a site specific permit for multi-family, apartment, and commercial development; and a special site permit for steep slopes over fifteen percent, ground disturbance within fifty feet of wetlands, or sites in an environmentally sensitive or resource protection overlay area under Section 17.04.100.

Minor land disturbance under a quarter acre or ten cubic yards, postholes under two cubic yards, and emergency repairs are exempt under Section 8.44.070.F. Section 8.44.090 ties the design, testing, installation, and maintenance of erosion controls to the City of Pocatello Storm Water BMP Guidebook, or to the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality's construction BMP catalog if that guidebook is unavailable. Permit fees are set by city council resolution and double automatically if construction starts before the permit issues, under Section 8.44.100. Anyone in charge of a site must carry a city training certification under Section 8.44.110.