Minnehaha County, SD Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

01 of the 1993 Revised Subdivision Ordinance sets the baseline: every erosion-control measure on a development site must meet, at minimum, the standards and specifications of the Minnehaha Conservation District. The ordinance directs that stripping of vegetation, regrading, and cut-and-fill operations be kept to a minimum, along with the amount of land disturbed and the duration it stays exposed. Where feasible, development plans have to conform to existing topography to create the least erosion potential, and natural vegetation must be retained, protected and supplemented as much as possible rather than cleared wholesale.

The Planning Director, with assistance from the Conservation District, can require any further measures necessary to keep building sites and developments from depositing waste or sediment on roads or other property. Ditches and drainageways get specific protection: the ordinance directs that every effort be made to retain natural vegetation on them, and they cannot be disturbed without the Planning Director's approval. 01(B)). 02 adds that existing natural features adding value to the development or the surrounding community, such as trees and water courses, should be preserved in the subdivision design. 04, not a standalone construction-site stormwater permit.