Santa Fe, NM Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

2(D)(7), the city's terrain and stormwater management chapter, builders must protect disturbed areas from erosion by diverting stormwater around the site, dissipating runoff energy, or retaining sediment on-site, unless a federal Notice of Intent (NOI) is filed instead. Except when installing the devices themselves, no grading or vegetation clearing may begin until temporary erosion and sediment control devices, which the code lists as silt fencing, swales, straw bales, berms, geotextiles, and sediment basins or traps, are installed and inspected. Those devices must stay in place and functional until the disturbed area is permanently stabilized or a Notice of Termination (NOT) is filed.

Significant trees and undisturbed vegetation must be fenced off before any heavy machinery moves on-site, with fencing set five feet outside the tree dripline. Soil stockpiles need protection from wind and water erosion, and projects disturbing more than 5,000 square feet must control dust, typically by watering exposed ground. 2(D)(5) sets a hard deadline: soil stabilization and erosion control measures for all disturbed land must be completed within 21 days after construction activity ends, though planting can wait for the next suitable season if temporary measures stay maintained in the meantime.

2(E)). The land use director and city engineer administer the program, and no certificate of occupancy is issued until the parcel is in full compliance and all required inspections are documented.