Shasta County, CA Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies to
- Construction sites within MS4 permit area (Sec. 18.10.190(A))
- Core requirement
- Implement BMPs to max extent practicable
- Covered activities
- Grading, excavating, paving, vegetation removal
- Permit conditions
- BMP duties attach to grading/building permits
- Inspection
- Director may enter and test (Sec. 18.10.230, .250)
- Fee violation
- Unpaid inspection fees are a separate violation
Summary
Shasta County Code Section 18.10.190 requires anyone who owns or operates a construction site inside the county's MS4 permit area to install best management practices controlling pollutant discharge to the storm system, matching the state's Construction General Permit and the MS4 permit's Construction Site Storm Water Runoff Control Program to the maximum extent practicable.
Any person owning or operating a construction site within an MS4 permit area shall implement BMPs to control the discharge of pollutants to the county storm water conveyance system or receiving waters to the MEP in compliance with Section E.10, "Construction Site Storm Water Runoff Control Program," of the MS4 permit, the construction general permit and applicable county requirements.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code: Supplement 22).
Full Breakdown
10's storm water program adopted by Ordinance No. " Any such site inside the county's designated "MS4 permit area" must implement BMPs, meaning "schedules of activities, prohibitions of practices, maintenance procedures, and other management practices" that prevent or reduce pollutant discharge to the maximum extent practicable, consistent with the state's Construction General Permit administered under the Clean Water Act and Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act. 190(B) lets the county fold these BMP duties into development standards, permit conditions, or conditions of approval, so a grading or building permit can carry site-specific erosion and sediment control conditions enforceable as code violations.
250 to confirm BMPs are working. 270 authorizes the board of supervisors to set inspection and administration fees by resolution, and failure to pay those fees within the deadline the director sets is itself a separate violation of the chapter.
Violations & Fines
A construction site discharging sediment or other pollutants in violation of Section 18.10.190 faces the same enforcement as any other Chapter 18.10 violation: a notice of non-compliance, an immediate cease-and-desist order under Section 18.10.290 for threats to receiving waters, county abatement billed to the violator, and, through Section 18.10.280's cross-reference to Chapter 1.08, escalation to a misdemeanor with up to a $1,000 fine and one year in jail after a third violation in 12 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
What construction activities trigger Shasta County's erosion control rule?
What must a builder actually do to comply?
What happens if a construction site doesn't control its runoff?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Shasta County
California rules heatmap·Compare Shasta County to another location·View the California environmental rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.