St. Martin Parish, LA Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

Erosion control in unincorporated St. Martin Parish runs through the stormwater runoff article of the building chapter, Ord. No. 14-10-1075, adopted October 7, 2014. Sec. 8-12 lists the first objectives as erosion and sediment controls and construction site waste control, and Sec. 8-13 applies the article to all land disturbing activities, including all sites requiring a building permit, even sites under one acre when they are part of a larger common plan of development. Sec. 8-14 exempts, among others, construction disturbing less than one acre outside a larger plan, agricultural operations, forestry land management practices, and any project involving 5,000 square feet or less of disturbed area, though that last exemption does not reach activity within a larger common plan of one acre or more.

The permit gate is Sec. 8-42: no land owner or land operator receives a building, grading or other land development permit for land disturbance without first meeting the article's requirements. Sec. 8-43 requires a notice of intent to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, if required, plus a SWPPP, and a copy must be available for review at all times at the construction site. Sec. 8-17 requires plans to be certified by a licensed Louisiana professional engineer. The review fee for a land development application is $500.00 and the fee for site development is $250.00 under Sec. 8-44.

Sec. 8-52(c) requires the plan to identify potential sources of pollution, including sediment, and to describe the best management practices that will reduce pollutants in stormwater discharges. Sec. 8-53 lists nine required elements, from the cover page and site map to inspection records, SWPPP amendments and certification. Under Sec. 8-52(e), landscaping, earthmoving before foundation excavation, parking and sidewalks beyond a previously developed SWPPP need a separate one. Fill placed in a flood hazard area must be protected against erosion with rip-rap, vegetation covers, hydro-mulch, erosion control matting or bulk heading under Sec. 14-66(a)(8). Sec. 8-71 lets the parish inspect without a warrant.