Taylor, MI Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit trigger
- Within 500 ft of water, or 1+ acre disturbed
- Enforcing agency
- Engineering division, Dept. of Public Works
- Security required
- Cash, check or letter of credit
- Work deadline
- 180 days from permit issuance
- Inspection frequency
- Weekly and after every rain event
- Late-correction fine
- $100.00 per day per violation
Summary
Anyone proposing an earth change within 500 feet of a Taylor lake, stream or other state water, or one that will disturb an acre or more, needs a soil erosion and sedimentation control (SESC) permit under Taylor City Code § 20-249 before the city engineer will issue a building permit.
(a)A SESC permit is required when an earth change is proposed which is within 500 feet of the waters of the state, a lake or a stream, or will disturb one or more acres of land.(b)Prior to issuance of the SESC permit, a soil erosion and sedimentation control application and SESC plan shall be submitted to the city engineer in accordance with the rules promulgated under part 91, soil erosion and sedimentation control, of the natural resources and environmental protection act, Public Act No. 451 of 1994 (the Act), MCL 324.9101 et seq.). The plan shall be submitted with the necessary fees in accordance with a fee schedule to be determined by the city council, and amended from time to time by simple resolution.(c)A soil erosion and sedimentation control permit must be issued prior to the issuance of a building permit per R323.1711, rule 1711(2). A local agency shall not issue a building permit to a person engaged in an earth change if the change requires a permit under part 91 or these rules until the county or local enforcing agency has issued the required state prescribed permit for the earth change.
Full Breakdown
Taylor City Code § 20-249 requires a SESC permit whenever a proposed earth change sits within 500 feet of the waters of the state, a lake or a stream, or will disturb one acre or more of land. Before the city engineer issues the permit, the applicant must submit a soil erosion and sedimentation control application and plan that satisfies the rules under part 91 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, Public Act No. 451 of 1994 (MCL 324.9101 et seq.), along with fees set by council resolution.
Subsection (c) makes the SESC permit a prerequisite for the building permit itself: the city cannot issue a building permit for work requiring an earth-change permit until the SESC permit has first been granted. Section 20-251 requires the permittee to post a cash deposit, certified check or irrevocable letter of credit covering the estimated cost of the control measures, and work must finish within 180 days of issuance unless the permit sets a different deadline. The engineering division of the Department of Public Works, designated the municipal enforcing agency under § 20-248(b), reviews plans against published watershed and erosion control manuals per § 20-259.
Inspectors visit weekly and after every rain event under § 20-261(c); a violation triggers written notice, five days to correct it, and civil fines of $100.00 per day per violation if the correction is not made.
Violations & Fines
Grading, filling or stripping soil without the required SESC permit, or ignoring a notice of violation, exposes the property owner to civil fines of $100.00 per day per violation under § 20-261(c) once the five-day correction period lapses. The engineering division can also enter the land to construct or complete the required control measures at the owner's expense under § 20-262(c), and the city may sue for an injunction to stop ongoing violations under § 20-262(d).
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Taylor require a soil erosion permit?
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What happens if I miss the deadline to fix an erosion violation?
Sources & Official References
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Erosion Control in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Wayne County handle erosion control.