Davidson County, NC Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Required measures
- mulching, seeding, sodding, or equivalent
- Covers
- grading, excavation, open cuts, side slopes
- Standard incorporated
- NC Sedimentation Pollution Control Act of 1973
- Inspection duty
- arrange with Administrator before work starts
- Permit hold
- no permit until requirements met, § 9.1.02
Summary
Subdividers in unincorporated Davidson County must mulch, seed, sod, or otherwise protect all grading, excavations, open cuts, and side slopes to comply with the county's sedimentation and pollution control standards under Article 8.4.
9.1.05 Erosion Control. The subdivider shall cause all grading, excavations, open cuts, side slopes, and other land surface disturbances to be so mulched, seeded, sodded, or otherwise protected to comply with the provisions of Article 8.4.
Full Breakdown
4. 4, Sedimentation and Pollution Control, is the substantive standard behind that duty: in order to prevent soil erosion and sedimentation pollution of streams, springs, flat water bodies, or other drainage networks, the subdivider must comply with all requirements of the North Carolina Sedimentation Pollution Control Act of 1973. That ties Davidson County's local subdivision review directly to the state Act's permitting and land-disturbance controls rather than setting a separate county numeric standard. 04 requires the subdivider to arrange for inspection with the administrator before work begins within the subdivision, with the approving authority inspecting and approving all completed work before any sureties are released.
02 backstops the whole Article: no building or other permit may issue for a structure on an unrecorded lot until all requirements of the ordinance, including the erosion and sedimentation standards, have been met.
Violations & Fines
A subdivider who disturbs land without the required mulching, seeding, sodding, or other protection, or who otherwise fails to comply with the North Carolina Sedimentation Pollution Control Act of 1973 as incorporated by Article 8.4, is subject to the same misdemeanor penalty and injunction remedy set out in Section 4.2, with fine and/or imprisonment on conviction under G.S. 14-4, and can also lose building permits under Section 9.1.02 until compliance is met.
Frequently Asked Questions
What erosion control does Davidson County require during subdivision construction?
Does the county have its own sediment standard or does it use state law?
Who inspects erosion control work in the subdivision?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Davidson County
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