West Hartford, CT Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

Article VIII of Chapter 177, added in 1986, requires that a soil erosion and sediment control plan be submitted with any application for development when the disturbed area is cumulatively more than one-half acre (§ 177-61). A single-family home that is not part of a subdivision is exempt from this article, though § 177-62 notes the exemption does not affect the applicability of the town's separate wetlands section, § 177-29. To be certified, a plan must contain proper provisions to adequately control accelerated erosion and sedimentation and reduce stormwater runoff danger based on the best available technology, following the Connecticut Guidelines for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control (1985), and must be sealed by a professional engineer (§ 177-63A).

Plans must narrate the construction schedule, design and installation details for control measures, and an operations and maintenance program, plus a site map showing topography, wetlands, watercourses and the sequence of grading (§ 177-63B). The Director of Community Development, not the Zoning Enforcement Officer, issues or denies certification (§ 177-65A), can require a performance or maintenance bond sized to a professional engineer's cost estimate (§ 177-66A), and site work cannot begin until the plan is certified and any pre-construction control measures are installed and functional (§ 177-66B).

Inspections during development confirm the certified measures are properly installed and maintained (§ 177-67). Anyone who develops without filing a required plan, or who ignores a certified plan's terms, is deemed in violation of the chapter under § 177-66E.