York County, VA Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required before
- any land-disturbing activity
- Permit term
- 2 years, one 2-year extension
- Void if work halted
- 180+ days
- Fee range (Table 1)
- $290 to $9,600 by acreage
- Criminal penalty
- up to 12 mo jail, $2,500-$32,500 fine
- Appeal deadline
- 30 days to Circuit Court
Summary
York County, Virginia bars any land-disturbing activity until the County issues a permit under its Virginia Erosion and Stormwater Management Program, per County Code § 10-13(a). Permits run two years, extendable once, and go void if work stalls for more than 180 days.
(a)Except as provided herein, no person may engage in any land disturbing activity until a permit has been issued by the County of York in accordance with the provisions of this Ordinance and the Regulation. A permit issued under this chapter shall be valid for a period of two (2) years; provided, however, it may be extended for an additional two-year period, by written approval of the program administrator, upon receipt of evidence of reasonable progress toward completion of the approved project and compliance with all conditions of approval. Should permitted land disturbing activities cease for more than one hundred eighty (180) days, or if the permittee fails to initiate land disturbing activities within one hundred eighty (180) days, of the date of issuance of a land disturbing activity permit, then the land disturbing activity permit and its associated plan shall become void.
Full Breakdown
The program, adopted under § 62.1-44.15:27 of the Code of Virginia and administered by the county's Chief of Stormwater Programs per § 10-3, applies once a project disturbs 500 square feet or more, or less if it is part of a larger common plan of development, under § 10-4. Section 10-13(c) exempts minor activities such as home gardening, individual landscaping and repair work, utility service connections, and clearing for bona fide agricultural purposes, unless federal law says otherwise. Fees under § 10-25's Table 1 scale sharply with disturbed acreage: $290 for Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act sites and single-family lots up to 5 acres, rising through $2,700, $3,400, $4,500 and $6,100 tiers to $9,600 for sites of 100 acres or more, plus annual permit maintenance fees running $50 to $1,400.
Section 10-24 gives the program administrator a graduated enforcement ladder, from verbal warnings and corrective-action notices to stop-work orders and, for violations that gravely threaten water quality, an emergency cease order issued without advance notice or hearing. A permittee or applicant aggrieved by a county action can demand a formal hearing before the Board of Supervisors under § 10-21, and final decisions are reviewable by the York County Circuit Court within 30 days under § 10-22.
Violations & Fines
Section 10-24(g) makes willfully or negligently violating any provision of the chapter, an order of the program administrator, a permit condition, or a court order a misdemeanor punishable by up to 12 months in jail, a fine of not less than $2,500 nor more than $32,500, or both. The program administrator can also pursue civil penalties through a summons prosecuted in the appropriate court, with any penalties collected paid into the county treasury for pollution mitigation, and can seek injunction or mandamus in Circuit Court against a person who ignores a compliance order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a small home addition exempt from York County's erosion permit?
How much does a land-disturbance permit cost in York County?
What's the penalty for grading land without a permit in York County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in York County
Compare York County to another location·View the Virginia environmental rules overview
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