Brunswick County, NC Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)

Chapter 1-13, Article VI of the Brunswick County Code is titled the "Stormwater Quality Management and Discharge Control Ordinance" under Sec. S. § 1251 et seq. It applies countywide within the planning jurisdiction (Sec. 1-13-194). Sec. 1-13-206 requires a stormwater management plan and permit for all commercial, industrial, and non-residential development, any major subdivision, any activity disturbing land within 30 feet of a stream bank, any fill or excavation changing land surface by 4 inches or more, and any development disturbing one acre or more, with limited farm and forestry exemptions.

Sec. 1-13-236 flatly prohibits discharging anything other than stormwater into the storm drain system or county watercourses, while carving out clean discharges like water line flushing, uncontaminated groundwater, and residential car washing as non-violations. Sec. 1-13-207 layers on a 30-foot riparian buffer requirement along perennial and intermittent streams, banning new septic systems and most new structures inside that buffer. The stormwater administrator enforces the article, issues permits, and can require BMP compliance plans; the county attorney must approve inspection and maintenance agreements before a permit issues, and those agreements and the associated easements are recorded with the register of deeds.