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

Section 18-25 of the Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Ordinance governs stormwater leaving any land-disturbing activity in unincorporated Rowan County. Its stated intent is to protect stream banks and channels downstream from accelerated erosion caused by increased runoff velocity. 0 feet per second for coarse gravel or shale, or the velocity of the ten-year storm in that watercourse before development occurred. If neither limit can be met, the channel to and including the discharge point must be built to withstand velocities up to ten percent above the pre-development rate.

The ordinance lists acceptable ways to meet the standard, including promoting infiltration to offset new impervious surface, using vegetated or roughened swales instead of high-velocity paved channels, installing energy dissipators such as riprap at storm drainage outlets, and upgrading the receiving watercourse itself. Rowan County will excuse a project from this section only where it can be shown the discharge will not create an erosion problem downstream. Compliance is folded into the same erosion and sedimentation control plan review the Rowan County Planning and Development Department conducts under Section 18-52, and the same Chapter 18 civil and criminal penalties apply to a violation.