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

Section 4.14, the county's Watershed Conservation Overlay Districts, implements the state Water Supply Watershed Protection Act and applies within the Little River, Cape Fear River, and Deep River watershed areas shown on the county's Watershed Protection Map. Section 4.14.2.2(c) requires a minimum 30-foot vegetative buffer along all perennial streams, rivers, and impoundments identified on current USGS topographic maps, though it does not block artificial stream bank or shoreline stabilization. Section 4.14.2.3 sets density and built-upon area limits by watershed: in the Little River (Intake #2) Balance of Watershed, residential development cannot exceed one dwelling unit per 20,000 square feet or, alternatively, 24 percent built-upon area, and non-residential development is capped at the same 24 percent, with similar limits applying in the Cape Fear and Deep River watershed zones.

A limited share of each watershed area, capped by an acreage figure set in the ordinance, can instead be developed up to 70 percent built-upon area as a Special Intensity Allocation, awarded first-come, first-served through the watershed permit process. Section 4.14.3.2 requires a watershed permit, issued by the watershed administrator (the director of community development), before any development begins in these areas; the permit expires after one year if construction has not started. Appeals from the watershed administrator go to the watershed review board, which is the Lee County Board of Adjustment acting in that capacity, within 30 days of the decision.