Roanoke County, VA Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit trigger
- 2,500 sq ft of land disturbance
- Program name
- Virginia Erosion & Stormwater Mgmt Program
- Administered by
- County administrator's designee
- Civil penalty, no permit
- $1,000 per day (cap $10,000)
- Criminal penalty
- Up to 12 months, $2,500-$32,500 fine
- Plan review fee range
- $400 to $1,400 by acreage
Summary
In Roanoke County, Virginia (outside the cities of Roanoke and Salem), no one may disturb land until the county has granted land-disturbance approval. Section 8.1-5 pulls in any activity disturbing 2,500 square feet or more under the Virginia Erosion and Stormwater Management Program, and § 8.1-7 flatly bars land-disturbing activity without that approval first.
(1)Land-disturbing activity that disturbs two thousand five hundred (2,500) square feet or more, is less than one (1) acre, and is subject to criteria defined in Article 2 (9VAC25-875-540 et seq.) and Article 3 (9VAC25-875-570 et seq.) of Part V unless Article 4 (9VAC25-875-670 et seq) of Part V of the Regulation is applicable, as determined in accordance with 9VAC25-875-480 and 9VAC25-875-490. ... Except as provided herein, no person may engage in any land-disturbing activity until the County of Roanoke has granted land-disturbance approval in accordance with the provisions of this chapter and the regulation.
Full Breakdown
1-4, designating the county administrator or a designee as program administrator and directing use of the county's own Stormwater Management Design Manual. 1-5 sets the trigger: any land-disturbing activity of 2,500 square feet or more (even if under an acre), or any smaller disturbance that is part of a larger common plan of development of an acre or more, is regulated under the state's Part V technical criteria. 1-6, means submitting a permit registration statement, a soil erosion control and stormwater management (ESM) plan or an executed agreement in lieu of a plan, and naming an individual holding a state responsible land disturber certificate.
1-7(b) exempts minor activities such as home gardening, individual home landscaping, utility line repairs confined to existing hard-surfaced roads, septic tank line work not tied to a larger plan, bona fide agricultural and forestry operations, fence and pole installation, and emergency work (with 48-hour notice required after the fact). 1-26, from $400 for construction disturbing 1 to under 5 acres up to $1,400 for 100 acres or more. 1-19(g)).
Violations & Fines
Section 8.1-25 makes commencing land-disturbing activity without permit registration a civil violation carrying a $1,000-per-day penalty, and failing to obtain an approved plan or land-disturbance approval carries the same $1,000-per-day rate; a related set of violations arising from the same facts is capped at $10,000 total. Willful or negligent violation of the chapter, an administrator's order, or a court order is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 12 months in jail and a fine of $2,500 to $32,500, or both, under § 8.1-25(j).
Frequently Asked Questions
What size project needs a stormwater permit in Roanoke County?
Can I start grading before the county approves my plan?
Are home gardens or small utility repairs exempt?
Who administers Roanoke County's stormwater program?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Roanoke County
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