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

Sampson County Code Sec. 2-13-11, part of the county's Subdivision Ordinance in the Land Use chapter, requires every new subdivision in unincorporated Sampson County to be designed and constructed so it complies with North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) stormwater standards. The developer must obtain and submit all applicable NCDEQ permits, including an Erosion and Sedimentation Control permit under the related requirement at Sec. 2-13-10, before the Sampson County Planning Department will approve the Final Plat. Where the subdivision's stormwater facilities, such as retention ponds or drainage structures, are required but have not yet been built when the Final Plat is approved, the subdivider must post a Performance Guarantee under Sec.

2-14, adopted pursuant to G.S. 160D-804.1, to secure completion of the work. The County will not release that guarantee back to the subdivider until a licensed engineer certifies the stormwater facility has been completed as designed. Long-term upkeep is not left to chance: the code requires maintenance of the completed stormwater facility to be deeded to a homeowners' or property owners' association, and that maintenance obligation must be noted directly on the recorded Final Plat so future lot owners are on notice. The Sampson County Planning Department reviews these submissions during subdivision approval; because the underlying permits come from NCDEQ, the county administers compliance and platting but does not itself set the technical stormwater design standards.