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

Chapter 31, Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control, governs stormwater and drainage impacts from construction across the county's territorial and extraterritorial jurisdiction. Section 31-4(c) requires plan approval before any regulated land-disturbing activity begins, but § 31-4(f) exempts projects that disturb less than one acre. For activity disturbing more than one acre, § 31-5(a)(5) requires the erosion and sedimentation control plan to be filed at least 30 days before work starts, or under the express review program if fewer than 30 days, and three copies must go to the county with a copy to the 2nd Soil and Water Conservation District under § 31-6(a).

Mandatory technical standards in § 31-5(a) include a buffer zone along any lake or natural watercourse wide enough to confine visible siltation to the 25 percent of the buffer nearest the disturbance, a 25-foot minimum undisturbed buffer along trout waters, graded slopes and fills stable enough to be retained by vegetation or control structures and planted with temporary or permanent ground cover within 21 calendar days of completing any grading phase, and permanent ground cover established within 90 days of finishing construction. The county reviews complete plans within 30 days (15 days for revisions); failure to act within that window counts as automatic approval under § 31-6(g).

Plans may be denied for a project's prior noncompliance history, unpaid civil penalties, or a related misdemeanor conviction under § 31-6(j), and a denial can be appealed to the state sedimentation control commission. County inspectors periodically check active sites for compliance with the approved plan under § 31-18.