Environmental Rules in North Carolina (2026)

North Carolina General Statute 143-214.7 establishes the state stormwater program administered by the Department of…

Charlotte bans any discharge of non-stormwater or pollutants into its storm drain system or the waters of the state…

Wilmington bans dumping anything but stormwater into its drainage system. City Code § 12-22 makes it unlawful to…

Asheville requires a grading and stormwater permit before any land-disturbing development or redevelopment can begin…

Concord's stormwater utility ordinance, Chapter 60 of the City Code, bans illicit discharges and connections to the…

Unincorporated Guilford County caps built-upon area at 50% to 70% in water supply watersheds, with the Lower Randleman…

Before any land-disturbing activity or subdivision, UDO Sec. 9.2.1 requires stormwater control measures, watercourse…

The Neuse Stormwater Ordinance, Sec. 78-62, applies to development and redevelopment across unincorporated Wayne…

Alamance County limits impervious built-upon area to control stormwater runoff into the Back Creek, Stoney Creek, Big…

Apex prohibits any non-stormwater discharge into its municipal storm sewer system and bans illicit drainage…

Brunswick County's Stormwater Quality Management and Discharge Control Ordinance requires a county stormwater permit…

New development or redevelopment of one acre or more in unincorporated Buncombe County needs an approved stormwater…

Every proposed project in unincorporated Cabarrus County must carry a Phase 2 Post-Construction Stormwater Permit from…

New development in the Town of Cary cannot increase peak stormwater runoff leaving the site during a one-year design…

Catawba County requires a county-approved erosion and sedimentation control plan before any land-disturbing activity…

Development in unincorporated Cleveland County cannot unreasonably impede natural drainage from higher adjacent land or…

Craven County imposes extra stormwater design standards on subdivisions near primary nursery areas or their…

Cumberland County bans discharging anything other than stormwater into its municipal storm sewer system, plus illicit…

Davidson County's Watershed Protection Ordinance (Ch. 152) governs stormwater runoff and land-disturbing development…

Durham City Code requires every property owner to keep the stormwater drainage system on their land free of…

Unincorporated Durham County requires a stormwater control permit before any qualifying land-disturbing development…

Every development that isn't exempt must meet Fayetteville's low-density or high-density stormwater quality standards…

Unincorporated Gaston County requires a stormwater control permit before any residential or commercial development…

Gastonia requires a stormwater permit before any site plan, subdivision, or grading application moves forward unless…

Greensboro requires an approved stormwater management plan and separate maintenance plan before the Planning Director…

New residential development disturbing more than one acre, and nonresidential projects adding more than 22,000 square…

High Point regulates stormwater and drainage jurisdiction-wide under NPDES Phase II, and layers stricter…

Any new subdivision in unincorporated Iredell County must include a stormwater drainage plan built to NCDOT drainage…

Every new development in unincorporated Johnston County must attenuate stormwater runoff so post-development peak rates…

In the Town of Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, commercial development and homes with more than 6,000 square feet of…

Any land-disturbing activity in unincorporated Lincoln County must keep post-construction stormwater runoff velocity…

In unincorporated Nash County, every development must include a drainage system that keeps surface water from…

New Hanover County regulates stormwater runoff across the unincorporated area under Code of Ordinances Ch. 23, Art…

Pitt County regulates post-development stormwater runoff countywide under the Stormwater Management Ordinance for…

Rose Hill's subdivision ordinance puts stormwater drainage on the developer, not the town. Under Code of Ordinances §…

Rowan County limits how fast stormwater can leave a construction site. Code Section 18-25 requires post-construction…

Shelby's maintenance duty for storm drainage covers only pipes and structures inside street rights-of-way, leaving…

In unincorporated Union County, the Unified Development Ordinance caps post-development stormwater discharge. Any…

Unincorporated Wake County caps post-development runoff using maximum curve numbers by soil type and zoning district…

Winston-Salem bans dumping anything but stormwater into its municipal storm drain system, with civil penalties up to…

The North Carolina Sedimentation Pollution Control Act, codified at N.C.G.S. 113A-50 through 113A-66, requires erosion…

Raleigh UDO Article 9.4 requires an approved erosion and sedimentation control plan for any land-disturbing activity of…

The Town of Cary makes it unlawful to conduct land-disturbing activity without a grading permit, and requires erosion…

Anyone disturbing an acre or more of land in unincorporated Gaston County must have an erosion and sedimentation…

Iredell County requires an approved erosion and sedimentation control plan before disturbing one acre of land, or a…

In the Town of Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, disturbing more than half an acre of land requires a town-approved…

Unincorporated Lincoln County requires a filed and approved erosion and sedimentation control plan before any…

Rowan County requires an approved erosion and sedimentation control plan before any land-disturbing activity over one…

Alamance County requires subdividers to submit an erosion and sediment control plan to the North Carolina Department of…

Apex requires an approved erosion control plan and a town grading permit before any land-disturbing activity uncovers…

Asheville requires a grading permit and an approved erosion control plan before any land-disturbing activity begins…

Any land-disturbing activity of one acre or more in unincorporated Brunswick County needs a sediment and erosion…

Disturbing one acre or more of land anywhere in unincorporated Buncombe County, or as little as a quarter acre on a…

Every land-disturbing project in unincorporated Cabarrus County must hold a state Erosion and Sediment Control (ESC)…

Catawba County requires an approved erosion and sedimentation control plan before any land-disturbing activity uncovers…

Charlotte requires an approved erosion and sedimentation control plan before any land-disturbing activity uncovering…

Before Cleveland County will issue a zoning permit, special use permit, or final subdivision approval for a project…

Concord bars land-disturbing work that causes sediment or erosion damage under CDO Section 4.5, and any disturbance of…

Craven County's subdivision ordinance requires new development to protect downstream streambanks and channels from…

Cumberland County requires an approved erosion and sedimentation control plan before any land-disturbing activity…

Subdividers in unincorporated Davidson County must mulch, seed, sod, or otherwise protect all grading, excavations…

Durham requires a sedimentation and erosion control plan and land-disturbing permit before grading more than 20,000…

Fayetteville has no standalone local erosion ordinance; grading and construction erosion control instead runs on North…

Gastonia has no separate municipal erosion ordinance; instead Sec. 16-237 adopts Gaston County's Soil Erosion and…

Greensboro requires a grading permit and an approved soil erosion and sedimentation control plan before any…

Any land-disturbing activity over one acre in unincorporated Guilford County, including its extraterritorial reach into…

Developers grading, excavating, or cutting land in unincorporated Harnett County must mulch, seed, sod, or otherwise…

No one may start land-disturbing work in High Point exceeding 1 acre, or meeting other triggers like highly erodible…

In unincorporated Johnston County, no one may disturb one acre of land, or any acreage that is part of a larger common…

Nash County withholds zoning, special use, conditional use and preliminary plat approval for any project whose…

New Hanover County requires an approved erosion and sedimentation control plan before any land disturbing activity that…

Any land-disturbing activity over one acre in Orange County needs an approved erosion and sedimentation control plan…

Pitt County requires an approved erosion and sedimentation control plan before any land-disturbing activity uncovering…

New subdivisions in Shelby, North Carolina must get city engineering approval of a site plan showing every drainage…

Unincorporated Union County will not approve a development causing land-disturbing activity until the state's…

Disturbing an acre or more of land in unincorporated Wake County requires an approved erosion and sedimentation control…

Winston-Salem enforces NC Sedimentation Pollution Control Act requiring erosion control plans for land-disturbing…

The Coastal Area Management Act, N.C.G.S. 113A-100 through 113A-134.3, requires CAMA permits for development in 20…

No development activity can begin in a Fayetteville special flood hazard area without a floodplain development permit…

Charlotte is an inland city located approximately 175 miles from the Atlantic coast. The NC Coastal Area Management Act…

North Carolina General Statute 143-215.51 through 143-215.61 and the state Uniform Floodplain Management Program…

Buncombe County, North Carolina enforces flood damage prevention under Chapter 34, Article II of the Buncombe County…

Greensboro participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and regulates development in FEMA-designated Special…

Huntersville participates in the National Flood Insurance Program with FEMA floodplain maps (FIRM) covering Lake Norman…

Unincorporated Nash County outright bans artificial obstructions inside any mapped floodway under the Unified…

No structure or land in an Asheville special flood hazard area may be built, altered, or developed without a floodplain…

The Town of Cary requires a Floodplain Development Permit before any construction begins in a Special Flood Hazard Area…

Any development activity in Charlotte's special flood hazard areas requires a floodplain development permit before work…

In unincorporated Cleveland County, any development inside a FEMA-mapped special flood hazard area falls under the…

Every development activity in Concord's Special Flood Hazard Areas needs a Floodplain Development Permit (ZCP) before…

Craven County Code Chapter 18 applies to every special flood hazard area in the county's jurisdiction, and § 18-8…

In unincorporated Davidson County, land mapped as floodplain on the HUD Flood Insurance Program maps cannot be platted…

Any development activity within Durham's Special Flood Hazard Areas or Future Conditions Flood Hazard Areas requires a…

Gaston County requires a Floodplain Development Permit before any development activity begins within a Special Flood…

No structure or land in a Special Flood Hazard Area of unincorporated Guilford County may be developed without a…

Development within Harnett County's special flood hazard areas, mapped on FEMA's October 3, 2006 Flood Insurance Rate…

Any development inside an Iredell County Special Flood Hazard Area needs a Floodplain Development Permit from the…

In unincorporated Lincoln County, no development can begin inside a Special Flood Hazard Area shown on the county's…

Onslow County requires a floodplain development permit before any development activity in a mapped special flood hazard…

Raleigh bans new fill, construction and other encroachments in FEMA-mapped floodways and non-encroachment areas unless…

In unincorporated Union County, nothing may be built, altered, or developed in a mapped special flood hazard area…

Wilmington bars anyone from starting development in a special flood hazard area without a floodplain development permit…

Any development within a Special Flood Hazard Area in Alamance County, including its extraterritorial jurisdiction with…

Apex requires a floodplain development permit before any development in a Special Flood Hazard Area, inside town limits…

Any development activity within a Special Flood Hazard Area of unincorporated Brunswick County needs a Floodplain…

Cabarrus County requires a Floodplain Development Permit before any development activity begins in a Special Flood…

Any development in a Catawba County special flood hazard area needs a floodplain development permit before work starts…

Any development, including grading, filling, new structures or substantial improvements, located within a mapped…

Unincorporated Durham County requires a floodplain development permit for any structure built, extended, or altered, or…

Fayetteville's flood damage prevention chapter applies to every special flood hazard area within the city and its…

Any stormwater control measure Gastonia developers place inside a floodplain needs sign-off from both the stormwater…

Any development within High Point's mapped special flood hazard areas, inside the city limits and its extraterritorial…

Before any grading, filling, or construction starts in a Special Flood Hazard Area, unincorporated Johnston County…

Any development in Kill Devil Hills' AE, AO, VE, Shaded X or X flood zones needs a floodplain development permit before…

New Hanover County governs every development in its FEMA-mapped special flood hazard areas under Code of Ordinances Ch…

Any development inside a Pitt County Special Flood Hazard Area needs a Floodplain Development Permit before work…

Any development inside a Rose Hill Special Flood Hazard Area, including its extraterritorial jurisdiction, needs a…

Any development inside a Rowan County special flood hazard area, from grading to a new structure, needs a floodplain…

Shelby requires a development permit before any construction, fill, or grading in a mapped flood hazard area, with…

Wake County requires Department of Environmental Services review and acceptance of plans before any new construction or…

Anyone building, filling, or altering land in a mapped special flood hazard area of unincorporated Wayne County must…

Private docks, piers and bulkheads count as 'Development Activity' under Brunswick County's Flood Damage Prevention…

Cabarrus County treats piers, docks, landings and ramps as "Development Activity" under Chapter 16 of the Development…

Greensboro's Land Development Ordinance treats boat docks as water dependent structures that may be built inside…

Building a boat dock, ramp, or pier in unincorporated Guilford County requires a Floodplain Development Permit whenever…

Kill Devil Hills treats a dock as development activity under its flood damage prevention chapter, so building one…

In unincorporated Lincoln County, piers, boat docks, floating boat houses, moorings, marine railways and similar fixed…

Pitt County treats a dock, pier, boat ramp, or landing on the Tar River or another waterway as "Development Activity"…

Piers, boat docks, boat houses, boat slips, and bulkheads are accessory structures under Nash County's Unified…

At an oversized commercial vehicle parking facility in a Pitt County residential district, Zoning Ordinance Section…

Concord's Development Ordinance prohibits overnight idling of trucks at truck terminal and support-facility sites, one…

Durham's Unified Development Ordinance requires every off-street loading area to post a 'No Idling' sign, but the UDO…

Charlotte's Unified Development Ordinance names heat island mitigation as an explicit purpose of its citywide tree…

Harnett County's Flood Damage Prevention ordinance requires new and substantially improved structures in a special…

New and substantially improved residential structures in Concord's Special Flood Hazard Areas must have their lowest…

Craven County Code § 18-41 requires the reference level of every new or substantially improved residential structure in…

Dwellings and self-contained sewage disposal units in unincorporated Davidson County's mapped floodplain must be built…

Iredell County's Flood Damage Prevention ordinance requires two feet of freeboard above the base flood elevation for…

Unincorporated Lincoln County requires new and substantially improved structures in a Special Flood Hazard Area to sit…

New and substantially improved residential structures in Raleigh's special flood hazard areas must have their lowest…

Alamance County requires new and substantially improved residential structures in Special Flood Hazard Areas to elevate…

New homes and other structures in Apex's mapped flood hazard areas must be built at least 2 feet above the base flood…

New construction and substantial improvements in Asheville's mapped flood hazard areas must be built at least two feet…

New construction and substantially improved buildings inside a mapped Special Flood Hazard Area of unincorporated…

Cabarrus County requires new and substantially improved homes in a Special Flood Hazard Area to sit at the Regulatory…

New homes in Cary flood zones must sit at least 2 feet above the base flood elevation, not just at it.

Catawba County requires new construction in a special flood hazard area to sit two feet higher than FEMA's base flood…

New residential construction and substantial improvements in Charlotte's special flood hazard areas must have the…

New construction in a Cleveland County special flood hazard area has to clear the 'regulatory flood protection…

In special flood hazard areas with mapped base flood elevations, unincorporated Cumberland County requires new and…

Durham requires new or substantially improved residential structures in Special Flood Hazard Areas to elevate the…

Durham County requires two feet of freeboard above base flood elevation for any new home or substantial improvement in…

New or substantially improved residential structures, including manufactured homes, in Fayetteville's mapped flood…

Gaston County requires new and substantially improved structures in Special Flood Hazard Areas to sit at least 3 feet…

Greensboro requires new construction and substantially improved residential structures in special flood hazard areas to…

In Guilford County's mapped Special Flood Hazard Areas, new residential construction and substantial improvements…

In High Point's Zone AO shallow-flooding areas, new construction must elevate its reference level to the FIRM depth…

Johnston County adds a two-foot freeboard cushion above FEMA's base flood elevation to set its Regulatory Flood…

Kill Devil Hills sets exact freeboard add-ons above the base flood elevation for every flood zone in town, defined in…

Where base flood elevation data exists, unincorporated Nash County requires new or substantially improved residential…

New Hanover County requires the lowest floor of any new or substantially improved residential structure in a mapped…

Onslow County requires new and substantially improved buildings in special flood hazard areas to be elevated to two…

In Pitt County's Special Flood Hazard Areas, the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance requires new construction and…

Rose Hill sets its Regulatory Flood Protection Elevation at two feet above the Base Flood Elevation for any parcel with…

Rowan County's flood damage prevention ordinance defines base flood elevation and requires two feet of freeboard above…

In Shelby's mapped flood hazard areas, new homes and substantial improvements must have their lowest floor built at or…

In unincorporated Union County, new and substantially improved residential structures in a mapped special flood hazard…

New homes in Wake County's mapped flood hazard areas must have their lowest floor, including any basement, built at or…

In unincorporated Wayne County's mapped flood hazard areas, new and substantially improved residential structures must…

Wilmington requires the lowest floor of any new or substantially improved structure in a special flood hazard area…