Erosion & Sediment

Tim Carpenter- Building Official/ E & S Program Administrator
Phone:276) 730 -3016
Fax:276-730-3178
building.official@carrollcountyva.gov

The office of Erosion & Sediment Control is responsible for enforcement of the Commonwealth of Virginia's Erosion & Sediment Control Laws and Regulations through the Carroll County Erosion & Sediment Control Ordinance.

This office is currently located in the Governmental Complex in the C wing. 

Virginia State Law requires any land owner wishing to expose 10,000 square feet or more of soil, for any construction activity, must first submit an Erosion & Sediment Control Plan to the County's E&S Department for approval. If the land-disturbance is for the construction of a single-family residence the County may allow an Agreement In Lieu Of an erosion and sediment control plan. This is simply an agreement (contract) between the land owner and the County that all applicable 19 minimum standards, set forth by the Commonwealth of Virginia, for controlling erosion and sediment deposition during construction activities, will be followed through the duration of the construction project to the point that all exposed soil areas are permanently stabilized with grass, stone, concrete, pavement, ect.

In some cases, if the exposed soil area is less than 10,000 square feet but takes place in a Common Plan of Development, the site may still require an Erosion & Sediment Control Plan or Agreement In Lieu Of  a plan be submitted. 

For construction activities that disturb 1 acre or more a Stormwater Management Plan may be required to be submitted to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality for approval before land-disturbance may take place. For more information on the Commonwealth of Virginia Stormwater Management requirements, you may contact DEQ at http://www.deq.virginia.gov/ or call (276) 676-4800.

A Land-disturbing Permit is also required to be issued before the Land-disturbance takes place. The permit fee is based on the county of land-disturbance specified plan. For the first 10,000 square feet up to 1 acre the fee is $100.00 (plus tax). For each additional acre or portion of an acre there is an additional $25.00 (plus tax). If the construction activity is for a single-family residence and an Agreement In Lieu Of has been granted by the County the fee for the Land-disturbing permit is a flat $50.00 (plus tax).

A surety of $2,500.00 for each acre or portion of an acre to be disturbed is required to be issued to the County. For instance, if a plan stated 3.3 acres of total disturbance a surety in the amount of $10,000.00 would be required.  The surety may be in the form of a cash escrow  (made out to the Treasurer of Carroll County), Bond or Irrevocable Letter of Credit. If a Bond or Irrevocable Letter of Credit are submitted, they must list Carroll County Board of Supervisors as the Beneficiary. The purpose of the surety is to make sure that the approved E&S Plan will be followed. If the project is found to be in violation of the approved plan the County may use the surety to correct the violations. After the project is found to be complete and all areas of disturbance are permanently stabilized, in accordance with the approved plan, the surety or any remaining amount of the surety will be refunded or released within 60 days of completion, determined by the Carroll County Erosion and Sediment Control Program Administrator. No surety is required for Agreement In Lieu Of's.


An RDL (Responsible Land Disturber) must be listed for the project. This is an individual that holds a current RLD Certification issued through the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (see DEQ contact information above for more information). An RLD is not required to be listed on Agreement In Lieu Of's unless violations of the 19 minimum standards are found to exist on the project site by the County's inspector.


Inspections of the project sites, by the County's Erosion & Sediment Control Inspectors, are conducted no less than ever 2 weeks, but may be conducted as often as deemed necessary for compliance with the approved plans. Inspections of sites that have been granted Agreement In Lieu Of's may be inspected every 30 days if there are no State Waters nearby that could be negatively impacted by the project site. If determined by the Inspector that State Waters could be negatively impacted then inspections are conducted every 2 weeks, but may be conducted as often as deemed necessary, for compliance with the Commonwealth's 19 minimum standards.

In accordance with State Law the Carroll County Erosion & Sediment Control Ordinance does allow civil penalties to be assessed against anyone who violates any provision of the Ordinance. The Ordinance does allow certain land-disturbing exemptions. If you are not sure if our project falls under the provisions of the County's E&S Ordinance please contact the Carroll County Erosion & Sediment Control Department at (276) 730-3016 or building.official@carrollcountyva.gov.

Ultimate responsibility rests with the land owner(s) to make sure that all Federal, State and Local Laws and Ordinances are met, and all required permits have been obtained before land-disturbance takes place.
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