A Land Disturbance Permit must be obtained if 10,000 or more square feet of land are to be disturbed. This permit must be obtained before any other permits can be issued and before any construction or grading may begin. If the site is located within a common plan of development or is greater than 1 acre, a VSMP permit will also need to be obtained.

In order to obtain a Land Disturbing Permit, the following information must be submitted: 

• Completed VSMP Registration Statement/Land Disturbance Application Form
• Eight copies of the sketch plan of the project site drawn to scale – all items contained in the Erosion and Sediment Control Checklist must be addressed
• Two copies of the narrative portion of the plan – all items on the Erosion and Sediment Control Checklist must be addressed
• Plan review fees
• Fees and Performance bond 

Erosion and Sediment Control Checklist
The checklist includes items such as project description, existing site conditions, adjacent property, soils, erosion and sediment control measures, management strategies, etc. The checklist is available here.

Plan Review
Once the plans have been submitted, engineering will conduct a review to ensure that all items on the checklist have been addressed adequately. Engineering will not only review the plans for erosion and sediment control measures, but stormwater management as well (detention basins conveyance channels, etc.)

Review Period
By law, final action on the Erosion and Sediment Control Plan shall be taken within 45 days of receipt of a complete plan. However, normal review time is about two weeks. 

Fees and Bonds

Before the Land Disturbing Permit can be issued, all plan review fees must be paid and a performance bond must be posted. The fee schedule for erosion and sediment control plans is:

• Land Disturbance: where no more than one acre are disturbed -- $500.00
• Fees for applications requiring sediment basins -- $100.00 each basin
• Fees for applications requiring stream crossings -- $100.00 each crossing
• Fee for application requiring stormwater detention or retention facilities -- $250.00 each facility
• Additional fee for applications requiring newly constructed storm water conveyance channels -- $50.00 for each channel
• Additional fee for each resubmittal of the required erosion and sediment control plan due to the owner’s failure to include required information -- $100.00

The performance bond is a monetary bond in favor of the County to ensure compliance with the Erosion and Sediment Control Ordinance. The bond may be submitted in the form of a Letter of Credit, Performance Bond, or Cashier’s Check. The bonding amount is equal to the installation and maintenance costs of all required erosion and sediment control measures. The bond and fees will be calculated when the plans are approved.

Inspections
Once the Land Disturbing Permit has been issued, the construction activity operator is required to inspect the site and maintain inspection records within the SWPPP located on site. In addition, routine inspections will be conducted to ensure the site is in compliance with the approved plans as well as the County ordinance. The property owner and/or contractor will be notified in writing of the results of each inspection conducted by the County. 

Final Closeout of the Project
Upon completion of the project the bond will be released. Please keep in mind that all structural improvements must be made and the site must be stabilized with a permanent stand of vegetation in accordance with the approved plan before the bond can be fully released.

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