Effective August 17, 2023, the sediment and erosion control plan review fee for single family residential lots will be set at $100 per lot OR $250/acre disturbed, whichever is less. The fee will be calculated in the Permit Portal based on number of lots and disturbed acres entered by the applicant

This fee only applies to the review of erosion control measures for individual single family lot construction.  All other plan review and permit fees remain unchanged.  

For any questions regarding this change, please contact Ashley Rodgers at Ashley.Rodgers@wake.gov or (919) 856-5531. 
 

All Permit Applications and Documents Shall be submitted through the Portal

All permit submittals will be made online through the Permit Portal.

You will submit the same application, fees, construction drawing, calculations and maps as always but DIGITALLY and through the Permit Portal. You will upload documents and be invoiced once the application and fees due are verified. You will be able to track the progress of your permit through the portal.

First, you will need to create a Login account. Engineering firms should consider creating an account for the firm rather than individuals.

Print out the Document below for instructions on how to apply online.

EROSION CONTROL, STORMWATER AND FLOOD STUDY INSTRUCTIONS

• Permit Portal Instructions for Watershed Management
• Single Lot Land Disturbance Instructions
• Single Lot Stormwater Deviation Instructions

Protect against downstream flooding

Effective November 2019, all Wake County Stormwater submittals will require analysis of downstream impacts. 

Building permits must be linked to a land disturbance permit

Effective October 2019, a Wake County single lot building permit will be linked to its required single lot land disturbance permit. Exemptions may apply, e.g. lots outside of subdivisions with less than 1 acre of disturbance. Contact Wake County to request an exemption.

State requires land disturbance permit for all lots in a Common Plan of Development

Effective April 1, 2019 – all single-family dwellings in an active subdivision require land disturbance permit coverage! Go to single lot web page for details

Logging is considered land disturbance. A land disturbance permit must be issued prior to clearing land for new development if clearing is greater than 1 acre (measured cumulatively). Logging for forestry must have an approved forest management plan including protection of riparian buffers. 

Call for inspection of tree protection fence and silt fence prior to clearing near any water features. 

Tree removal on homeowner lots is allowable outside of setbacks and buffers.

Most current maps were issued in 2006

Draft FEMA Floodplain Maps were received in 2015. Public meetings were held and appeals reviewed. Wake County is waiting on a Letter of Final Determination from the Federal Government FEMA Office. Once this is received, Wake County has six months to adopt the new maps. Until then the 2006 maps must be used for insurance and new development permitting. 

The 2006 maps can be viewed on IMAPS. 

The Permit Extension Act ended as of 1/12/2023

Wake County is reminding developers of ongoing construction projects in the county to renew their expired 'Land Disturbance' permits. There are over 600 developments underway in Wake County, ranging from residential buildings to commercial constructions. Approximately 200 of these projects have permits that have expired and require renewal.

Wake County has notified most of the developers with expired permits to renew them through emails and are reaching out to those where the email was misdelivered. Developers are also responsible for checking their permit expiration dates on the Wake County Permit Portal and initiating the renewal process. They can choose between two options for renewal:

Option 1 - Renew at Original Footprint:

• Renew permit based on the same area originally permitted.
• Update ownership or financial responsibility information if needed.
• Pay renewal fees

Option 2 - Renew at Remaining Acreage:

• Renew your permit based only on the part of the land that isn’t completed and doesn’t have permanent groundcover established.
• Provide a one-page update from an engineer, showing active work areas and ground coverage. Pay plan review fee of $75.
• Update ownership or financial responsibility information if needed.
• Pay renewal fees

Developers must contact Wake County to select an option and complete the renewal within the next 3 months to avoid enforcement actions or fines. Failure to renew expired permits can result in fines.

At the February 22, 2022 meeting of the NC Sedimentation Control Commission, the Town of Knightdale received delegated authority to administer a local erosion control program. Application for Land Disturbance Permits for projects in Knightdale and its ETJ shall be submitted to Knightdale as of May 16, 2022.