A land disturbing permit is required when you will be disturbing more than 10,000 square feet of land.  This includes clearing, grading, excavation, transporting and filling of land. In order to obtain a land disturbing permit an erosion and sediment control plan must be submitted to the County Engineer for review and approval, plan review fees paid, and surety provided.

Land disturbing activities involving the construction of a single family residence may sign an agreement in lieu of submitting an erosion and sediment control plan.

• Minor land-disturbing activities such as home gardens and individual home landscaping, repairs and maintenance work.
• Individual service connections.
• Installation, maintenance or repairs of any underground public utility lines on an existing hard-surfaced road, street or sidewalk, provided the land disturbing activity is confined to the area of the road, street or sidewalk which is hard surfaced.
• Septic tank lines or drainage fields unless included in an overall plan for land disturbing activity relating to construction of the building to be served by the septic tank system.
• Surface or deep mining.
• Exploration or drilling for oil and gas, including the well site, roads, feeder lines and off-site disposal.
• Tilling, planting or harvesting of agricultural, horticultural or forest crops, or livestock feedlot operations. This includes engineering operations such as: construction of terraces, terrace outlets, check dams, desilting basins, dikes, ponds, ditches, strip cropping, lister furrowing, contour cultivation, contour furrowing, land drainage and land irrigation. However, this exception shall not apply to harvesting of forest crops unless the area on which harvesting occurs is reforested artificially or naturally in accordance with the provisions of the state law or is converted to bona fide agricultural or improved pasture use as described in the law.
• Repair or rebuilding of the tracks, right-of-way, bridges, communication facilities and other related structures and facilities of a railroad company.
• Agricultural engineering operations, including construction of terraces, terrace outlets, check dams, desilting basins, dikes, ponds not required to comply with the Dam Safety Act, Article 2 of Chapter 6, ditches, strip cropping, lister furrowing, contour cultivation, contour furrowing, land drainage and land irrigation.
• Installation of fence and sign posts or telephone and electric poles and other kinds of posts or poles.
• Emergency work to protect life, limb or property, and emergency repairs; however, if the land disturbing activity would have required an approved erosion and sediment control plan, if the activity were not an emergency, then the land area disturbed shall be shaped and stabilized in accordance with the requirements of the plan-approving authority.

The County Engineer will be glad to assist you.

You can email the County Engineer making sure to include the following information:

• Your contact information.
• The area to be disturbed in square feet or acres.
• Purpose of land disturbing activity, ie. building a house, clearing land for a farm, etc.
• The location of the land disturbing activity. Give a street address if available.
• Indicate if the land disturbing activity is in a subdivision.

• Develop an erosion and sediment control plan for the proposed project.
• Submit the erosion and sediment control plan for review and approval by the County Engineer. Plans my be submitted as attachments to email or mailed or brought to the County Engineer's office at the County Government Center, 755 Roanoke Street, Suite 1C Christiansburg, VA 24073
• County Engineering will review your plans and send a review letter listing areas needing clarification or approval of the plans. If the plans are approved the permit fees will be calculated by the disturbed area shown on the approved plans. Also, an estimated of erosion and sediment costs will be provided which determines the bond, Letter of Credit, or cash required for surety.
• Pay the plan review and provide a bond, cash escrow or irrevocable letter of credit to cover the completion of the approved plan.
• Sign a certification that the approved erosion and sediment control plan will be followed.
• Obtain Approved Copy of your Erosion and Sediment Control Plan along with your land disturbing permit.