(A) This section applies to all development or re-development of land, under the jurisdictional authority of the county, which results in land disturbance of one acre or more. Individual lots with land disturbance less than one acre that are developed within a larger permitted project site should refer to § 152.094 for plan review requirements and procedures.
(B) There are two scenarios for approval or permit application and processing procedures. One process is followed for projects located within unincorporated areas of the county; the other process is for projects that impact the county regulated drains but are located within the jurisdictional areas of the incorporated towns and cities within the county.
(1) Within unincorporated areas of the county.
(a) For projects located within unincorporated areas of the county, the project site owner shall submit an application for a stormwater management approval to the County Drainage Board, the County Surveyor, and the Clean Water Department. The application will include a completed application form, construction plan sheets, stormwater drainage technical report, a stormwater pollution prevention plan, and any other necessary support information. Specific information to be included in the application can be found in § 152.093 below. Two copies of each application shall be submitted to the County Drainage Board. Additionally, a digital copy of the construction plans is required in a format approved by the County Drainage Board.
(b) If the project shall go through a scheduled meeting, all information shall be submitted at least 30 days prior to the regularly scheduled meeting. The County Drainage Board shall furnish the applicant a written list of objections to the plans and supporting data submitted by the applicant. A resubmittal from the applicant addressing the list of objections shall be provided to the County Drainage Board at least ten days prior to the scheduled meeting. Plans in substantial compliance with the requirements of this chapter and the Technical Standards that need to go through a scheduled meeting shall be placed on the agenda with a recommendation for conditional approval or construction approval. If the County Drainage Board approves the project, the plans will be signed by the County Surveyor’s Office after construction approval has been granted.
(c) If the project does not require Drainage Board approval at a scheduled meeting, the County Surveyor’s Office will provide written comments and sign the plans after construction approval has been granted. Once the plans have been signed, and after a pre-construction meeting has been held, construction can commence.
(d) The project site owner shall notify the County Surveyor’s Office and the Clean Water Department and IDEM before beginning construction. Notification to the County Surveyor and the Clean Water Department shall be in the form of an email while notification to IDEM shall be in the form of an online IDEM NOI submittal. Once a permit has been issued and the pending construction notifications submitted to the County Surveyor and the Clean Water Department and IDEM before the beginning of construction, construction may commence 48 hours after the NOI is submitted to IDEM. Once construction starts, the project owner shall monitor construction activities and inspect all stormwater pollution prevention measures in compliance with this chapter and the terms and conditions of the stormwater management approval. Upon completion of construction activities, a certification of completion and compliance and as-built plans shall be submitted to the County Surveyor’s Office in hardcopy and in an electronic format compatible with the County Geographic Information System (GIS). Once the construction site has been stabilized and all temporary erosion and sediment control measures have been removed, a notification shall be sent to the County Clean Water Department, requesting a termination inspection. The County Clean Water Department, or representative, shall inspect the construction site to that the completed project is fully stabilized and meets the requirements of the county stormwater ordinance and its technical standards as well as the terms and conditions of the approval. Once the applicant receives a signed copy of the termination inspection checklist confirming compliance, they shall forward a copy to IDEM along with the required IDEM NOT form. Permits issued under this scenario will expire five years from the date of issuance. If construction is not completed within five years, an updated permit application shall be submitted to County Surveyor and an updated NOI shall be resubmitted to IDEM at least 90 days prior to expiration. Figure 1 below is a flowchart summarizing the plan review/permit approval process and can be found at the end of this subchapter.
(2) Within other jurisdictional areas. For projects located within other jurisdictional areas, but impacting county regulated drains, the project site owner shall submit one copy of the construction plans (which include drainage plans), erosion and sediment control plans, and a stormwater drainage technical report to the County Drainage Board. Additionally, a digital copy of the construction plans is required in a format approved by the County Surveyor. If the project must go through a scheduled meeting, all information shall be submitted at least 30 days prior to its regularly scheduled meeting. The County Drainage Board shall furnish the applicant a written list of objections to the plans and supporting data submitted by the applicant. This list of objections, if any, will be related only to the project’s impact on county regulated drains. A resubmittal from the applicant addressing the list of objections shall be provided to the County Surveyor at least ten days prior to the scheduled meeting. Plans in substantial compliance with the requirements of this chapter and the Technical Standards that need to go through a scheduled meeting shall be placed on the agenda with a recommendation for conditional approval or construction approval. If the County Drainage Board approves the project, the applicant shall satisfactorily address all issues listed in the conditional approval to obtain construction approval. This approval does not alleviate the applicant’s responsibility to comply with chapter, policy, or resolution requirements of the local jurisdictional entity.
Figure 1: Permit Approval Process
(Within Unincorporated Areas)
(Within Unincorporated Areas)
(Ord. 2023-45, passed 12-12-2023)