Soil Erosion Control

Thank you for doing your part to maintain the health and beauty of Washtenaw County waters! Sediment is the greatest pollutant by volume impacting our lakes, streams, and wetlands. Sediment is the product of uncontrolled erosion. Erosion and sedimentation result in loss of fertile topsoil, filling of lakes and streams, increased flooding. It can also cause harm to plant and animal life, and cause structural damage to buildings and roads. Construction is one of the major causes of erosion in Michigan.

Our Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control (SESC) Program strives to protect the waterways of Washtenaw county and beyond. This program assures the appropriate design and execution of SESC measures during earth moving activities within the county.

How to Apply

A complete submittal will include:

•  A completed application, including property owner and party-to-be-billed information. 
• A soil erosion control plan. 
•  A designated agent form if you are not the property owner. 

Submittals may be returned if incomplete. 

After you Apply

• Once your application and site plan have been received, you will receive an invoice for your application fee via email. If no email is provided, it will be mailed to the address provided on the application. 
• Upon payment of this invoice, your submittal will enter the queue to be reviewed by a Soil Erosion Officer.
• A Soil Erosion Officer will perform a site inspection and review your proposed SESC plan. You will be contacted by phone to discuss changes to the plan if needed.
• Once your application has been approved, you will be notified the permit has been issued. There is an opportunity to indicate your preferred contact on your application.

We strive to review permits within 2 weeks of payment of the application fee. 

Check the status and detail of permits using our Citizen Self Service portal.

Need Help?

We understand the permitting process for construction projects can be overwhelming. 

We are here to help! 

We can assist you by answering your questions, finding the information to complete your application, obtaining aerial
images for your site plan, or developing a soil erosion control plan fit for your site.

Call us M-F, 8:30 AM-5:00 PM, at 734-222-6860 for assistance.