Grand Traverse County, MI Stormwater Regulations

In Grand Traverse County, the County Health Department issues Part 91 soil erosion permits for earth changes of one acre or more, within 500 feet of a lake or stream, or near a county drain. Traverse City and Garfield Township run their own permit programs. Traverse City is newly designated as an MS4. Fines start at up to $2,500 per violation and reach $25,000 per day for knowing violations after a notice.

Primary source: Grand Traverse County Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Ordinance No. 9

Permit Requirements

In Michigan, soil erosion permits come from local agencies, not the state. Under Part 91 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, every county must name a County Enforcing Agency, and cities and townships can take over the job with their own ordinance. In Grand Traverse County, the Board of Commissioners named the Grand Traverse County Health Department. It covers the whole county except Traverse City and Garfield Charter Township, which run their own programs.

The county's Ordinance No. 9 goes past the state's two triggers. You need a permit for an earth change that disturbs one acre or more, is within 500 feet of the waters of the state, is within 500 feet of an inlet to or an open county drain, involves slopes of 20 percent or greater, or involves hydrologic group D soils. Plans for sites over one acre must be prepared under the direction of a qualified individual such as an engineer or landscape architect, unless the county waives it in writing. The county has 30 days to approve or deny a complete application.

Permits are filed through the county's EPIC GT portal. The 2026 fee schedule charges $500 for a new home, $400 or $350 for work on an existing home depending on whether disturbance tops 1,000 square feet, and $1,000 for a commercial site up to one acre plus $100 for each added acre. Residential permits run 18 months and commercial permits 12 months.

Construction storm water coverage comes from EGLE under Permit-by-Rule. Sites disturbing one to five acres with a discharge to state waters get coverage automatically once they hold a Part 91 permit. Sites of five acres or more must also file a Notice of Coverage with EGLE, with a $400 fee, and send the county a copy of the acknowledgement letter within 10 business days.

Inspection Obligations

During construction, the permit holder has to maintain temporary erosion controls daily, and the county may inspect at any reasonable time. Permanent stabilization has to be in place within five calendar days after final grading. On sites covered by Permit-by-Rule, a certified storm water operator must inspect the controls weekly and within 24 hours of a significant rain event.

After construction, the local stormwater ordinance controls. Garfield Township Ordinance No. 80 requires the owner to inspect stormwater facilities at least twice a year, in spring and fall, check every structural element at least once a year, and keep maintenance records. Corrective work is due within 30 days of an inspection or notice, or within 36 hours for an emergency. A recorded maintenance agreement binds future owners.

In Traverse City, Chapter 1068 requires the party named in the plan to send the City Engineer an annual certification that its stormwater facilities are maintained and working as approved. Permit holders also have to notify the City Engineer at least 48 hours before starting work.

Penalty Structure

County Ordinance No. 9 follows the penalty tiers in MCL 324.9121. A violation is a municipal civil infraction with a fine of up to $2,500. Knowingly violating the law, or knowingly making a false statement in an application or plan, carries up to $10,000 per day. Knowingly violating it after a notice of determination carries $2,500 to $25,000 per day.

The county's notice of violation gives you no more than five calendar days from mailing to fix the problem. After that, the county can install controls itself and bill you, and it holds a lien on the property for those costs. It can also issue a cease-and-desist order, which revokes the permit. Starting work without a permit doubles the fee.

Local stormwater ordinances add their own penalties. In Traverse City, an owner who refuses to implement and maintain required controls after notice faces a fine of up to $500 or 90 days in jail, or both, plus prosecution costs, and each day counts as a separate offense. Garfield Township treats violations of Ordinance No. 80 as a nuisance and a municipal civil infraction, with each day a separate offense.

Key BMPs

County Ordinance No. 9 points to the "Guidebook of Best Management Practices for Michigan Watersheds" for erosion controls. Local stormwater ordinances in Traverse City and Garfield Township name these common post-construction BMPs:

• Infiltration trenches and basins - Garfield Township requires infiltration at sites where soil permeability exceeds one inch per hour, with the bottom at least four feet above the highest known water table.
• Detention and retention basins - Garfield Township sizes them for the 25-year, 24-hour storm, and Traverse City uses the same storm where no public storm sewer is available. Both require an overflow for the 100-year storm. Traverse City caps basin side slopes at 3:1.
• Wet basins - Garfield Township prefers wet basins that trap sediment over dry basins. It also requires a sediment forebay or equivalent upstream treatment, with a forebay sized at 15 percent of the water quality volume.
• Grass swales with check dams - Listed as runoff control facilities in both the Traverse City and Garfield Township ordinances.
• Silt fence, wattles, and storm drain protection - Temporary controls listed on Traverse City's soil erosion permit application. The form's maintenance checklist includes checking devices before and after storm events.

Local Ordinances

Grand Traverse County has no countywide post-construction stormwater ordinance. Ordinance No. 9, effective November 27, 2021, repealed the county's older Soil Erosion Sedimentation and Storm Water Control Ordinance and kept only the soil erosion program. Stormwater runoff control now sits with the city and the townships.

Traverse City's Chapter 1068 requires a storm-water runoff control permit for any multiple-family or commercial site development, any change in impervious surface on those sites, any connection to the city storm drain system, and single-family or two-family lots with steep slopes, heavy clay soils, or work within 100 feet of a wetland or stream. Commercial and multi-family sites must treat the first inch of runoff. Garfield Township's Ordinance No. 80, adopted January 27, 2026, requires a Stormwater Management Permit for non-residential and multi-family development, plats, condominiums, private roads, and earthwork of half an acre or more for new buildings or pavement.

Other townships have their own rules. Blair Township has a Stormwater Management chapter in its code, and Acme Township lists a Stormwater Control Ordinance dated 2007. Check with the township before you design a site.

The County Drain Commissioner creates and maintains county drains under the Drain Code of 1956 and gets notice of every soil erosion permit within 500 feet of a county drain.

We found no stormwater utility fee in the county or in Traverse City. The city's codified ordinances have no stormwater utility chapter, though a city work plan lists hiring a consultant to look at stormwater utility options.