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Albemarle County is developing Riparian Buffer Protection Standards to protect and improve vegetation along rivers and streams, strengthen buffer requirements that were narrowed in 2014, and ensure consistency with Virginia's Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act. This project is an outcome of the Stream Health Initiative, a program designed to improve surface water quality, established by the Board of Supervisors in 2017.
If adopted, the protection standards would:
set requirements for retaining and protecting riparian vegetation and limiting land disturbance in buffers throughout the county
protect and enhance all of the defined buffers, whether they’re part of a development project or not
Please note that these protection standards do not apply to agriculture and forestry.
Why is it important?
Riparian buffer vegetation is significant to stream health since it protects streams from erosion and filters out nutrients and sediment that can flow into streams and degrade water quality. This benefits both our community’s public water supply and aquatic habitats. Community benefits would include better water quality, fewer expenses for clearing out reservoirs affected by sedimentation, and healthier wildlife populations.
The County's current stream buffer regulations are housed in the Water Protection Ordinance (WPO) and only apply to land-disturbance projects that require erosion and sediment control plans(e.g., commercial and residential development projects). This means that a lot of activity that impacts stream buffers isn't currently regulated -- and that adds up. In short, the WPO buffer requirements only regulate specific larger projects. In contrast, the Riparian Buffer Protection Standards would regulate and protect all stream buffers in the county (except those used for agriculture and forestry).
While the proposed stream buffer regulations would be located in the Zoning Ordinance, this proposed draft also contains changes to the Water Protection Ordinance (to remove the current buffer requirements), and to make language related to buffers more consistent in the Subdivision Ordinance (chapter 14 of the County Code) and the Health and Safety ordinance (chapter 7).
Albemarle County is developing Riparian Buffer Protection Standards to protect and improve vegetation along rivers and streams, strengthen buffer requirements that were narrowed in 2014, and ensure consistency with Virginia's Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act. This project is an outcome of the Stream Health Initiative, a program designed to improve surface water quality, established by the Board of Supervisors in 2017.
If adopted, the protection standards would:
set requirements for retaining and protecting riparian vegetation and limiting land disturbance in buffers throughout the county
protect and enhance all of the defined buffers, whether they’re part of a development project or not
Please note that these protection standards do not apply to agriculture and forestry.
Why is it important?
Riparian buffer vegetation is significant to stream health since it protects streams from erosion and filters out nutrients and sediment that can flow into streams and degrade water quality. This benefits both our community’s public water supply and aquatic habitats. Community benefits would include better water quality, fewer expenses for clearing out reservoirs affected by sedimentation, and healthier wildlife populations.
The County's current stream buffer regulations are housed in the Water Protection Ordinance (WPO) and only apply to land-disturbance projects that require erosion and sediment control plans(e.g., commercial and residential development projects). This means that a lot of activity that impacts stream buffers isn't currently regulated -- and that adds up. In short, the WPO buffer requirements only regulate specific larger projects. In contrast, the Riparian Buffer Protection Standards would regulate and protect all stream buffers in the county (except those used for agriculture and forestry).
While the proposed stream buffer regulations would be located in the Zoning Ordinance, this proposed draft also contains changes to the Water Protection Ordinance (to remove the current buffer requirements), and to make language related to buffers more consistent in the Subdivision Ordinance (chapter 14 of the County Code) and the Health and Safety ordinance (chapter 7).
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Upcoming Board of Supervisors Work Session
The riparian-buffer ordinance updates are scheduled for a work session with the Board of Supervisors on August 20, 2025. The project has been re-named Riparian Buffer Protection Standards, to reflect a shift in approach from an overlay zoning district to performance-standards legislation. The proposed buffer locations remain the same as those contained in the current Water Protection Ordinance, but the performance standards would be contained in the Zoning Ordinance. The latest proposed ordinance amendments will be available upon release of the agenda for the August 20 meeting.
Riparian Buffer: A riparian buffer is an area adjacent to a stream, lake, or wetland that contains a combination of trees, shrubs, and/or other perennial plants and is managed differently from the surrounding landscape, primarily to provide conservation benefits. Learn more.
Water Quality: Refers to the condition or characteristics of water that determine its suitability for various purposes and its impact on the environment and living organisms. It involves assessing the chemical, physical, biological, and microbiological properties of water to determine its overall health and safety. Factors such as the presence of pollutants, levels of dissolved oxygen, pH balance, clarity, and the absence of harmful bacteria or contaminants all contribute to the assessment of water quality. Monitoring and maintaining good water quality is important for the health of ecosystems, human consumption, agriculture, and recreational activities.
Water Protection Ordinance (WPO): A chapter of the County Code that was added in 1988 to protect water quality from erosion, stormwater pollution, etc. The County wanted to both protect local water quality and take part in the wider efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay. Most of its provisions are enforced by the Engineering Division of our Community Development Department.
