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Forms and Fees Subject to Change July 1
CURRENT FEE SCHEDULEFEMA's Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps
VIEW HERE
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Forms and Fees Subject to Change July 1CURRENT FEE SCHEDULE
FEMA's Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate MapsVIEW HERE
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Creating Sight Lines Within the RPA
Warning!
Before You Remove Vegetation:
Approval is required before creating a sight line.
Do not begin clearing, pruning, or removing vegetation within the RPA to establish a sight line until the proposed work has been reviewed and approved by the County.
Contact Environmental Management Before Creating a Sight Line
What is a sight line?
A sight line is a limited opening in existing vegetation that provides a view through a riparian buffer while maintaining the overall environmental function of the buffer. Creating a sight line does not mean clearing all vegetation between a home and a stream, lake, or other feature.
Vegetation within the RPA helps slow and filter stormwater runoff, stabilize soil, reduce erosion, and prevent pollutants from reaching nearby streams and waterways. For this reason, sight lines should be created through selective pruning and vegetation removal rather than broad clearing. The goal is to provide a reasonable view while maintaining the environmental benefits of the riparian buffer.
When considering a sight line within a Resource Protection Area (RPA), property owners should look for opportunities to preserve as much existing vegetation as possible. Consider the following:
- Start with areas that are already sparsely vegetated or contain invasive species or dead or dying trees.
- Prioritize pruning or selectively removing shrubs and understory trees rather than mature overstory trees.
- Keep the opening as limited as possible while still providing the desired view.
- Do not disturb or remove groundcover, including woody or herbaceous vegetation, leaf litter, humus, or mulch.
- Trees removed to create an approved sight line may need to be replaced with vegetation that provides equivalent protection from runoff, erosion, and nonpoint source pollution.
- County approval is required before pruning or removing vegetation to create a sight line within the RPA.
DO
Prune selectively → Use existing openings → Target invasive vegetation → Preserve mature trees → Leave groundcover intact → Get approval first
AVOID
Clear-cutting → Removing all understory vegetation → Removing healthy mature trees when pruning could accomplish the goal → Removing leaf litter or groundcover → Creating a sight line before County approvalSteps for Homeowners to Create a Proper Sightline
Expand all- Step 1. Choose a sightline from your home toward the water
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- Step 2. Select vegetation you wish to prune
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- Step 3. Prepare a plan showing pruning, removal, and restoration
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- Step 4. Mark vegetation proposed for pruning or removal
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- Step 5. Notify Environmental Management Office to schedule site visit and plan review
Environmental Management Division
Phone: 703-792-7070 (8am-4pm)
Email: [email protected]
311Service Request: PWC 311 Home (submit an "Environmentally Protected Area Questions" service request)
Office: 5 County Complex Ct, Ste 170, Prince William, VA 22192 (8am-4pm)
- Step 6. Obtain approval before starting any work
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- Step 7. Prune or limb up vegetation according to approved plan
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- Step 8. Remove only vegetation that has been approved
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- Step 9. Replace woody vegetation per the approved replanting plan if required
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Pruning Guide:
- Shrubs may be pruned down to a minimum height of 3 feet
- Trees or shrubs may be limbed up (removing lower branches)
- Never remove more than 25% of any plant at one time to protect plant health
- These standards follow Chapter 3, Riparian Buffers Modification & Mitigation Manual, Virginia DCR 2006