Silt Fence & Inlet Protection in Detroit, MI

Silt fence and inlet protection in Detroit are usually the first things on a construction site and the last things off it. Silt fence is a woven geotextile fabric on stakes, trenched into the ground along the downhill edge of disturbed soil, that slows runoff so sediment drops out before water leaves the site. Inlet protection does the same job at catch basins and storm inlets. We put in both to match the soil erosion and sedimentation control plan for your site, and we come back to repair and remove them when the grass is established.

Why it matters here

Detroit-area soils are largely glacial and lake clay. Clay particles are tiny and stay suspended in moving water far longer than sand does, so a muddy site can send sediment a long way down the gutter and into the sewer system. That is exactly what enforcing agencies watch for. Michigan's Part 91 law exists to protect adjacent properties and the waters of the state from sedimentation, and counties and cities enforce it locally.

When a permit applies

Under Part 91, a soil erosion permit is generally required for earth changes of one acre or more or within 500 feet of a lake or stream. Wayne County, the enforcing agency for 35 communities, says the permit must be issued before any earthwork begins and counts open channel drains as surface water. Oakland County's program, which serves communities without their own, adds a trigger for projects over 225 square feet within 500 feet of a lake, stream, wetland or drain. Its guidance for new homes is direct: maintain a temporary silt fence around the lot, establish vegetation as quickly as possible, and keep the silt fence in place during winter. Communities that run their own programs have their own forms and inspectors, so we confirm which office covers the address.

Installing silt fence that works

Most silt fence failures come from installation, not the fabric. Fence that is laid on the surface and not trenched lets water run underneath. Fence run straight up and down a slope becomes a channel. Fence placed across a concentrated flow path gets overtopped and knocked flat. We trench the bottom edge in and backfill it, follow the contour, hook both ends upslope so runoff cannot slip past the fence, and use wire-backed or otherwise stabilized fence where runoff volume is higher.

Inlet protection and other sediment control

Catch basins on the street and on the site need protection whenever soil is exposed upstream of them. Options include fabric barriers, filter bags inside the grate, gravel and mesh, and other devices, chosen by whether the inlet sits in pavement or in grass and how much traffic rolls over it. Along with inlets, we install sediment control measures such as straw wattles on slopes, check dams in swales, and stabilized construction entrances where the plan calls for them.

Maintenance and removal

Silt fence has to be inspected and repaired after storms and cleaned out when sediment builds up against it. Fence that is torn, buried or knocked down does nothing. Because the fence has to stay until vegetation is established, we tie removal to seeding: once the grass meets the permit's standard, we pull the fence and stakes and seed the strip where it stood.

Silt fence installation cost

The current figures we can point to come from public agency rate lists. State road agency rates, 2025, for erosion work set plain (unstabilized) silt fence at $378 for each 100 feet and the stabilized type at $748 for each 100 feet, while inlet protection runs $102 to $172 per inlet by type. Our price depends on footage, ground conditions, access and how long the fence must stay up.