Environmental Rules in San Bernardino, CA (2026)
4 verified environmental rules for San Bernardino, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Stormwater Management
San Bernardino bans dumping anything but rain into its storm drains under Municipal Code Chapter 8.80. Pet waste, wash water, pool backwash, and construction runoff are all prohibited discharges enforced by the City Engineer under an NPDES permit.
San Bernardino Stormwater Discharge Rules
Significant RestrictionsSan Bernardino Municipal Code § 8.80.206
It is prohibited to: (A) Discharge non-storm water, directly or indirectly, to the city's storm water drainage system, or any street, lined or unlined drainage channel which leads to the city's storm drain or directly or indirectly into any waters of the state unless such discharge is authorized by either a separate NPDES permit or as otherwise specified in § 8.80.207... (C) Throw, deposit, lea...
Erosion Control
Builders in San Bernardino disturbing an acre or more must get a state construction storm water permit and file a local Storm Water Quality Management Plan before any grading or building permit issues, under Municipal Code § 8.80.501 and § 8.80.502.
San Bernardino Construction Erosion Control Rules
Significant RestrictionsSan Bernardino Municipal Code § 8.80.501, § 8.80.502
Prior to the issuance of any grading or building permit, all qualifying land development/ redevelopment projects shall submit and have approved a storm water quality management plan (“SWQMP”) to the City Engineer on a form provided by the city... Any developer/owner engaging in construction activities which disturb one acre or more of land shall apply for coverage under the general storm water ...
Flood Zones
Any development inside a San Bernardino flood hazard area needs a floodplain development permit from the City Engineer, who serves as Floodplain Administrator, before work can begin. Flood hazard areas are the zones mapped on the federal Flood Insurance Rate Maps adopted into Chapter 8.79, and building without a permit is a misdemeanor.
San Bernardino Floodplain Development Permit
Significant RestrictionsSan Bernardino Municipal Code § 8.79.190
Any person, owner or authorized agent who intends to conduct any development in a flood hazard area shall first make an application to the Floodplain Administrator and shall obtain the required permit for floodplain development. No permit shall be issued until compliance with the requirements of this chapter and all other applicable codes and regulations has been satisfied. No building permit s...
Flood Elevation Requirements
When a San Bernardino property sits in an approximate Zone A flood hazard area with no FEMA base flood elevation on record, the Floodplain Administrator can set the base flood elevation at two feet above the highest adjacent grade, provided nothing shows flood depths could run deeper. Actual construction elevation requirements then follow from that figure under Chapter 8.79.
San Bernardino Base Flood Elevation Rules
Some RestrictionsSan Bernardino Municipal Code § 8.79.270
Where flood hazard areas are delineated on the FIRM and base flood elevation data have not been provided, the Floodplain Administrator is authorized to... (C) Where base flood elevation and floodway data are not available from another source, where the available data are deemed by the Floodplain Administrator to not reasonably reflect flooding conditions or where the available data are known ...
Looking for San Bernardino County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement San Bernardino city rules.
Environmental Rules in San Bernardino County →