Chandler, AZ Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 48-12.9
- Applies to
- Grading of private lots and public streets
- Who sets drainage specs
- Development Services Director/City Engineer
- Occupancy hold
- No certificate of occupancy until drainage accepted
- Max penalty
- $2,500 fine, 6 months jail (individual)
Summary
Chandler subdivision developers must provide proper and adequate stormwater drainage for both graded private lots and public streets before a plat is approved. The City Engineer or Development Services Director sets the type, extent, location and capacity of drainage facilities for each project under City Code Section 48-12.9.
48-12.9. Storm drainage. The subdivider shall make proper and adequate provision for disposal of stormwaters; this shall apply equally to grading of private properties and to public streets. Existing major watercourses shall be maintained and dedicated as drainage ways. The type, extent, location and capacity of drainage facilities shall be determined for the individual subdivision by the Director and shall be constructed in accordance with adopted City Standards.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 79).
Full Breakdown
" That means the drainage obligation is not limited to the street network a developer builds; it extends to how individual lots within the subdivision are graded, so runoff from private yards is engineered along with the public system rather than left to chance. The same section requires existing major watercourses within a subdivision to be maintained and dedicated as drainage ways rather than filled or built over, preserving natural conveyance paths through new development. The Director (Development Services) determines the type, extent, location and capacity of the drainage facilities required for each individual subdivision, and those facilities must be constructed in accordance with adopted City Standards rather than a developer's own preference.
5 bars issuance of any certificate of occupancy until required improvements, including drainage, are completed and accepted in writing by the Department. S. 2 and lists "stormwater retention" among the adequate provisions the subdivision process is meant to secure alongside water supply and sanitary sewerage.
Violations & Fines
Violating any Chapter 48 subdivision requirement, including the Section 48-12.9 drainage provision, is charged as a misdemeanor under Section 48-16, punishable as set out in the Code's general penalty section, 1-8.3: a Class 1 misdemeanor carries a fine up to $2,500, up to six months' imprisonment, and up to three years' probation, and an enterprise convicted of a Class 1 misdemeanor faces a fine up to $20,000. Section 48-16 also makes clear that serving a sentence does not excuse the offender from still complying with the underlying drainage and improvement requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who decides how much drainage capacity a Chandler subdivision needs?
Does Chandler's drainage rule cover my private lot grading or just the streets?
Can I get a certificate of occupancy before drainage improvements are finished?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chandler
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