Oxnard, CA Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

City Code § 22-222, part of Article XII (Storm Water Quality Management), governs construction sites directly: any activity needing a grading, building or discretionary permit must follow conditions in the city's NPDES municipal storm water permit and any director-imposed watershed protections. Any grading, demolition or stockpile permit application must include a plan naming the structural and non-structural best management practices (BMPs) that will be used to keep pollutants out of storm water runoff and stop construction discharges from violating water quality standards. The plan required depends on disturbed acreage: projects disturbing less than one acre submit a Storm Water Pollution Control Plan (SWPCP) or equivalent, while projects disturbing one acre or more must submit a full Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) meeting both the municipal storm water permit and the state general construction permit.

The applicant must obtain city approval of the required plan before the grading permit or any authorizing construction permit issues, and each plan must name a responsible person for the project. Every site under an SWPPP or SWPCP gets at least one city inspection during the wet season to confirm the storm water quality controls are actually in place; if the city finds the plan improperly implemented, a follow-up inspection follows within two weeks. The city's review, approval, revision, inspection and reinspection costs are billed to the project through the applicable city fee resolution, and compliance with an approved plan does not excuse independent compliance with every other provision of the article.