Tulare County, CA Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- Ordinance Code § 4-27-1000 et seq.
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Tulare County only
- Illicit connection cure period
- 30 days from effective date
- Erosion-control correction window
- Up to 24 hours
- Enforcing office
- Resource Management Agency Director
- Criminal penalty
- Misdemeanor: fine and/or imprisonment
Summary
Tulare County bans dumping refuse, animal waste or any non-storm-water pollutant into its storm drain system (MS4) in the unincorporated area. The Storm Water Quality and Regulation Ordinance requires permits for drain connections, mandates Best Management Practices on construction and industrial sites, and backs enforcement with misdemeanor penalties.
Waste Disposal Prohibitions. No Person shall throw, deposit, leave, maintain, keep, or permit to be thrown, deposited, left or maintained in or upon any public or private property, driveway, parking area, street, road, alley, sidewalk, component of a County-owned storm drain system, or Water of the United States, any refuse, rubbish, garbage, litter or other discharged or abandoned objects, articles and accumulations, including, but not limited to, dirt, green waste and animal waste, so that the same may cause or contribute to pollution. Wastes disposed in proper waste receptacles for the purposes of routine collection are exempted from this prohibition.
Full Breakdown
Tulare County Ordinance Code Chapter 4-27, the Storm Water Quality and Regulation Ordinance (Ord. No. 3438, effective 9-13-12), applies to "all discharges entering the County-owned MS4s generated on any developed and/or undeveloped lands lying within the unincorporated areas of the County" under Section 4-27-1015; agricultural discharges regulated by the State or Regional Water Quality Control Board are exempt. Section 4-27-1145(a) bars throwing, depositing or leaving refuse, rubbish, litter, dirt, green waste or animal waste on any public or private property, driveway, street or storm drain component so that it may cause or contribute to pollution.
Subsection (b) separately bans illegal discharges of pollutants into the storm drain system, and subsection (c) bans illicit connections outright, requiring any existing illicit connection to be eliminated within 30 days of the ordinance's effective date. Section 4-27-1155 requires animal owners to promptly pick up and remove pet waste, exempting grazing animals if the pasture meets water-quality standards. Section 4-27-1165 requires a permit for any direct connection to the county storm drain pipeline, with an inspection fee set by the county's Development Fee Schedule, and the permit must be re-obtained by a new property owner within 30 days of a transfer.
Construction and industrial dischargers under Section 4-27-1160 must comply with their NPDES permits, and Section 4-27-1230 through 1265 authorize the Director to adopt and impose Best Management Practices, require SWPPP submittal for higher-risk projects, and collect an NPDES Compliance Assurance Deposit tied to grading permits. The Resource Management Agency's Director administers and enforces the chapter.
Violations & Fines
Under Section 4-27-1450 the Director issues a written Notice of Violation ordering elimination of illicit connections, cessation of the discharge, remediation, and payment of costs; unabated violations are pursued as public nuisances under Ordinance Code Part IV, Chapter 1. Section 4-27-1455 gives construction sites with inadequate erosion controls no more than 24 hours to correct before the county performs the work at the owner's expense. Section 4-27-1475 makes any violation a misdemeanor punishable by fine or imprisonment under Section 125 of the General Provisions, plus administrative fines under Chapter 23, business-license revocation, and up to a two-year bar from county right-of-way work for contractors. Section 4-27-1480 treats each day of a continuing violation as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this ordinance apply to my property in Visalia or the city of Tulare?
Can I hose dirt or yard debris into the street or a storm drain?
Do I need a permit to connect to the county storm drain system?
What happens if I don't fix an erosion-control problem at my construction site?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tulare County
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