Amarillo, TX Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- Code of Ordinances Ch. 18-3, Art. V (Storm Sewers)
- Enforcing agency
- Director of Utilities / Stormwater Coordinator
- Discharge ban
- Pollutants, oil sheens, pH below 5.5 prohibited
- Civil penalty
- $100 to $1,000 per violation per day
- Cure period
- 10 business days after Notice of Violation
- Appeal path
- Committee, then City Manager, decision final
- Construction sites
- SWP3 and erosion controls required before grading
Summary
Amarillo's Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System ordinance bans discharging any pollutant, including oily sheens, corrosive stormwater below pH 5.5, and noxious substances, into city storm drains under Code of Ordinances Sec. 18-3-94. The Director of Utilities enforces the rule with escalating notices, compliance orders, and civil penalties from $100 to $1,000 per violation per day under Sec. 18-3-101.
No User shall contribute or cause to be contributed, directly or indirectly, any Pollutant into the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System except as provided in 40 CFR 122.26(2)(iv)(B)(1). A User commits an offense under this Chapter if the user introduces or causes to be introduced any of the following substances to Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System:(1)Pollutants which create a fire or explosion hazard including but not limited to waste streams with a closed cup flashpoint of less than one hundred forty (140) degrees Fahrenheit or sixty (60) degrees Centigrade;(2)Petroleum oil or products of mineral oil origin in amounts that will cause a visible scum or sheen on water surface;(3)Any solid or viscous substances in amounts which may cause obstruction to the Flow;(4)Any Stormwater having a pH less than 5.5 or Stormwater having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment or personnel;...(10)Any Discharge which is scientifically known to cause a hazard to human or aquatic life or which constitutes a public nuisance; and(11)Any Discharge which is a violation of Section 301(a) of the Clean Water Act.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 81).
Full Breakdown
Amarillo's MS4 ordinance, Chapter 18-3, Article V of the Code of Ordinances, governs everything that reaches the city's storm drains before it flows untreated into playa lakes and area waterways. Sec. 5, radioactive waste, or any discharge that violates Section 301(a) of the federal Clean Water Act. Construction sites carry extra duties under Sec. 18-3-95: erosion, sediment, and debris controls must be in place before any grading or excavation begins, and operators must keep a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWP3) on site and copy the Director of Utilities on any federal Notice of Intent or Notice of Termination.
Anyone who causes or discovers an illicit discharge must call the Director immediately under Sec. 18-3-96, follow with a written report within five days, and post emergency-contact notices at construction and industrial sites. The Director may enter and sample any property discharging to the MS4 under Sec. 18-3-99, and can seek a search warrant if access is refused. Enforcement under Sec. 18-3-101 escalates from a Notice of Violation with a 10-business-day cure period, to a compliance order, to a Red Tag Order posted at the site that blocks further permits, inspections, or occupancy approvals until violations are resolved and penalties paid.
A Red Tag Order can be appealed to a three-member committee, an Assistant City Manager plus two department directors, within five days, with a hearing inside ten business days; that decision can be appealed to the City Manager within five business days, whose ruling is final.
Violations & Fines
Violating Sec. 18-3-94's discharge prohibitions triggers a written Notice of Violation with a 10-business-day cure period; noncompliance escalates to a compliance order and then a Red Tag Order that halts city permits, inspections, and occupancy approvals at the site. Civil penalties run $100 to $1,000 per violation per day under Sec. 18-3-101(a)(3), escalating for repeat offenders. The Director can also suspend water, sewer, or MS4 access without notice for discharges threatening health or the environment; the resulting condition is deemed a public nuisance subject to summary abatement at the violator's expense.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can't I discharge into Amarillo's storm drains?
What happens if I violate Amarillo's stormwater rules?
Can I appeal a Red Tag Order in Amarillo?
Do Amarillo construction sites need a stormwater plan?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Amarillo
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