Canton, OH Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)

Chapter 961, Canton's Storm Water Management ordinance adopted by Ordinance 200-2009 and amended by Ordinance 225-2010, sets up the city's authority over storm water drainage and the MS4. Section 961.04(a) lets the Director of Public Service or Director of Public Safety enter any property without the owner's prior consent during an emergency or imminent danger tied to storm water runoff, authorize the work needed to alleviate the danger, and assess the cost to the responsible party. Section 961.04(b) gives the City Engineer, acting under the Director of Public Service, primary jurisdiction and control over management of the City of Canton's MS4, and Section 961.04(c) lets the Director designate the City Engineering Department or another city department as Administrator of the chapter.

The City Engineering Department also maintains the City of Canton Storm Water Management Manual adopted under Section 961.05, which supplies the technical drainage, quantity and quality standards the ordinance does not spell out directly. Representatives of the City Engineering, Health or Fire Departments may inspect a site under Section 961.11, and Section 961.18 separately bars any illicit discharge into the MS4 except a narrow list of exempt non-storm-water flows such as landscape irrigation and potable water line flushing. A property owner who refuses entry despite probable cause can be met with an administrative inspection warrant under Section 961.12, and the Law Director may pursue civil proceedings, including injunctive relief, under Sections 961.14 and 961.15.