Cedar Park, TX Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing article
- Art. 12.16, Stormwater Management
- Open drainage easement
- 25 ft minimum width
- Enclosed system easement
- 15 ft minimum width
- Basis
- Fully developed, undetained runoff
Summary
Cedar Park requires developers to size stormwater systems for a fully developed, undetained drainage area and dedicate drainage easements at least 25 feet wide for open channels or 15 feet for enclosed storm sewers.
Computation of stormwater runoff shall be based on a fully developed undetained contributing drainage area or watershed and shall be in accordance with the drainage criteria manual.
(b) Easements or rights-of-way shall be dedicated by the owner of the property to be developed to the public for the purpose of containing all drainage facilities, open or enclosed, and all stormwater flows to the limits of the one-hundred-year floodplain as determined in accordance with subsection (a). No easement or right-of-way for such purposes shall be less than twenty-five (25) feet in width for open drainage systems or fifteen (15) feet for enclosed drainage systems. Additional easements or right-of-way shall be provided as necessary to allow continuous access for operation, maintenance, and rehabilitation of all drainage facilities. Any part of a lot or tract of land contained within such easement or right-of-way may be counted as part of the area of the lot or tract of land for the purposes of density and impervious cover calculations.
(c) Within any street right-of-way, an enclosed storm sewer system shall be required to accommodate that portion of the design flow which exceeds street capacities in accordance with the drainage criteria manual.
(d) The design and construction of all drainage facilities and improvements shall be in accordance with the drainage criteria manual and shall include provisions for maintenance and protection from erosion.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4973212; v14 updated 2026-06-25).
Full Breakdown
Article 12.16, Stormwater Management, of the Subdivision Regulation chapter requires that computation of stormwater runoff be based on a fully developed, undetained contributing drainage area or watershed, calculated per the city's drainage criteria manual. Property owners developing land must dedicate easements or rights-of-way to the public for all drainage facilities and stormwater flows up to the 100-year floodplain limit, with a minimum width of 25 feet for open drainage systems and 15 feet for enclosed systems. The article also makes owners responsible for conveying stormwater that naturally flows through their property and for off-site drainage improvements needed to accommodate their development.
Violations & Fines
No preliminary plan, final plat, or site plan can be approved without meeting these drainage design and easement-dedication requirements; the Engineering Department reviews and approves all drainage facility design before construction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Cedar Park regulate stormwater drainage on new development?
How wide must a drainage easement be in Cedar Park?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cedar Park
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Stormwater Management in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Williamson County handle stormwater management.