Corona, CA Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- Corona Municipal Code Ch. 13.27
- Core ban
- No pollutant discharge to storm drains
- Enforcing officer
- Director of Public Works
- Regulatory backdrop
- Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board NPDES permit
- Misdemeanor penalty
- Up to 6 months jail or $1,000 fine
- Continuing violation
- Each day is a separate offense
Summary
Corona bans dumping pollutants into streets, gutters, catch basins and storm drains, and prohibits illicit connections or discharges to the storm drain system, under Municipal Code Chapter 13.27, adopted to meet the city's Clean Water Act NPDES permit. Violations are misdemeanors or infractions enforced by the Public Works Director.
(A) In addition to any other activity prohibited by this chapter or the Corona Municipal Code, no person shall: ... (4) Throw, deposit, leave, maintain, keep or permit to be thrown, deposited, placed, left or maintained, any pollutant in or upon any street, alley, sidewalk, storm drain, inlet, catch basin, conduit or other drainage structures, business place, or upon any public or private plot of land in the city. The only exception being where such pollutant is being temporarily placed in an appropriate container with a spill containment system for later collection and removal. No person shall cause or permit any dumpster, solid waste bin, or similar container to leak such that any pollutant is discharged into any street, alley, sidewalk, storm drain, inlet, catch basin, conduit or other drainage structures, business place, or upon any public or private plot of land in the city.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-56: Supplement contains: Local legislation passed through Ord. 3423, passed 12-3-2025).
Full Breakdown
050(A) bars establishing or maintaining an illicit connection or discharge to the storm drain system, and separately bars throwing, depositing or leaving any pollutant on any street, alley, sidewalk, storm drain, inlet, catch basin, conduit or other drainage structure, or on any public or private lot, unless it is temporarily contained with spill-containment equipment for later removal; leaking dumpsters and solid waste bins that discharge pollutants are likewise prohibited. The chapter, administered by the city's Director of Public Works and enforced with reference to the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board's NPDES permit, defines pollutants broadly to include oil and automotive fluids, paint, yard and animal waste, wash water, chlorine and food waste.
050(B), including storm water itself, air-conditioning condensate, dechlorinated pool discharges (excluding backwash), passive foundation or footing drains carrying only storm water or uncontaminated groundwater, and non-commercial vehicle washing, unless the city or the Regional Board finds the discharge is a significant pollutant source. 100 requires owners of paved parking lots, gas station pavement and similar outdoor surfaces to clean them as often as practicable to avoid discharging pollutants.
Violations & Fines
Violating any provision of Chapter 13.27 is a misdemeanor under § 13.27.200, punishable under Municipal Code §§ 1.08.020 and 1.08.025 by up to six months of imprisonment or a fine of up to $1,000, or both; § 13.27.210 allows infraction-level prosecution instead, capped at a fine only. Section 13.27.220 treats each day a violation continues as a separate offense, and § 13.27.230 declares any violation a public nuisance that the city may summarily abate, with abatement costs recoverable as a lien on the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I hose pollutants like oil or wash water into the street in Corona?
Is rinsing my car in the driveway a storm water violation?
What is the penalty for an illegal storm drain discharge in Corona?
Who enforces Corona's storm water rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Corona
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