Dearborn Heights, MI Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)

Section 39-1 declares the stormwater chapter necessary to protect public health, safety, and welfare and to protect the environment from pollution and other adverse effects of runoff, and to set performance and design criteria for stormwater management systems citywide. Section 39-10 requires anyone applying for stormwater construction approval to incorporate the flood-control standards of § 39-31 and the peak-flow-rate design method of § 39-41 into the system, and to demonstrate under Article VIII that the system will be maintained in perpetuity, unless the city approves an alternative design under § 39-11 for smaller sites, redevelopment without added impervious surface, or parking-lot resurfacing.

Applications, with supporting documentation and required fees, go to the Building and Engineering Department in a form the city engineer approves under § 39-21; under § 39-22 the engineer must approve, deny, or require modification and notify the applicant by first-class mail, giving written reasons for any denial. Before construction starts, the city may require financial assurance, most commonly a performance bond equal to at least ten percent of the estimated construction cost, under §§ 39-51 and 39-52, and the applicant must submit a long-term maintenance plan describing preventative maintenance activities and a legally binding instrument assuring perpetual upkeep under § 39-61.

Flood-control performance standards in § 39-31 require an adequate stormwater outlet, preservation of natural drainage patterns, and added protections, such as compensatory storage, for systems built within a 100-year floodplain, while § 39-32 requires a buffer strip along any watercourse used as part of the system.