Champaign County, IL Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Ordinance adopted
- June 18, 2015
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Champaign County only
- Permit trigger
- 1+ acre of land disturbance (ILR10)
- Enforcing official
- County Zoning Administrator
- Fine range
- $100 to $500 per day, per offense
- Program
- NPDES MS4 stormwater compliance
Summary
Champaign County's Storm Water Management and Erosion Control Ordinance, adopted June 18, 2015, bars grading or filling that ponds surface water or turns runoff into a nuisance, requires all storm water to leave a development site at non-erosive velocities, and triggers a state ILR10 permit once land disturbance reaches one acre. It reaches unincorporated county land only.
A. No FILL shall be placed nor GRADE altered in such a manner that it will cause SURFACE WATER upstream of the DEVELOPMENT to pond or direct surface flows in such a way as to create a nuisance. B. All STORM WATER shall exit the DEVELOPMENT at non-erosive velocities. All subsurface flows shall exit the DEVELOPMENT at such a velocity so as to prevent an increase in scouring or structural damage to off-site tile drains. C. Sizing of CULVERT crossings shall consider entrance and exit losses as well as tail water conditions on the CULVERT.
Full Breakdown
1, General Requirement, is the operative drainage standard: no fill may be placed nor grade altered so that surface water upstream of a development ponds or is directed to create a nuisance, storm water must exit a development at non-erosive velocities so subsurface flows do not scour or damage off-site tile drains, and culvert crossings must be sized accounting for entrance and exit losses and tail-water conditions. 0, Applicability, folds in the Illinois EPA's ILR10 general permit: it applies once land disturbance activities reach one acre or more, or less than an acre if the site is part of a common plan of development that ultimately disturbs an acre or more, including individual lots created out of such a plan.
The ordinance implements Champaign County's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) program. 1 and Section 10 of the County Zoning Ordinance, read together with the Land Disturbance Erosion Control standards in Section 11 of this Ordinance. Because county zoning and this drainage ordinance reach the unincorporated area only, land inside Champaign, Urbana, Rantoul, Savoy or Mahomet is governed by that city's own stormwater program, not this county text.
Violations & Fines
Under Section 15.7, Legal Proceedings, a complaint for any violation may be filed in the Circuit Court, with each day a violation exists counted as a separate offense; the State's Attorney may also seek an injunction or a lien for cleanup costs. Section 15.8, Penalties, sets the fine at not less than $100 nor more than $500 per day for each separate offense. The Zoning Administrator can also post a stop-work order under Section 15.6, and after 10 days may enter the site and perform corrective erosion and sediment control work, billing the cost to the owner or permittee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this stormwater ordinance apply inside the City of Champaign or Urbana?
When does a Champaign County stormwater permit become required?
Can I let runoff pond on my neighbor's land during grading?
What happens if I violate the stormwater ordinance in unincorporated Champaign County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Champaign County
Compare Champaign County to another location·View the Illinois environmental rules overview
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