Bernalillo County enforces the Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Authority (AMAFCA) Drainage Ordinance and the joint City/County DPM. New development must produce a drainage plan showing 100-year storm containment. MS4 NPDES permit governs discharge to the Rio Grande.
Bernalillo County Ordinance Chapter 50 and the joint City/County Development Process Manual (DPM) require approved drainage reports for any subdivision, grading, or building permit that increases impervious area. AMAFCA is the regional flood control authority and reviews plans in the Rio Grande watershed. The County is a co-permittee on the Middle Rio Grande MS4 NPDES permit (NM0030759) under Clean Water Act §402, which prohibits non-stormwater discharges. High-desert site design must account for intense monsoon events (July–September). Retention ponds are sized for the 100-year 24-hour storm (approx. 2.6 inches in ABQ). Low-impact development — rain gardens, permeable pavers, and landscape swales — is encouraged under the 2018 Integrated Development Ordinance (IDO §5-2). Post-construction BMPs must have a recorded maintenance agreement.
Construction without approved drainage report: stop-work order under County Code §50. Illicit discharge to arroyos or storm drains: NPDES civil penalties up to $59,973/day per federal 40 CFR §19.4. Failure to maintain on-site BMPs: notice of violation, then misdemeanor citation.
Bernalillo County, NM
Bernalillo County Animal Care Ordinance (Chapter 6, §6-47) — unlawful to allow an animal to persistently or continuously bark, howl, or make noise common to ...
Bernalillo County, NM
Construction noise in unincorporated Bernalillo County is regulated under the county noise ordinance (Chapter 30, Art. IV) and general nuisance provisions. B...
Bernalillo County, NM
Bernalillo County has no leaf blower-specific ban. Gas-powered blowers are widely used in unincorporated areas. General noise and air quality rules apply, wi...
Bernalillo County, NM
Bernalillo County Code Chapter 30, Article IV (Noise) establishes noise regulations for unincorporated areas. State law NMSA §30-20-1 also applies — disturbi...
Bernalillo County, NM
Commercial vehicle parking in unincorporated Bernalillo County regulated by zoning code. Off-street loading/unloading requirements in Section 21 of Appendix ...
Bernalillo County, NM
Bernalillo County Code §30 and Albuquerque §8-5-2-6 define abandoned vehicles as those left on public right-of-way for 72+ hours or inoperable vehicles store...
See how Bernalillo County's stormwater management rules stack up against other locations.
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