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Elizabeth, NJ Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)

Significant Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Governing chapter
Elizabeth City Code Ch. 13.24, readopted 2024
Applies to
Major and minor development projects
Erosion standard
State Soil and Sediment Control Act minimums
Minor dev. storage
3 inches runoff storage, 1-4 family lots
Review body
Municipal board, engineer, or zoning officer
Max fine
$2,000 plus $1,250 repeat-offense fine

Summary

Elizabeth requires every major development, and many smaller residential and nonresidential projects, to control flooding, recharge groundwater and cut pollutants through green infrastructure and other stormwater best-management practices before the city will approve construction. Chapter 13.24, rewritten in 2024, sets minimum design standards for major development and a separate, lighter track for projects that qualify as minor development.

Policy Statement. Flood control, groundwater recharge, and pollutant reduction shall be achieved through the use of stormwater management measures, including green infrastructure best management practices (GI BMPs) and nonstructural stormwater management strategies... B.Purpose. The purpose of this chapter is to establish minimum stormwater management requirements and controls for "major development," as defined below in section 13.24.020. This chapter also establishes minimum stormwater requirements and controls for projects (residential and nonresidential) that fall below the threshold of major development, per the "minor development" definition given in section 13.24.020.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 31).

Full Breakdown

24 (Stormwater Management), repealed and reenacted in full by Ordinance No. 030, and 'minor development,' a lighter-touch category that still must control erosion and avoid worsening drainage onto neighboring property. A. 110. 090. Minor developments route through the zoning officer or city engineer instead of the full board process. 110(D).

Violations & Fines

Section 13.24.120 makes anyone who erects, constructs, alters, repairs, converts, maintains or uses a building, structure or land in violation of Chapter 13.24 subject to a fine of not more than $2,000, up to ninety days in the Union County Jail, or up to ninety days of community service. A repeat conviction for the same offense within one year adds up to an additional $1,250 fine, calculated separately from the original penalty; the same penalty applies to minor-development violations under Section 13.24.110(E).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Elizabeth require a stormwater plan for a home addition?
It depends on scope. If the addition qualifies as 'minor development' under Section 13.24.020, the property owner must submit a minor development stormwater management plan for review, and on one- through four-family lots must provide storage equal to three inches of runoff from all new impervious surface under Section 13.24.110. Larger 'major development' projects trigger the full site plan and green infrastructure requirements instead.
What standards must major development stormwater plans meet in Elizabeth?
Under Section 13.24.030, major development must provide erosion control that meets the state Soil and Sediment Control Act's minimum standards, plus groundwater recharge, and stormwater runoff quantity and quality controls achieved primarily through green infrastructure best management practices, all reviewed against the checklist and calculations required by Section 13.24.090's site development stormwater plan submission.
Who maintains a stormwater facility after it's built in Elizabeth?
The property owner must keep any required stormwater management measure functioning properly. If the city finds it has become a danger or needs repair, it notifies the owner in writing, who then has fourteen days to fix it; if the owner does not, the city can perform the repair itself and place a lien on the property to recover the cost, under Section 13.24.110(D).

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Elizabeth

Fence Regulations: Height LimitsSome RestrictionsBoat Dock PermitsSignificant RestrictionsFlood ZonesSignificant RestrictionsErosion ControlSome RestrictionsFlood Elevation RequirementsSome RestrictionsVehicle Idling RestrictionsSome RestrictionsNoise Ordinances: Decibel LimitsSome RestrictionsParking Rules: Driveway RulesSome RestrictionsFence Regulations: Material RestrictionsHeavy RestrictionsFence Regulations: Retaining WallsSome RestrictionsFence Regulations: Fence Permit RequirementsSome Restrictions

All Elizabeth rules

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