Escambia County, FL Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)

The Escambia County Stormwater Discharge Control Ordinance (Code ch. 42, art. VII, adopted by Ord. No. 2001-6) flatly prohibits, at § 42-307(a), "illicit discharges and illicit connections, not exempt under the provisions of this article" into the county's municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) or waters of the United States. Under § 42-307(b)-(d), failing to report a connection or discharge from industrial or construction activity counts as the violation itself, and any discharge that breaches a federal, state or local permit condition is automatically an illicit discharge. Section 42-305 requires stormwater from industrial activities and "significant construction activities" (disturbing five or more acres) to be treated or managed on site under an approved pollution-prevention plan before it reaches the MS4, and § 42-305(d) requires written notice to the county administrator before that discharge begins. A list of everyday flows exempt from the rule, such as landscape irrigation, air-conditioning condensate, and dechlorinated pool water, sits at § 42-310, unless those flows significantly contribute to an MS4 impairment.

Enforcement runs through Chapter 30 of the county code plus F.S. § 125.69 and F.S. ch. 162 (§ 42-311(a)). The county attorney can seek injunctive relief in state or federal court, each day of a violation is a separate offense, and a violator is liable for the sampling, remediation and legal costs the county incurs, which become a lien on the property until paid (§ 42-311(e)). The ordinance was enacted under Article VIII, Section 1(f) of the Florida Constitution and Chapter 125, Florida Statutes, and applies countywide to protect the quality of stormwater discharged from the unincorporated area's MS4.