Federal Way, WA Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing agency
- Public Works surface water management division
- Impervious surface trigger
- 2,000 sq ft new or replaced
- Land disturbance trigger
- 7,000 sq ft
- Fecal coliform limit
- 50 organisms/100mL geometric mean
- Inspection frequency
- At least annual
- Penalty range
- $100 to $500 per day
Summary
Federal Way bans dumping contaminants into surface water, stormwater or groundwater citywide and sets numeric water-quality limits for anything leaving a property into the public storm system. New development adding 2,000 square feet of impervious surface or 7,000 square feet of land disturbance must meet the city's drainage review standards, and the Public Works surface water management division inspects facilities at least annually.
It is unlawful for any person to discharge contaminants into surface water, stormwater, groundwater, or the Puget Sound. Contaminants include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) Trash or debris; (2) Construction materials; (3) Petroleum products including but not limited to oil, gasoline, grease, fuel oil, heating oil; (4) Antifreeze and other automotive products; (5) Metals in either particulate or dissolved form; (6) Flammable or explosive materials; (7) Radioactive material; (8) Batteries; (9) Acids, alkalis, or bases; (10) Paints, stains, resins, lacquers, or varnishes; ... (19) Domestic animal wastes; (20) Sewage; ... (27) Silt, sediment, or gravel; ... (31) Any hazardous material or waste not listed above.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 26-1049, passed August 11, 2026).
Full Breakdown
020 makes it unlawful to discharge contaminants into surface water, stormwater, groundwater or Puget Sound, listing more than 30 named contaminants from petroleum products and antifreeze to pesticides, sewage, animal carcasses and silt or sediment. 010 separately bans illicit connections, including conveyance systems built for another purpose that get tied into the storm drainage or groundwater infiltration system, even connections made in the past under different rules. 0 degrees Celsius from human activity, and turbidity can't exceed 5 NTUs over background when background is 50 NTUs or less.
010 pulls new and redevelopment projects into full drainage review once they add 2,000 square feet of new or replaced impervious surface, disturb 7,000 square feet of land, collect runoff from a 5,000-square-foot drainage area, or involve a pipe or ditch 12 inches or larger; single-family residential projects are regulated outright. 065 requires the city to inspect public and private stormwater facilities on a master schedule no less frequently than annual, with authority to inspect BMPs and sample surface or groundwater as needed. 070, if a water-quality violation is confirmed, the property owner pays the city's actual laboratory analysis costs.
Violations & Fines
Under FWRC 1.15.040(5), a notice-and-order violation of this title accrues a monetary penalty of $100 for the first violation, $200 for a second violation of the same nature, $300 for a third, and $500 for each additional violation, per day the violation continues past the correction deadline. If the notice and order goes unappealed, each day the violation continues past the correction date is a misdemeanor under FWRC 1.15.040(8). FWRC 16.45.090(4) also lets the director summarily abate a condition that poses an immediate threat to health, safety or the environment, billing the responsible person for the abatement cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
What triggers stormwater permit review in Federal Way?
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Sources & Official References
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