Fresno, CA Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing officer
- City Manager (Authorized Enforcement Agent)
- Adopted
- Ord. 97-16, effective 5-9-97
- Covers
- Developed & undeveloped urban land, Permit Area
- Excludes
- Agricultural parcels of 5+ acres
- Hazardous spill report
- Call 911 immediately
- Non-hazardous spill report
- District by 5 p.m. next business day
- Governing permit
- NPDES Permit No. CA0083500
Summary
Fresno's Urban Storm Water Quality Management and Discharge Control Ordinance bans non-storm-water discharges into the city's storm drain system and requires everyone who might pollute runoff to follow Best Management Practices. The City Manager, acting as Authorized Enforcement Agent, administers the program citywide under the region's Clean Water Act permit.
The purpose and intent of this article is to ensure the health, safety, and general welfare of citizens, and protect the water quality of watercourses and water bodies in a manner pursuant to and consistent with the Federal Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et sequentes) by reducing pollutants in urban storm water discharges to the maximum extent practicable and by effectively prohibiting non-storm water discharges to the storm drain system. ... The commencement, conduct or continuance of any illicit discharge to the storm drain system is prohibited except as described below.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 54).
Full Breakdown
Adopted by Ordinance 97-16 in 1997, Chapter 6, Article 7 applies to storm water generated on developed and undeveloped urban land inside the city and the designated Permit Area, but expressly exempts storm water from agricultural parcels of five acres or more (Sec. 6-704). The core rule, Sec. 6-709, bans any illicit discharge to the storm drain system, with narrow carve-outs for things like landscape irrigation, occasional non-commercial car washing, de-chlorinated pool water, and firefighting flows, unless a specific discharge is later found to violate the Porter-Cologne Act or Clean Water Act.
Illicit connections to the storm drain system are separately banned under Sec. 6-710, covering connections made even before the ordinance existed. The City Manager, as Authorized Enforcement Agent, can order monitoring, elimination of illicit discharges or connections, cessation of violating practices, and site remediation by written notice (Secs. 6-715 through 6-717), and may inspect premises and take samples under Secs. 6-720 and 6-721. the next business day, confirmed in writing within three days (Sec. 6-719). The program operates under the area-wide municipal NPDES permit (No.
CA0083500) shared by the City, City of Clovis, Fresno County, Caltrans, and Fresno State, all overseen by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board.
Violations & Fines
The Authorized Enforcement Agent enforces this article the same way as any other city ordinance (Sec. 6-722), starting with a written notice of violation before further action. Continued or willful non-compliance exposes a discharger to the city's general misdemeanor penalty of up to $1,000 and/or six months in county jail under FMC Sec. 1-304, with each day of violation treated as a separate offense, or to an administrative citation and civil penalty under Sec. 1-308.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Who enforces Fresno's storm water ordinance?
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fresno
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Stormwater Management in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Fresno County handle stormwater management.