Gulfport, FL Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- General prohibition
- Illicit discharges banned, Sec. 11-93(a)
- Civil penalty
- Up to $5,000 per offense, Sec. 11-96(b)
- Allowed flows
- Irrigation runoff, AC condensation, pool dechlorination
- Utility fee, single-family
- $13.45 per month, FY2026
- Utility fee, duplex
- $12.17 per unit monthly
- NPDES permit holders
- Must file permit copy within 60 days
Summary
Gulfport bans illicit discharges into its storm sewer system under Sec. 11-93, backed by a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per offense. Every developed parcel also pays a monthly stormwater utility fee, $13.45 for a single-family home in fiscal year 2026.
(a)General prohibitions. Any illicit discharge is prohibited. ... (d)Illicit connections. No person may maintain, use or establish any direct or indirect connection to the stormwater system that results in an illicit discharge. ... In addition to the penalties provided in section 1-6 of the Code of Ordinances, the city may institute any appropriate action or proceeding, including suit for injunctive relief, in order to prevent or abate violations of this article. The city is hereby authorized to impose and recover a civil penalty for each violation of this article in an amount not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) for each offense. In any action brought pursuant to this subsection, the city shall recover its attorneys fees and costs incurred as a result of said action, including all attorneys fees and costs incurred prior to litigation and through all appellate proceedings.
Full Breakdown
Article V of Chapter 11 regulates what can enter Gulfport's separate storm sewer system. Sec. 11-93(a) prohibits any illicit discharge outright, defined at Sec. 11-92 as anything entering the stormwater system that isn't composed entirely of stormwater, apart from firefighting flows or discharges under a valid NPDES permit. Sec. 11-93(c) carves out specific allowed flows: firefighting water, waste-line flushing, landscape irrigation and lawn watering runoff, diverted stream flows and rising groundwater, foundation and footing drain water, air conditioning condensation, individual residential car washing, dechlorinated pool water, and flows from riparian habitats and wetlands.
Sec. 11-93(d) separately bars maintaining, using or establishing any connection to the stormwater system that results in an illicit discharge. Sec. 11-94 requires anyone with knowledge of a prohibited discharge to notify the city manager immediately and, if responsible for it, to contain and clean it up right away. Sec. 11-95 gives authorized city officials inspection and sampling authority, including administrative orders to cease a discharge. Sec. 00 per offense, on top of the general penalty in Sec. 1-6, plus recovery of the city's attorneys' fees and costs in any enforcement action.
Division 2 funds the system separately: Sec. 11-99 creates a stormwater utility fee on every developed parcel, and Sec. 45 per equivalent dwelling unit for commercial and municipal parcels.
Violations & Fines
An illicit discharge into Gulfport's stormwater system, or an illicit connection to it, violates Sec. 11-93 and Sec. 11-96, which authorizes a civil penalty of up to $5,000.00 per offense, injunctive relief, and recovery of the city's attorneys' fees and litigation costs, with each day a violation continues counted as a separate offense under the Code's general penalty, Sec. 1-6.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as an illegal discharge into Gulfport's storm drains?
How much can the city fine me for a stormwater violation?
Does every property in Gulfport pay a stormwater fee?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Gulfport
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Stormwater Management in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Pinellas County handle stormwater management.