Gulfport, MS Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Design storm
- 50-year frequency event, minimum
- Calculated storms
- 100-year and 500-year peak discharge
- Maintenance agreement
- Required before land-disturbance permit
- Record retention
- 5 years of maintenance records
- Reporting deadline
- Records due to city engineer by Jan. 15
- Enforcing agency
- City engineer / public works director
Summary
Gulfport designs its stormwater system to a 50-year storm event under Appendix C of the city code, with peak discharge for the 100-year and 500-year storms calculated and shown as part of every permit application. Post-construction facilities also require a recorded maintenance agreement.
Minimum control requirements. Projects shall be designed for a fifty (50) year frequency storm event. Peak discharge rates for one hundred (100) year and five hundred (500) year frequency storm events shall be calculated and the effect of these storms on the stormwater system shown. This shall be submitted as part of the permit application.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 68).
Full Breakdown
Appendix C's Section 7, Basin Stormwater Management Design Criteria, sets the engineering baseline: projects must be designed for a 50-year frequency storm event, and applicants must calculate and show the effect of the 100-year and 500-year storms on the stormwater system as part of the permit application. 3 requires applicants to weigh topography, drainage area, water table depth, soils, slope and environmentally sensitive areas when choosing stormwater practices, plus a landscape plan stabilizing the ground around any structural practice. 9 folds in the Coastal Wetlands Protection Act and the Clean Water Act for work near wetlands, and flags 'hotspot' land uses with higher pollutant loads for extra structural controls.
10, naming who is responsible for upkeep, before any land-disturbance permit issues; the responsible party must keep five years of installation and repair records and report them to the city engineer by January 15 each year. The ordinance traces to the Mayor and City Council's stated goal of meeting Clean Water Act water quality requirements and EPA Stormwater Phase II obligations.
Violations & Fines
Section 6.10.3 lets the city assess a civil penalty against an owner who fails to maintain a stormwater facility as required by the recorded covenant, set at the estimated cost of the necessary repairs as certified by the city engineer, collectible by any means available to the city. General violations of the ordinance fall under Section 9.2's misdemeanor penalties: up to $250 or 30 days in jail for a first offense, rising to $500 per day or 90 days in jail for each day a violation goes uncorrected after notice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What storm event does Gulfport design stormwater systems for?
Do I have to maintain my stormwater facility after construction?
Does Gulfport's stormwater ordinance apply near wetlands?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Gulfport
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