Inglewood, CA Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing officer
- Public Works Director
- Governing permit
- LA Regional Municipal NPDES Permit
- Misdemeanor penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine / 6 months jail
- Infraction penalty
- $100 / $250 / $500 escalating
- Parking lot sweeping
- Required over 25 spaces
- Adopted
- Ordinance 23-09, 4-4-23
Summary
Inglewood bans illicit connections and illicit discharges to its municipal storm drain system under Article 16 of the Municipal Code. Dumping landscape debris, pet waste, wash water, or any other pollutant into a street, gutter, catch basin, or storm drain violates the ordinance, and the Public Works Director's enforcement staff can inspect, cite, and pursue criminal or civil action against violators.
§ 10-204. Prohibited Activities. A. Illicit Discharges and Connections. No person shall commence, establish, use, maintain, or continue any illicit connections to the MS4 or any illicit discharges to the MS4. ... D. Disposal of Landscape Debris. No person shall intentionally dispose of leaves, dirt or other landscape debris into a storm drain. ... § 10-211. Enforcement. G. Misdemeanor. Any person who negligently or knowingly violates any provision of this Article ... shall be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 or by imprisonment for a period of not more than six months, or both. H. Infraction. Any person who may otherwise be charged with a misdemeanor as a result of a violation of this Article may be charged at the discretion of the prosecuting attorney, and cited by the City, with an infraction punishable by a fine of not more than $100 for the first violation, $250 for the second violation and $500 for each additional violation thereafter.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4954608; v8 updated 2026-05-19).
Full Breakdown
The City is a co-permittee under the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board's Municipal NPDES Permit, which also functions as the City's federal Clean Water Act permit, and Section 10-202 ties the ordinance directly to protecting water quality in the Ballona Creek and Dominguez Channel watersheds. Section 10-204 lists the prohibited activities: illicit connections and discharges (A); littering into streets, alleys, storm drains, or bodies of water (B); allowing animal feces to remain on public or private property (C); intentionally disposing of leaves, dirt, or landscape debris into a storm drain (D); and a detailed list of ten specific prohibited discharges (G), including wash water from commercial or mobile auto washing, discharges from leaking vehicle repairs, residential or commercial swimming pool water discharged without a City permit, and concrete washout from trucks, pumps, and tools.
Section 10-206 requires nonresidential parking lots with more than twenty-five spaces that generate runoff to be swept regularly to remove oil, chemicals, and debris. Section 10-207 requires industrial, commercial, and construction dischargers to obtain any required NPDES permit and to prove compliance before the City issues a grading, building, or occupancy permit. The Director of Public Works, as authorized enforcement officer, may enter property to inspect, sample, and test for violations under Section 10-211, using a consent or an inspection warrant.
Violations & Fines
Violating Article 16 is a misdemeanor under Section 10-211(G): a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both. Prosecutors may instead charge it as an infraction under Section 10-211(H): $100 for a first violation, $250 for a second, $500 for each after that. Every violation is also a public nuisance the City Attorney can abate by civil action, and each day it continues is a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sweep yard debris into the street storm drain in Inglewood?
Can I drain my swimming pool into the street?
Do commercial parking lots have special stormwater duties?
Who enforces Inglewood's stormwater ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Inglewood
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