Jonesboro, AR Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)

Sec. 112-7 requires any person, firm, corporation, business, or legal entity proposing to develop, redevelop, or subdivide land in the city planning jurisdiction to prepare and submit a SWMP to the city engineer and receive a compliance letter before construction begins. The exceptions are narrow: one new or existing single-family structure, one new or existing duplex, or an existing commercial or industrial structure where the proposed improvements are less than 2,000 square feet cumulatively and no other improvements in the preceding three years would push the total over that threshold.

Sec. 112-9 separately requires anyone altering a channel, drainage swale, detention facility, storm sewer, or other watercourse that is part of the city system to submit construction plans and receive a compliance letter first, and sets minimum utility clearances of 18 inches vertical and five feet horizontal from storm sewer lines. Sec. 112-12 bans illicit discharges and connections into the stormwater system outright, listing narrow exceptions like dechlorinated pool water and uncontaminated groundwater, and Sec. 112-11(b) places the ongoing duty on developers to install and maintain erosion control measures and other best management practices both during and after construction.

The city engineer administers the whole scheme under Sec. 112-11(a) and can issue a notice of violation with a 30-day compliance deadline before referring a case to the city attorney under Sec. 112-43(b).