Lafayette, IN Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)

The City of Lafayette Stormwater Code, adopted under Indiana Code 36-9-23 and 36-9-28.5 and IDEM's MS4 and Construction Stormwater General Permits, regulates discharges to the storm drain system citywide. Section 8.08.210 bars discharging anything other than stormwater or an exempted flow to a waterbody, and requires anyone discharging stormwater to prevent pollutants from riding along using best management practices. Section 8.08.220 exempts roughly twenty specific non-stormwater flows, including water line flushing, landscape irrigation, footing drains, air conditioning condensation, and firefighting discharges. Section 8.08.230 separately bans storing hazardous or toxic material in any drainageway, floodway, or floodplain.

Anyone who accidentally discharges a prohibited substance must immediately notify the Lafayette Fire Department and Tippecanoe Emergency Management under Section 8.08.250, then file a written report with the City Engineer's Office within five days describing the substance, timing, volume, and cleanup steps; a properly filed report is an affirmative defense to a civil infraction. Lafayette Renew periodically inspects the storm drainage system and outfalls under Section 8.08.260 to detect illicit connections, and can sample a suspected discharger's runoff. Enforcement runs through Article VII: Lafayette Renew issues a written notice of violation, and Section 8.08.710 sets civil infraction fines of at least $500 for a first offense and $1,000 for a subsequent offense within twelve months, plus damages, expenses, and court costs, with each day a separate offense.