Lafayette, LA Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)

Adopted by Ordinance No. O-237-2007 and last amended by Ordinance No. JO-075-2023, the ordinance is codified as Chapter 34, Article V. Section 34-401 titles it the "Stormwater Ordinance of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government," and Section 34-403 makes it applicable to all water entering the MS4 generated on any lands within the city-parish, unless the director of public works grants a written exemption. The public works director administers and enforces the article under Section 34-404 and may delegate that authority in writing to other city-parish personnel.

Section 34-402 states the article regulates illicit discharges and illicit connections to the MS4, stormwater tied to construction activities, land-disturbing activities, and post-construction erosion and sedimentation control, so the city-parish can meet its Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (LPDES) MS4 permit obligations. Enforcement is not limited to fines: Section 34-548 lets the public works director declare a violation a public nuisance and summarily abate or restore the affected property at the violator's expense, and Section 34-549 authorizes a petition for a temporary restraining order or injunction against a continuing violator.

Section 34-547 lists mitigating factors the director may weigh before assessing a fine's full amount, including a clean compliance history, an act-of-God or third-party cause, and good-faith corrective effort. Because Lafayette is a consolidated city-parish government, this MS4 program reaches unincorporated parish land, not only the incorporated city.