Laredo, TX Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing office
- City engineer's office
- Criminal fine range
- $500 to $2,000 per violation/day
- Residential/multifamily fee
- $6.50 per unit monthly
- Commercial fee range
- $8.00 to $120.00 monthly by sq ft
- Citizen report line
- (956) 727-7794
- Appeal deadline
- 45 days to board of adjustment
Summary
Laredo bans discharging any pollutant into its MS4 storm sewer system or water bodies and separately charges every benefited property a monthly stormwater utility fee. The city engineer's office enforces both, backed by misdemeanor fines up to $2,000 per violation per day and stop-work orders on noncompliant construction sites.
(a)No person shall introduce or cause to be introduced into the MS4 or water bodies any discharge that causes or contributes to causing the city to violate a water quality standard, the city's NPDES permit, or any state-issued discharge permit for discharges from its MS4 or water bodies.(b)No person shall introduce or cause to be introduced into the MS4 or water bodies any harmful quantity of sediment, silt, earth, soil, or other material associated with clearing, grading, excavations or other construction activities in excess of what could be retained on site or captured by employing sediment and erosion control measures to the maximum extent practicable; for the duration of the project.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 23 Update 3 | Land Development Code: Supplement 1).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 33-303 sets the general prohibition: no one may introduce anything into the MS4 or water bodies that violates a water quality standard or the city's NPDES permit, and construction sites may not release sediment, silt, earth or soil beyond what erosion controls can retain on site. Sections 33-304 through 33-321 list specific bans covering used motor oil, household hazardous waste, vehicle-wash and fueling-area runoff, grease trap and PUST discharges, pesticides/herbicides/fertilizers, dumpster and ready-mix truck washing, illicit sanitary connections, pavement washing, PCBs, asbestos, and grass clippings swept into street inlets.
Sec. 33-313 targets construction, development and land-disturbance runoff specifically, prohibiting low- or high-pH discharge, industrial waste, garbage, paint or solvent wash water, and requiring debris removed from a site within 30 days of occupancy. Enforcement runs through the city engineer under Sec. 33-334: a written notification of noncompliance issues first, a 'noncompliance flag' posts at the site if the violation continues past five days, and the city engineer may then issue a stop-work order halting all further permits until corrections are made. Interfering with a noncompliance flag or stop-work notice is itself an additional violation.
The city may also report noncompliance to the EPA, TNRCC, USGS, US Fish and Wildlife, or the Army Corps of Engineers. Anyone denied an MS4 discharge may appeal to the board of adjustment within 45 days. 50 each.
Violations & Fines
Violating any provision of Sec. 33-300 et seq. is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $500.00 to $2,000.00 per violation, with each day of continued violation charged as a separate offense; no culpable mental state is required. The city attorney may also seek a court injunction, and the city engineer can flag a site noncompliant and issue a stop-work order that blocks all further permits until corrections are made.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I report someone dumping into a Laredo storm drain?
What happens if a construction site keeps violating stormwater rules?
How much is Laredo's monthly stormwater fee?
Can I appeal if the city denies my request to discharge into the MS4?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Laredo
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