Leominster, MA Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit authority
- Conservation Commission, delegated to DPW
- Permit trigger
- 5,000 sq ft or greater land disturbance
- First-offense fine
- $100, rising to $300
- Cross-property runoff
- Prohibited onto abutting land
- Appeal route
- Massachusetts Superior Court, c. 249 Section 4
Summary
Leominster regulates stormwater through a Stormwater Management Permit program run by the Conservation Commission, which has delegated day-to-day review of most applications to the Department of Public Works. Property owners must keep runoff on their own land and cannot let water flow onto abutting property, with escalating fines for violations under Leominster Code of Ordinances Sections 21-77 and 21-79.
(a)Stormwater Authority. The conservation commission is hereby designated as the stormwater authority. The stormwater authority, or his/her agent, shall administer, implement, and enforce this ordinance. ... The conservation commission ... hereby delegates its authority to the department of public works to act as his/her designated agent to review and approve stormwater management permit applications for projects subject to this ordinance under section 21-77(a)(1-3). ... a.No owner of any land, easement, right-of-way, hoke or building shall allow water discharging from their property to flow onto any abutting property (private or public), sidewalk, public property or public right-of-way that will cause detriment or cause a nuisance. ... e.Failure to comply with this ordinance may result in the issuance of noncriminal disposition tickets. The fine for the first offense is one hundred dollars, the fine for the second offense is two hundred dollars, and the fines for the third and any subsequent offense is three hundred dollars. Each day of noncompliance is considered a new and separate offense.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 24).
Full Breakdown
Article VI of Chapter 21 (Sec. 21-74 through Sec. 21-83), adopted July 14, 2014, designates the Conservation Commission as the city's stormwater authority. Under Sec. 21-79(a), the commission delegates its authority to the Department of Public Works to review and approve Stormwater Management Permit applications for the projects covered by Sec. 21-77: any subdivision requiring a definitive plan, any land disturbance of one acre or more, and any land disturbance between 5,000 square feet and one acre. No building permit, subdivision approval, special permit or variance substitutes for this permit, and no clearing or construction may begin until the permit issues and the owner certifies compliance with the approved plans.
Separately, the Property Drainage Regulation in Sec. 21-79(f) bars any landowner from letting groundwater, rainwater or surface runoff discharge onto an abutting property, sidewalk or public right-of-way in a way that causes a nuisance; runoff must be controlled within the property's own boundaries or routed to a DPW-approved drainage structure. Sump pumps and foundation drains may connect to the municipal storm drain only after DPW approval, and no gutter, foundation-drain or surface-runoff discharge may ever be tied into the sanitary sewer. Work within one hundred feet of a wetland or two hundred feet of a stream, brook or river may also trigger Conservation Commission review. c. 249, Section 4.
Violations & Fines
Failure to comply triggers noncriminal disposition tickets enforced by DPW, building, conservation and health department staff: one hundred dollars for the first offense, two hundred for the second, and three hundred for the third and each later offense, with every day of noncompliance a separate violation. The stormwater authority may also suspend or terminate a property's access to the storm drain system for an uncorrected illicit discharge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who administers Leominster's stormwater rules?
When does a Leominster property need a stormwater permit?
Can I let my roof or driveway runoff drain onto my neighbor's yard?
What does a stormwater violation cost in Leominster?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Leominster
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Stormwater Management in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle stormwater management.