Mesa, AZ Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)

Mesa City Code Title 8, Chapter 5, Storm Water Pollution Control, prohibits, in Section 8-5-2(A), any person from releasing pollutants directly or indirectly to the City storm sewer system unless the release is expressly permitted or exempted. Section 8-5-2(B) allows releases authorized by an AZPDES or NPDES Storm Water Permit issued to the person causing the release. Section 8-5-2(C) exempts releases composed entirely of storm water and a defined list of incidental flows, water line flushing, lawn and landscape irrigation, diverted stream flows, rising groundwater, foundation and footing drains, air conditioning condensation, individual residential car washing, and street wash water among them, unless the City Manager or a designee has given written notice that a specific exempt release has the potential to discharge pollutants to waters of the United States.

Section 8-5-3 requires anyone who owns or operates a facility or activity that could release pollutants to undertake best management practices to minimize releases to the maximum extent practicable, bars dumping refuse or garbage into the storm sewer system or public property, requires parking lots, storage yards, and similar exposed properties to be maintained so they do not contribute a pollutant release, and requires construction activity to use best management practices to minimize sediment and pollutant releases. Section 8-5-4 gives the City authority to inspect for compliance, and repeat or unresolved violations proceed through a civil hearing process under Sections 8-5-8 and 8-5-9.