Moreno Valley, CA Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing official
- City engineer
- Core rule
- No pollutant discharge to storm drains
- Base classification
- Infraction, MVMC Sec. 8.10.140
- Repeat violations
- Prosecutable as misdemeanor
- Cost recovery
- Nuisance abatement lien, Sec. 8.10.170
Summary
Moreno Valley bans discharging any pollutant into streets, storm drains, or the municipal storm sewer system under Municipal Code Section 8.10.050. The city engineer enforces the chapter, and violations are infractions that escalate to misdemeanors on repeat offenses.
In General. It is a violation of this chapter to throw, deposit, leave, maintain, keep or permit to be thrown, deposited, placed, left or maintained, any pollutant in or upon any street, alley, side-walk, storm drain, inlet, catch basin, conduit or other drainage structures, business place or upon any public or private plot of land in the city. The only exception is where such pollutant is temporarily placed in an appropriate container with a spill containment system for later collection and removal.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4887234; v10 updated 2026-04-07).
Full Breakdown
020 to include paint, automotive fluids, soil, rubbish, animal waste, and construction debris, in any street, alley, sidewalk, storm drain, inlet, catch basin, or other drainage structure, or on any public or private lot, unless it's temporarily contained in a proper spill-containment container awaiting removal. 060 separately bars illicit connections to the storm drain system and illicit discharges, and this prohibition is expressly retroactive, reaching connections made before the ordinance existed. 050(C), which can include permeable paving, rain gardens, detention basins, and grading that directs flow to permeable areas rather than the storm system. 080(B). 120 for any violation.
Violations & Fines
A violation of Chapter 8.10 is an infraction under Section 8.10.140, but repeated violations may be prosecuted as misdemeanors at the city attorney's discretion, punishable under Section 8.10.150 by fine or imprisonment up to the limits set by law, with each day of continuing violation charged as a separate offense under Section 8.10.160. Every violation is also declared a public nuisance subject to summary abatement under Section 8.10.170, with cleanup costs recoverable as a lien on the property, and the city can pursue civil injunctions and compensatory damages for water quality or wildlife harm under Section 8.10.190.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I wash paint or automotive fluid into the street in Moreno Valley?
Who enforces the stormwater ordinance?
What happens if a construction site doesn't control its runoff?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Moreno Valley
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