Ocala, FL Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)

Chapter 102, Article III of the Ocala Code regulates every pipe, ditch and inlet that feeds the city's municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4). The engineering department is the authorized enforcement agency and can inspect any facility to check compliance. Discharging wastewater, pollutants or hazardous materials into the storm system is prohibited outright, with narrow exceptions for things like potable water line flushing, landscape irrigation, air conditioning condensation and dechlorinated pool water. Illicit physical connections to the storm drain system are banned too, including sanitary sewer lines tied into it, and property owners must locate and document any undocumented drain connection when the city orders it.

Industrial and construction operators covered by an NPDES stormwater permit must send the city a copy of their notice of intent filed with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. When the department finds a violation it can issue a warning notice or a formal notice of violation naming the remedial measures and a compliance schedule, and the alleged violator has five business days to appeal to the municipal code enforcement board or special magistrate. Enforcement escalates through emergency cease-and-desist orders, suspension of MS4 access and, if the violator still will not comply, the city's own crews entering the property to abate the problem and billing the owner for the cost as a special assessment lien.