Pacifica, CA Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing agency
- City Manager / Code Enforcement
- First-offense citation
- $250 per violation
- Repeat offenses
- $500, then $1,000 per violation
- Spill hotline
- 650-738-7343
- Governing chapter
- PMC Chapter 6-12
Summary
In the City of Pacifica, discharging anything other than storm water into the City storm water system is prohibited unless it's covered by an NPDES permit. The Storm Water Management and Discharge Control Ordinance bars illicit discharges into streets, catch basins and watercourses, and the City Manager's designee enforces it through administrative citations that start at $250 per violation.
The discharge of non-storm water discharges to the City storm water system is prohibited. All discharges of material other than storm water must be in compliance with an NPDES permit issued for the discharge (other than NPDES Permit No. CAS612008) and this article. ... Administrative citations. The penalty amounts imposed pursuant to this chapter shall be set forth in a schedule of penalties established by resolution of the City Council. In the event that there is no applicable schedule of penalties established by resolution of the City Council, the following penalty schedule shall apply for violations within a 12-month period: first offense: Two Hundred Fifty and no/100ths ($250.00) Dollars per violation; second offense: Five Hundred and no/100ths ($500.00) Dollars per violation; each additional offense: One Thousand and no/100ths ($1,000.00) Dollars per violation.
Full Breakdown
204. The chapter covers the City's catch basins, curbs, gutters, ditches, and man-made channels that are not part of a publicly owned treatment works. 202 because they aren't considered pollutant sources when properly managed. Property and business owners must undertake practicable measures to keep pollutants such as trash, fuel, sediment, and metals out of the system, including keeping sidewalks free of litter and cleaning parking lots and gas station pavement regularly. New development and redevelopment projects must meet storm water treatment requirements tied to NPDES Permit No.
CAS612008 before the City will issue a building permit, and an applicant's checklist has to be submitted to the Planning Director as part of that review. The City Manager or a designee administers the chapter as the authorized enforcement official, with power to inspect premises, order cease-and-desist action, and issue notices of violation that give a recipient ten days, or until the next rain event, to submit a written correction plan. Anyone with knowledge of a spill that could reach the storm system must notify Pacifica Code Enforcement at 650-738-7343 and confirm the report in writing within five days.
Violations & Fines
Violating the stormwater ordinance is a misdemeanor under Section 6-12.306, though the City can charge it as an infraction instead. Administrative citations run $250 for a first offense, $500 for a second within twelve months, and $1,000 for each further offense, and every day a violation continues counts as a separate offense under Section 6-12.307. The City can also sue for injunctions, cleanup costs, and compensatory damages under Section 6-12.309.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I wash my car in my driveway in Pacifica?
Who enforces Pacifica's stormwater ordinance?
What happens if I report a spill late?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pacifica
California rules heatmap·Compare Pacifica to another location·View the California environmental rules overview
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Stormwater Management in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Mateo County handle stormwater management.