Pearland, TX Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing article
- Ch. 30, Art. VI, Secs. 30-140 to 30-151
- Enforcing official
- City engineer
- Appeal window
- 10 days to city council
- Spill report deadline
- Written report within 14 days
- Adopting ordinance
- Ord. No. 1570, 12-17-18
Summary
Pearland's General Code bars anyone from putting anything but storm water and specifically listed allowable flows into the city's municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4). The city engineer enforces the rule, can inspect any discharging property, and can order remediation with costs billed to the violator.
No person shall introduce or cause to be introduced into the MS4 any discharge not composed entirely of storm water and other allowable discharges... No person shall dump, spill, leak, pump, pour, emit, empty, discharge, leach, dispose, or otherwise introduce or cause, allow, or permit to be introduced any discharge that is not composed entirely of storm water to the Phase II MS4.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 28).
Full Breakdown
Article VI of Chapter 30 (Illicit Discharge Prohibitions, Secs. 30-140 through 30-151) governs what can enter Pearland's MS4. Sec. 30-143 makes it unlawful to introduce any discharge "not composed entirely of storm water" into the system, except for a defined list of allowable non-storm water sources such as water line flushing, landscape irrigation runoff, uncontaminated groundwater infiltration, air conditioning condensation, and dechlorinated pool discharges that comply with Texas Surface Water Quality Standards. Sec. 30-144 adds specific bans, including a used-oil rule that prohibits discharging used oil into the MS4, a sewer, a septic tank, or any surface or groundwater, and prohibits applying used oil to roads or land for dust suppression or weed control.
Post-construction, Sec. 30-147 requires new and redevelopment projects to follow Chapter 8 of the city's Engineering Design Criteria Manual and Code Sec. 13-23 for stormwater detention facilities, and owners of detention facilities must sign a recorded operation and maintenance agreement giving the city a right of entry to inspect and, if necessary, repair the facility. The city engineer has broad compliance-monitoring power under Sec. 30-145: right of entry to inspect and sample any premises discharging into the MS4, authority to require monitoring equipment at the discharger's expense, and authority to seek a search warrant if access is refused.
Anyone releasing a reportable quantity of a hazardous substance, extremely hazardous substance, or oil that causes a sheen must immediately notify the city engineer and file a written follow-up report within 14 calendar days.
Violations & Fines
The city engineer issues a written notice of violation under Sec. 30-148, which can require monitoring, elimination of illicit connections, cessation of the discharge, remediation of any pollution, payment of administrative and remediation costs, or withholding of a certificate of occupancy. A violator has ten days to file a written appeal to the city council under Sec. 30-149, whose decision is final; if the violation is not corrected after that ten-day window, city representatives or a designated contractor may enter the property to abate it, with the cost charged to the violator under Sec. 30-150.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I wash my car and let the water run into the street in Pearland?
Who enforces Pearland's illicit discharge rules?
What happens if I dump used oil down a storm drain in Pearland?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pearland
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