Summit County, OH Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)

Summit County Codified Ordinances Chapter 943, Comprehensive Storm Water Management, governs any owner who develops or redevelops property within the unincorporated areas of the county (Sec. 01). The chapter is administered by the County Drainage Engineer, who reviews Comprehensive Storm Water Management Plans and enforces performance standards under Sec. 09. Those standards require the storm water system, including storage, treatment, control and conveyance facilities, to be designed to prevent structure flooding during the 100-year, 24-hour storm event, to maintain predevelopment runoff patterns, flows and volumes, and to provide a minimum of one foot of freeboard above the projected peak stage in any storm water pond or conveyance channel during that same storm event.

Practices may not disturb riparian areas except for watercourse restoration compliant with Chapter 937, and storm water management practices serving multiple lots in a subdivision must generally sit on a separate lot maintained by an entity of common ownership, per Sec. 09(a)(7). Applicants pay a $250 fee at the Concept Plan Meeting (Sec. 14(a)), plus a deposit covering at least 50% of the County Drainage Engineer's estimated review, filing and inspection cost, replenished whenever it drops to 10% of the original estimate. Projects also post a performance and maintenance bond under Sec.

15, released only after 80% of subdivision lots are complete, the whole project has been stabilized for three years, an as-built inspection is done, and a signed Inspection and Maintenance Agreement is on file. Appeals of any Drainage Engineer action go to Summit County Council within 90 days, with further appeal to the Summit County Court of Common Pleas (Sec. 18). This chapter applies only to the unincorporated county; Akron, Cuyahoga Falls, Barberton, Stow, Hudson and other incorporated cities enforce their own stormwater codes.