Revere, MA Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- Municipal Code Chapter 13.10
- Enforcing agency
- Dept. of Public Works & Municipal Inspections
- Penalty range
- $25-$250/day or $300 general penalty
- Cleanup billing
- Violator billed 3x city's cleanup cost
- Emergency power
- DPW may suspend drain access without notice
- Spill records
- Must be kept at least 3 years
Summary
Revere bans illicit discharges and connections into its municipal storm drain system under Municipal Code Chapter 13.10. The Department of Public Works and Department of Municipal Inspections enforce the rule, can issue cease-and-desist orders, suspend storm drain access without notice for imminent hazards, and bill violators three times the city's own cleanup costs.
No person shall dump, discharge, cause or allow to be discharged any pollutant or non-stormwater discharge into the storm drain system, into a watercourse, or into waters of the United States and/or commonwealth. ... No person shall construct, use, allow, maintain or continue any illicit connection to the municipal storm drain system, regardless of whether the connection was permissible under applicable law, regulation or custom at the time of connection. ... Any person who violates any provision of this chapter, regulation, order or permit issued thereunder, shall be subject to the penalties set forth in Chapters 1.12 and 1.16 of the revised ordinances of the city of Revere.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4804778; v14 updated 2026-05-04).
Full Breakdown
010). It also bars building or maintaining any illicit connection to the storm drain, even one that was allowed when it was built. A short list of flows is exempt as long as they aren't a significant source of pollution: waterline flushing, potable water line discharges, springs, diverted stream flow, rising or uncontaminated groundwater, air conditioning condensation, landscape irrigation, residential car washing, dechlorinated swimming pool water (under one ppm chlorine, held for a week before draining), street sweeping runoff, and dye testing after verbal notice to the DPW.
The Department of Public Works and the Department of Municipal Inspections administer the chapter. They can order a violator to comply on a set schedule, pursue injunctive relief in superior court, and suspend storm drain access on the spot, without prior written notice, when a discharge poses an imminent risk to health, safety or the environment. Anyone reporting or responsible for a spill must contain it, remediate any affected drains, and keep written records of the incident for at least three years. c. 59, § 57. 16.
Violations & Fines
A written order to cease and desist comes first for most violations, but the DPW can suspend storm drain access immediately, without notice, if a discharge threatens health or the environment. Cleanup the city performs itself is billed to the violator at three times cost and can become a property lien. Separately, general penalties under Chapters 1.12 and 1.16 apply, ranging from $25 to $250 per day of a noncriminal-disposition violation up to a $300 general penalty per offense, with each day counted separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can't be discharged into Revere's storm drains?
Are any discharges allowed under Revere's stormwater ordinance?
Who enforces the stormwater rules in Revere?
What happens if the city has to clean up a stormwater violation itself?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Revere
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Stormwater Management in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle stormwater management.