Rialto, CA Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- Rialto Municipal Code Chapter 12.60 (MS4 ordinance)
- Enforcing agency
- City public works director, NPDES section
- Civil penalty
- Up to $10,000 per day of discharge violation
- Criminal penalty
- Misdemeanor, minimum $3,000 fine, up to 6 months jail
- Court penalty ceiling
- Up to $25,000 per violation per day
- Notice required
- 5 days' notice for exempt discharges under 12.60.095
Summary
Rialto's storm sewer ordinance bans discharging anything but rainwater into the city's storm drains, gutters and channels. Chapter 12.60 implements the city's NPDES permit under the Clean Water Act, prohibiting pollutants like motor oil, wash water, pool backwash, restaurant grease and construction debris from entering the municipal separate storm sewer system, with the public works director empowered to issue civil penalties up to $25,000 per violation per day.
It is prohibited to: A.Discharge directly or indirectly to the city's MS4, or any street, line or drainage channel which leads to the city's MS4, any non-stormwater or other solid, liquid or gaseous water unless such discharge is authorized by either a separate NPDES permit or as otherwise specified in Section 12.60.090... C.Throw, deposit, place, leave, maintain, keep or permit to be thrown, deposited, placed, left, maintained or kept, any refuse, garbage, sediment or other discarded or abandoned objects, articles and accumulations, in or upon any street, alley, sidewalk, storm drain, inlet, catch basin, conduit or other drainage structures, business place or upon any public or private lot of land in the city, so that the same may be and/or may become a pollutant.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 39).
Full Breakdown
60 governs discharges to the city's municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4), the network of storm drains, gutters and channels the city maintains under NPDES Permit No. CAS618036 issued by the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board. 070 requires written approval from the city engineer before anyone builds or modifies any structure that could alter the capacity or integrity of a storm drain or channel. 080 lists twenty-one specific prohibited discharges, covering restaurant grease and mop water, vehicle fluids, pool and spa backwash containing chlorine, construction slurry and saw-cutting waste, pesticides and fertilizer runoff, and any wastewater from pressure washing or steam cleaning done without prior sweeping.
It is also illegal to dump refuse, sediment or abandoned items into a street, alley, storm drain, catch basin or any city fountain, pond or lake. 095. 320 authorizes civil penalties up to $10,000 per day for a discharge violation and up to $3,000 per day for failing to comply with a compliance order, plus liens against the discharger's property for unpaid penalties after sixty days. 340 declares any violation a public nuisance subject to summary abatement, with costs billed to the property owner. 380 makes willful or negligent violations a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of at least $3,000 and up to six months in jail, with each day of continued violation a separate offense.
Violations & Fines
Discharging anything besides stormwater, or its authorized exceptions, into a Rialto storm drain, gutter or channel violates Section 12.60.080. The public works director can issue an administrative complaint with civil penalties up to $10,000 per day of discharge, plus liens on the violator's property after sixty days unpaid. Willful or negligent violations are misdemeanors carrying a minimum $3,000 fine and up to six months in jail, and courts can impose civil penalties up to $25,000 per violation per day for continued noncompliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I wash my car in my Rialto driveway?
What happens if I pressure-wash my driveway and the runoff reaches the street?
Who enforces Rialto's stormwater rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rialto
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How other cities in San Bernardino County handle stormwater management.