Rochester Hills, MI Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)

Article VI of Chapter 102 regulates illicit discharges to the city's storm drain system to comply with the federal Clean Water Act and the city's NPDES permit. Section 102-729 prohibits discharging anything other than stormwater into the storm drain system or watercourses where it would cause or contribute to a water quality violation, and it separately prohibits illicit connections, including any line conveying sewage into a storm drain or MS4, whether the connection was made in the past or is made going forward. The section carves out specific non-stormwater flows that may enter the system anyway: footing drains, crawl space pump discharge, air conditioning condensation, springs, noncommercial vehicle washing, natural riparian or wetland flows, dechlorinated swimming pool water, firefighting activity, and any discharge covered by its own NPDES permit or written city engineer approval.

The city engineer or another authorized enforcement agency issues a notice of violation that can require monitoring, elimination of the illicit connection, cessation of the discharge, remediation, and payment of a fine, and the agency may suspend a property's storm sewer access without notice in an emergency. A recipient of a notice can appeal to the mayor within seven days, and the mayor's office must hold a hearing within 15 days of that appeal. Every violation of Article VI is also declared a public nuisance under Section 102-762, letting the city seek abatement, injunctive relief or a civil action independent of the municipal civil infraction fine in Section 102-763.