Saint Paul, MN Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- SWMP trigger
- >1/4 acre w/ site plan review, or 1+ acre
- Flood elevation
- 2 ft above 100-yr flood, min
- Sediment basin trigger
- 10+ acres common drainage
- Violation
- Misdemeanor, fine and/or jail
- Review timeline
- Minn. Stat. § 15.99 (60 days)
Summary
Disturb more than a quarter acre in Saint Paul and trigger site plan review, or clear an acre or more for construction, and the city requires an approved Stormwater Management Plan before a shovel goes in the ground. Public Works reviews every SWMP against the city's Stormwater Management Design Standards Manual, and violating the chapter is a misdemeanor with a fine, jail time, or both.
Any person, firm, sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, state agency, or political subdivision proposing a land disturbance of greater than one-quarter (¼) acre that triggers a site plan review per city code or a construction activity of equal to or greater than one (1) acre within the city shall submit a stormwater management plan (hereinafter, "SWMP") to the city for approval. No land shall be disturbed until the SWMP is approved by the city. ... The city shall be responsible for enforcing this chapter. Any person, firm, or corporation failing to comply with or violating any of these regulations, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and be subject to a fine or imprisonment or both. All land use and building permits must be suspended until the applicant has corrected the violation. Each day that a separate violation exists shall constitute a separate offense.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 133 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
04 spells out the technical requirements: post-construction runoff rates can't exceed pre-disturbance rates for the 2-year, 10-year and 100-year 24-hour storm events; new habitable buildings need a low floor elevation 'a minimum of two (2) foot above the critical one hundred-year flood elevation and at least four (4) feet above normal groundwater elevation'; and any site disturbing ten or more acres in a common drainage area needs a temporary or permanent sediment basin before runoff can leave the site. Volume-control and water-quality facilities must be designed by a Minnesota-licensed professional engineer and certified once built.
The city reviews SWMP applications under the 60-day timeline in Minn. 07 to cover corrective work if the applicant abandons the site or the installed controls fail within a year of installation. 10 to inspect BMPs, sample runoff, and copy compliance records.
Violations & Fines
Failing to comply is a misdemeanor under § 52.09, punishable by a fine, imprisonment, or both, with all land-use and building permits suspended until the violation is corrected and each day of noncompliance counted as a separate offense. If eroded soil crosses onto a neighboring property, the applicant must get right-of-entry and begin cleanup within 48 hours of the neighbor's permission, and corrective action can't lag more than seven days without written city approval.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big a project triggers Saint Paul's stormwater plan requirement?
What are the flood-elevation rules for new construction?
What happens if I build without an approved SWMP?
Does the city need my permission to inspect my stormwater controls?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Saint Paul
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