San Antonio, TX Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)

Section 34-702 of the San Antonio Code of Ordinances makes it a violation to deposit, throw, drain, or discharge eight categories of contaminants into the MS4 or anything that drains into it: acid or alkaline waste, free-floating or insoluble oil, gasoline or other flammable liquids, noxious or poisonous substances, domestic or industrial wastewater, soil or sediment that could obstruct the system, and paint, sharps, medical waste, automotive fluids, food-truck wastewater, or grease- and grit-trap waste from carwashes. S. EPA at the time of the act, per subsection (b).

Related sections in the same division separately ban dumping brush cuttings, clippings, or rubbish into the MS4 (Sec. 34-703), household hazardous waste (Sec. 34-704), and pesticides used contrary to their FIFRA label (Sec. 34-705). Enforcement runs through the San Antonio Water System: the SAWS president/CEO designates staff to serve notices of violation and refer complaints to the municipal prosecutor's office (Sec. 34-708(b)). A conviction is a Class C misdemeanor carrying a fine of not less than $200 and not more than $2,000 per violation, and no culpable mental state is required to prove the offense (Sec.

34-708(a)). The city may also pursue a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per violation, and each day a violation continues is treated as a separate offense under both tracks (Secs. 34-708, 34-709). Sections 34-706 and 34-707 extend enforcement outside the city limits, including into the extraterritorial jurisdiction, for discharges that pollute a stream feeding the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone. The city's stated intent is to stop indiscriminate dumping while still allowing non-polluting flows such as fire hydrant flushing, firefighting runoff, uncontaminated groundwater, and air-conditioning condensation to reach the storm sewer.