San Clemente, CA Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing agency
- City Utilities Department
- First infraction fine
- Up to $100
- Misdemeanor fine
- Up to $1,000 / 6 months jail
- Correction deadline
- 30 days or before next rain event
- NPDES regulator
- San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board
Summary
San Clemente bans illicit connections and prohibited discharges into its stormwater drainage system under Chapter 13.40, enacted to meet the City's NPDES permit obligations under the Clean Water Act and Porter-Cologne Act. Violations can be prosecuted as misdemeanors carrying up to $1,000 in fines and six months in jail.
It is unlawful for any person to:1.Construct, maintain, operate, and/or utilize any illicit connection;2.Cause, permit, allow, or facilitate any prohibited discharge; ... 4.Discharge any material into the stormwater drainage system, or any water body within the City's jurisdiction that may cause or threaten to cause a condition of pollution, contamination, or nuisance within the meaning of California Water Code Section 13050. ... Any owner and operator of an illicit connection must immediately cause the connection to be removed or eliminated. ... Any person who negligently or knowingly violates any provision of this chapter, undertakes to conceal any violation of this chapter; continues any violation of this chapter after notice thereof; or violates the terms, conditions and requirements of any permit issued pursuant to this ordinance, is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000.00 or by imprisonment for a period of not more than six months, or both.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Traffic: Supplement 30 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 66 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
40, Stormwater Runoff Control, was adopted under the City's police power and its status as a co-permittee, with the County of Orange and the Orange County Flood Control District, under the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board's combined NPDES permit. 040 makes it unlawful for any person to construct, maintain, operate or utilize an illicit connection to the stormwater system, to cause or allow any prohibited discharge, or to discharge material that may cause pollution, contamination or nuisance under California Water Code Section 13050.
050 conditionally allows certain non-stormwater discharges, such as diverted stream flows or NPDES-permitted discharges, if they comply with stated conditions. 070. 150. 170 lets the City charge violations as infractions, with fines of $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second, and up to $500 for each additional offense within a year, or prosecute negligent or knowing violations, concealment, or continued violations after notice as misdemeanors carrying fines up to $1,000 or up to six months in jail, or both. 180.
Violations & Fines
Maintaining an illicit connection or causing a prohibited discharge into San Clemente's storm drains violates Section 13.40.040. First-time infractions carry fines up to $100, rising to $200 for a second violation and up to $500 for later violations within a year; a knowing or negligent violation, or one continued after notice, is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both, with each day counted as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I hose landscape irrigation runoff into the street in San Clemente?
What happens if the City finds an illicit connection to a storm drain on my property?
What are the criminal penalties for a stormwater violation in San Clemente?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Clemente
California rules heatmap·Compare San Clemente to another location·View the California environmental rules overview
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How other cities in Orange County handle stormwater management.