Scottsdale, AZ Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)

Chapter 37, Article II opens with Section 37-33's stated purpose of minimizing losses and hazards from flooding through development standards, and Section 37-34 makes the article apply to all land within Scottsdale's corporate limits. Section 37-35 sets the basic drainage goal: runoff should enter and leave developed property in substantially the same manner as it did before development, and any proposed change to drainage characteristics needs engineering data showing it won't increase hazards to life or property. Section 37-36 turns that goal into a standard: development that would increase flood potential on or off the parcel is prohibited outright; development in local floodplains is otherwise allowed once an engineer certifies it will not raise the base flood elevation at or beyond the property line; and owners of development subject to ponding must provide compensatory storage.

Section 37-38 lets the Floodplain Administrator require a drainage report and plan, prepared by an engineer to Design Standards and Policies Manual requirements, before issuing a permit whenever a project could increase flooding risk. Section 37-39 requires dedicating a drainage easement to the city over watercourses with a base flood peak discharge rate of 25 cubic feet per second or greater outside Environmentally Sensitive Lands Ordinance areas, or 50 cfs or greater within them, plus over stormwater storage facilities, with the property owner responsible for maintaining the easement absent a different arrangement.