Sherman, TX Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)

Article 13.05 of the Sherman Code of Ordinances exists to control the introduction of pollutants into the MS4 in order to comply with the NPDES permit process. Under § 13.05.003 it applies to all water entering the MS4 generated on any developed and undeveloped lands unless an authorized enforcement agency explicitly exempts it. Section 13.05.009 gives the director of public services right of entry to public or private property at any reasonable time to enforce the article.

Section 13.05.005 sets the core rule. Its affirmative defenses cover discharges composed entirely of listed categories, including NPDES-authorized discharges, firefighting flows, lawn watering or landscape irrigation, individual residential car washing, and private residential pool drainage free of harmful chlorine, while pool filter backwash is prohibited. The defense disappears if the director has determined the flow is a pollutant source, written notice was given, and the discharge continued after the time in the notice. Section 13.05.006 bans connecting a sewage line to the MS4, and § 13.05.007 declares litter, yard waste, or other solid waste entering the MS4 a nuisance.

Owners and operators carry duties. Section 13.05.008 requires commercial and industrial owners to provide, at their own expense, reasonable protection from accidental discharge through best management practices. Under § 13.05.009, the operator of a facility, including a construction site, that needs an NPDES or TPDES permit submits a copy of the notice of intent to the director at the same time as the filing with EPA or TCEQ, addressed to the Department of Public Services, P.O. Box 1106, Sherman, TX 75091-1106. Section 13.05.010 requires owners and lessees to keep a watercourse free of trash, debris, and excessive vegetation. Under § 13.05.011, hazardous releases are reported immediately through emergency dispatch, nonhazardous releases to the enforcement agency no later than the next business day with written confirmation within three business days, and commercial or industrial operators keep on-site written records for at least three years.