Tallahassee, FL Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- LDC § 5-86
- Wet detention minimum
- First 3 inches of rainfall
- Small-site option
- 1.5 inches for sites under 100 acres
- Rate control storm event
- Up to 25-year return frequency
- Facility retaining wall cap
- 15 feet
- Residential exemption
- Single, two and three-family structures
Summary
Development that changes stormwater's predevelopment rate, volume or direction off-site needs approved treatment under Land Development Code Sec. 5-86. Wet detention ponds must capture at least the first three inches of rainfall, and post-development discharge rates cannot exceed predevelopment rates for storms up through a 25-year event.
(a)Applicability. No person shall engage in any development activity that causes changes in the predevelopment rate, volume, quality, or direction of stormwater flow leaving the development site unless potentially significant off-site adverse impacts are managed by appropriate measures in accordance with the requirements of this section... (c)Water quality treatment standards.(2)Stormwater water quality standard. a.Wet detention. The wet detention treatment volumes shall be, at a minimum, the runoff from the first three inches of rainfall, or as option, for sites with drainage areas less than 100 acres, the first 1.5 inches of runoff. No more than half of the volume may be discharged in the first 60 hours.(d)Rate control standards.(1)Generally. On-site peak post-development stormwater discharge rates shall not exceed the peak predevelopment discharge rates for all intensities, durations, and return frequencies up to and including the 25-year storm period.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Land Development Code: Supplement 75 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 75).
Full Breakdown
Section 5-86(a) bars any development activity that changes the predevelopment rate, volume, quality or direction of stormwater leaving a site unless the resulting off-site impacts are managed under the section's requirements, and it bars new point discharges unless the receiving conveyance has capacity to handle them. 125 inches of treatment volume. Rate control under subsection (d) requires that post-development peak discharge rates never exceed predevelopment rates for any storm up to and including a 25-year return frequency, and it sets level-of-service floods standards by storm size, including no floodwater in new buildings during a 100-year event and no more than six inches of floodwater on local roads and parking areas during a 25-year event.
Retention and detention facility design in subsection (f) caps retaining walls used within a stormwater facility at 15 feet, requires side slopes steeper than 4:1 to be fenced, and requires major structural components like pipelines and retaining walls to carry a minimum 50-year design life. Single-family, two-family and three-family structures, along with routine home landscaping, are exempt from the section under Sec. 5-86(b).
Violations & Fines
Failing to operate and maintain a stormwater management facility according to its approved permit, operation and maintenance plan is a violation of Sec. 5-86(g)(1), and sites that don't meet the water quality or rate control standards in subsections (c) and (d) cannot obtain the environmental management permit needed to build. The city administers a stormwater utility fee under subsection (h) that funds a retrofit program for older sites that predate current water quality requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does building a house in Tallahassee trigger the stormwater permit rules?
How much rainfall must a Tallahassee stormwater pond be able to treat?
Can a Tallahassee development increase how much stormwater leaves its site after construction?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tallahassee
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Tallahassee to another location·View the Florida environmental rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.