Fresno County, CA Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)

Chapter 17.64, Drainage of Land, exists because the Board of Supervisors found that developing land for urban uses accelerates the concentration of surface and storm water; the chapter authorizes the county to require construction of, and collect fees for, planned local drainage facilities under Government Code Section 66483 (Section 17.64.010). A local drainage fee attaches on a per-gross-acre basis to any development or division of land within a designated local drainage area: for a land division the fee is due before the map records, and for a development it is due before the county issues the building or development permit (Section 17.64.030).

The Board of Supervisors sets the per-acre rate by resolution for each local drainage area and adjusts it every March 1st using the change in the National Engineering News Record Construction Cost Index for California cities (Section 17.64.050). Several categories are exempt from the fee outright: fences, pole lines and underground utility work that does not alter the natural surface; additions to an existing single-family home; rebuilding a fire-destroyed single-family residence within twelve months; and a single-family home built on five or more acres used primarily for agricultural pursuits such as raising crops, poultry or livestock (Section 17.64.030(D)).

Landowners who build or dedicate the drainage facilities themselves can earn a fee credit up to the documented cost of that work, and if their expenditure exceeds their own fee obligation the district must reimburse the excess from later fees collected in the same drainage area, minus a five percent administrative charge (Section 17.64.060). The Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control District administers the fee program under agreement with the county, calculating fees, reviewing maps, and maintaining the planned local drainage facilities fund for each drainage area (Section 17.64.100).