Troy, NY Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)

Article I of Chapter 286 of the Troy City Code, adopted 10-4-2007 as Local Law No. 4-2007, regulates what enters the city's storm drains. Under § 286-3 it applies to all water entering the MS4 from developed and undeveloped land unless an authorized enforcement agency explicitly exempts it. Under § 286-2, the City Engineer or designee serves as the Stormwater Management Officer (SMO), who enforces the article, accepts and reviews stormwater pollution prevention plans and inspects stormwater management practices.

Section 286-5 sets the core rule: nothing but stormwater goes into the MS4. The exempt list covers water line flushing, landscape irrigation or lawn watering, rising groundwater, foundation or footing drains, crawl space or basement sump pumps, air-conditioning condensate, water from individual residential car washing, dechlorinated swimming pool discharges and water from fire-fighting activities, unless the state Department or the municipality has determined a source to be a substantial contributor of pollutants. Illicit connections are banned outright, including connections made in the past that were lawful when built. Connecting a line conveying sewage to the MS4, or allowing that connection to continue, is itself a violation.

Other sections add duties. Under § 286-7 the owner or operator of a commercial or industrial establishment provides, at his or her own expense, reasonable protection from accidental discharge of prohibited materials through structural and nonstructural best management practices. Under § 286-11 a release of nonhazardous materials is reported to the City of Troy no later than the next business day, with written confirmation mailed within three business days, and a hazardous release goes to emergency dispatch immediately. Under § 286-10 the SMO can enter and inspect facilities as often as necessary and can seek a search warrant from a court if refused access. Construction-site runoff controls and post-construction stormwater practices sit separately in Chapter 159.