Vacaville, CA Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing permit
- NPDES General Permit CAS000004
- Administering officer
- City Manager
- Construction BMP plan
- required before ground disturbance
- Annual duty
- self-certification report on BMP condition
- Penalty range
- $100 first offense up to $1,000 misdemeanor
Summary
Vacaville's Urban Storm Water Quality, Management and Discharge Control Ordinance requires anyone whose activity could pollute storm water to follow best management practices tied to the City's NPDES General Permit CAS000004. Section 14.26.030.010 lets the City adopt and enforce BMPs for construction, new development, and ongoing operations, and makes compliance mandatory wherever the City, state, or a federal agency has promulgated a BMP requirement.
A. Authorization to Adopt and Improve Best Management Practices (BMPs). The City is subject to and may enforce BMPs as specified in the State Water Resources Control Board NPDES Permit CAS000004 and will adopt further requirements identifying BMPs for any activity, operation, or facility which may cause or contribute to pollution or contamination of storm water, the storm drain system, or waters of the U.S. Where BMP requirements have been or are promulgated by the City or any federal, state of California, or regional agency for any activity, operation, or facility which would otherwise cause the discharge of pollutants to the storm drain system or waters of the U.S., every person undertaking such activity or operation, or owning or operating such facility shall comply with such requirements.
Full Breakdown
The ordinance is administered by the City Manager under Section 14.26.010.050 and applies to all water entering the storm drain system from developed and undeveloped land in the City. New development and redevelopment projects must incorporate post-construction BMPs consistent with the California Stormwater Quality Association handbooks, written into the project's land use entitlement and building permit under Section 14.26.030.010(B), while construction projects must follow the CASQA construction handbook and the City's grading ordinance, Division 14.19, under subsection (C). Section 14.26.030.015 requires anyone disturbing land to submit a construction erosion and sediment control plan or an equivalent SWPPP for City review and approval before work starts, and the City conducts inspections both before ground disturbance and throughout construction to confirm BMPs stay in place; work performed contrary to an approved plan can be stopped by written order.
New development projects must also record a storm water facilities operation and maintenance plan, inspect installed control measures at least annually, and file an annual self-certification report with the City Manager confirming the BMPs remain in good working order; a false statement in that report is itself unlawful. Illegal discharges of anything other than storm water into the municipal storm drain system or watercourses are separately prohibited, and violations of the division are enforced as infractions carrying fines of $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second, and up to $500 for a third or subsequent offense within 12 months, or as a misdemeanor carrying up to a $1,000 fine under Section 14.26.050.120.
Violations & Fines
A violation of the Urban Storm Water Quality Ordinance is punishable as an infraction or misdemeanor at the enforcement officer's discretion under Section 14.26.050.120, with fines starting at $100 for a first infraction and rising to $500 for a third within 12 months, or up to $1,000 for a misdemeanor. Each day a violation continues is a separate offense, and the City can recover its abatement costs and attorneys' fees as a lien or special assessment against the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
What triggers Vacaville's stormwater BMP requirements?
Do new development projects need an ongoing maintenance plan for stormwater controls?
What are the penalties for violating Vacaville's stormwater ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Vacaville
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Stormwater Management in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Solano County handle stormwater management.