Vallejo, CA Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- VMC Chapter 12.41, Stormwater Management and Discharge Control
- NPDES permit
- City permit No. CAS612008
- Plan trigger
- Rezonings, use permits, qualifying building permits
- Enforcement
- Director of Public Works, misdemeanor or infraction
- Appeal window
- 10 days to appeal a notice of violation
- Unpaid abatement
- Recorded as a lien on the property
Summary
Vallejo bans discharging anything but stormwater into its storm drain system under Section 12.41.060, and requires a city-approved Stormwater Control Plan before many development projects can get a certificate of occupancy. The Director of Public Works enforces the chapter, which implements the city's NPDES Permit No. CAS612008; violations are misdemeanors, or at the city's discretion infractions, carrying fines up to state statutory limits.
A.The release of non-stormwater discharges to the stormwater system is prohibited.B.The discharge of stormwater from premises or an activity that causes or contributes to a violation of receiving water limitations in the city's NPDES permit is prohibited.C.The following discharges are exempt from the prohibition set forth in subsection A. above:1.Any discharge in compliance with an NPDES permit issued to the discharger.2.Flows from riparian habitats and wetlands, diverted stream flows, flows from natural springs, rising ground waters, uncontaminated and unpolluted groundwater infiltration, single-family homes' pumped groundwater, foundation drains, and water from crawl space pumps and footing drains, and pumped groundwater from drinking water aquifers.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Update 12 - 25).
Full Breakdown
41, adopted by Ordinance No. ), the federal Clean Water Act, and the conditions of the city's NPDES Permit No. CAS612008. 060 prohibits releasing any non-stormwater discharge, defined as any pollutant added to the stormwater system other than rain runoff, and separately bans any stormwater discharge that would violate the receiving-water limits in the city's NPDES permit. Narrow exemptions cover NPDES-compliant discharges, natural flows such as riparian habitat water and rising groundwater, and conditional exemptions such as air-conditioning condensate, individual residential car washing, and irrigation runoff.
3 Guidebook and the city's addendum to it; implementing that plan, plus recording a maintenance covenant granting the city, the Vallejo Sanitation and Flood Control District, the Solano County Mosquito Abatement District, and the regional water board inspection access, is a condition of getting a certificate of occupancy. 090 layers on specific best-management-practice duties: no litter in streets, creeks, or the storm system; sidewalks must be kept free of dirt swept into the gutter; construction sites must run erosion, sediment, and run-on/run-off controls; and businesses handling hazardous materials must fold stormwater compliance into their Hazardous Material Release Response and Inventory Plan under Health and Safety Code section 25500.
Violations & Fines
Section 12.41.120 makes any violation a misdemeanor, though the enforcement officer or city attorney can instead charge it as an infraction. Section 12.41.130 caps the resulting fine or imprisonment at the limits set in Government Code sections 36900 and 36901, and every day a violation continues is a separate offense under Section 12.41.140. The city can also abate an unresolved violation itself and bill the property owner for the abatement costs, plus attorney fees, and record an unpaid bill as a lien against the property under Section 12.41.170.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can't I put down a Vallejo storm drain?
Do I need a stormwater plan to build in Vallejo?
What is the penalty for a stormwater violation?
Who inspects for stormwater compliance in Vallejo?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Vallejo
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Stormwater Management in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Solano County handle stormwater management.