Warren, MI Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- 1 acre or more of earth disturbance
- Permit required
- Construction permit before work begins
- Standard source
- Macomb County PDSSM design manual
- Water quality target
- 80% TSS removal or 80 mg/L cap
- Enforcing agency
- City of Warren Engineering Division
- Penalty
- $100 to $1,000 civil infraction fine
Summary
New development or redevelopment disturbing one acre or more in Warren must control post-construction stormwater runoff under Sec. 41-155, meeting Macomb County's channel protection and water quality standards. The Engineering Division requires a construction permit and an approved stormwater management plan before work begins, plus an annually maintained operation and maintenance plan afterward.
(a)Purpose. The purpose of this section is to establish requirements and standards for discharging and treating storm water runoff in the City of Warren that comply with the Federal National Pollutant Discharge System (NPDES) storm water regulations, administered by the State of Michigan, pursuant to MCL 324.3103, for all new development or redevelopment projects...(e)Requirements. Unless the City of Warren Engineering Division provides the responsible party a written exemption, the responsible party shall do all of the following:(1)Before beginning construction, apply for and receive a construction permit from the City of Warren.(2)The permit application shall include a site-specific tentative storm water management plan that complies with the storm water criteria, source controls, site controls, and storm water management practices listed in the most recent version of the PDSSM...(3)Penalty.(i)A violation of this section is a municipal civil infraction, punishable by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100.00) but not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) per violation; and/or costs; assessments; and damages and expenses, as provided by MCL 600.8727(3).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 102).
Full Breakdown
Warren's stormwater ordinance, Sec. 3103. It applies to any development or redevelopment project, public or private, involving an earth disturbance of one acre or more, or a smaller disturbance that is part of a larger common plan of development disturbing one acre or more. Design standards come from the Macomb County Public Works Office's Procedures and Design Standards for Storm Water Management (PDSSM), on file at the City Clerk's Office. 0-inch event and removing at least 80 percent of total suspended solids, or capping TSS discharge at 80 milligrams per liter.
Before construction, the responsible party (the owner or a person with legal or equitable development rights) must apply for and receive a City of Warren construction permit backed by a site-specific tentative stormwater management plan showing the best management practices (BMPs) that will meet the CPC and WQC standards. After construction, the party must obtain approval of a final operation and maintenance plan and file annual stormwater maintenance reports. The city engineer can halt construction until the plan is implemented, inspect the property intermittently, require connection to the public storm sewer, or perform neglected BMP maintenance itself and bill the responsible party. Written exemptions from the Engineering Division are the only way around these requirements.
Violations & Fines
Violating Sec. 41-155 is a municipal civil infraction carrying a fine of $100 to $1,000 per violation, plus costs, assessments, and damages under MCL 600.8727(3). A judge or magistrate can also order corrective action to remedy the violation, reimbursement of the city's documented enforcement costs, and any other equitable relief. The city may separately require the responsible party to reimburse it for compliance costs and can perform neglected maintenance itself, billing the property owner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Warren's stormwater rule apply to a half-acre home addition?
Who approves the stormwater management plan?
What happens if I never file the required annual maintenance report?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Warren
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Stormwater Management in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Macomb County handle stormwater management.