Waterbury, CT Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- Waterbury Code Ch. 53, §§ 53.01-53.99
- Enforcing agency
- Public Works Department
- Penalty
- $100 per violation per day
- Appeal window
- 10 days to appeal a Notice of Violation
- Adopted
- Ordinance passed August 20, 2018
Summary
Waterbury's Department of Public Works regulates every discharge into the city's municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) under Chapter 53, banning illegal discharges and illicit connections, requiring best management practices from industrial and construction sites, and backing enforcement with a $100-per-violation-per-day penalty.
(A) Illicit discharges. No person shall throw, drain, or otherwise discharge, cause or allow to be discharged into the MS4 any pollutants or waters containing any pollutants, other than stormwater... unless written approval has been granted for any discharge to the storm drain system. (B) Prohibition of illicit connections. (1) The construction, use, maintenance or continued existence of illicit connections to the storm drain system is prohibited. (2) This prohibition expressly includes, without limitation, illicit connections made in the past, regardless of whether the connection was permissible under law or practices applicable or prevailing at the time of connection.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-8: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through September 8, 2025).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 53: Stormwater Control, adopted by ordinance August 20, 2018, was written to satisfy the city's federal NPDES MS4 permit obligations. 07 prohibits any discharge to the storm drain system other than stormwater itself unless the Public Works Department has approved it in writing, and separately bans the construction, use, maintenance or continued existence of illicit connections, a prohibition that expressly reaches back to connections made in the past regardless of whether they were legal when installed. 10 gives Public Works inspectors a right of entry to any regulated facility, plus authority to require monitoring equipment and, if access is refused and probable cause exists, to seek a search warrant.
16. 18, with unpaid costs becoming a lien on the property. 20 lets the Department substitute compensatory measures, such as storm drain stenciling or a watershed cleanup, in lieu of a fine.
Violations & Fines
Section 53.99 sets the penalty at $100 per violation per day, and the Department may also recover its attorneys' fees, court costs, sampling and monitoring expenses tied to enforcement. Emergency discharges that threaten health or the environment let the Department suspend MS4 access without prior notice under § 53.08, and refusing Public Works entry to a regulated facility is itself a separate violation under § 53.10(B)(6).
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as an illegal discharge under Waterbury's stormwater ordinance?
How much can Waterbury fine a stormwater violation?
Can I appeal a stormwater Notice of Violation?
Sources & Official References
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Stormwater Management in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle stormwater management.