West Covina, CA Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Misdemeanor penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine or 6 months jail
- Infraction tiers
- $100 / $200 / $250 per offense
- Civil/admin penalty
- Up to $1,000 per violation per day
- SUSMP trigger
- 5,000+ sq ft new/replaced impervious area
- Enforcing agency
- Director of Public Works
- Cost recovery
- Cleanup costs billed to violator
Summary
West Covina bans illicit discharges into its storm drain system under Chapter 9, Article II, and holds property owners liable for cleanup costs. Violations are misdemeanors punishable by up to $1,000 or six months in jail, or the city can instead charge a tiered infraction and add civil or administrative penalties up to $1,000 per day.
No person shall cause or allow an illicit discharge to enter the municipal stormwater system. No person shall place, dump, dispose, litter, accumulate, maintain, discharge, or cause to enter into the MS4 any pollutant or any foreign object such as batteries, tires, waste receptacles, yard debris, refuse, rubbish, food waste, chemicals, animal waste, or oil cans, which are also considered illicit discharges. ... Any violation of this article and any violation of a written condition of approval issued by the director, and any violation of any provision of any NPDES permit is a misdemeanor and shall be punishable by either a fine of up to one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) or six (6) months in the county jail, or both. Any person who may otherwise be charged with a misdemeanor as a result of a violation of this article may be charged, at the discretion of the prosecuting attorney, with an infraction punishable by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars ($100.00) for the first violation, two hundred dollars ($200.00) for the second violation, and two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) for each additional violation thereafter.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 94).
Full Breakdown
Under Municipal Code Sections 9-26 through 9-39, no person may cause or allow an illicit discharge into West Covina's municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4), and dumping batteries, tires, yard debris, chemicals, animal waste, or oil cans into a drain, catch basin, or gutter is expressly treated as an illicit discharge. An owner whose property produces a nonstormwater discharge can be billed for the cost of testing it to determine whether it's illicit, and anyone causing an illicit discharge pays for cleanup and remediation. Illicit connections, meaning any pipe or drain that conveys non-stormwater into the MS4, must be removed or disabled once discovered; if the owner won't fix it, the director of public works can remove or disable it and bill the owner.
Commercial and industrial facilities subject to the state's general industrial or construction stormwater NPDES permits must keep their notice of intent, waste discharge ID number, and stormwater pollution prevention plan on site for inspection. New development and redevelopment projects that create or replace 5,000 square feet or more of impervious surface must build a standard urban stormwater mitigation plan (SUSMP) with low-impact-development and source-control best management practices, and CC&Rs for projects with shared BMPs must assign perpetual maintenance responsibility, including annual inspections, to the property owner or HOA.
The director of public works enforces the chapter and can enter property to inspect after presenting credentials or, if refused entry, seek a court order.
Violations & Fines
A violation is a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 or six months in county jail, or both; prosecutors can instead file it as an infraction carrying $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second, and $250 for each one after that. The city can also seek civil penalties up to $1,000 per violation per day, assess administrative penalties up to $1,000 per day, sue for an injunction, and recover its investigation and legal costs, which can become a lien against the property under Government Code Sections 38773.1 and 38773.5.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as an illicit discharge in West Covina?
What's the penalty for dumping into a West Covina storm drain?
Does West Covina require a stormwater plan for new construction?
Can the city fine me every day a stormwater violation continues?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in West Covina
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