Fresno County, CA Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- Fresno County Code Chapter 17.64, Drainage of Land
- Administering agency
- Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control District
- Fee basis
- Per gross acre, set by Board resolution
- Fee adjusted
- Every March 1st using national construction cost index
- Agricultural exemption
- Single-family home on 5+ acres used for farming
- Appeal method
- Pay fee under protest, director reviews
- Penalty
- General penalty under County Code Section 1.12.010
Summary
Fresno County Code Chapter 17.64 requires anyone developing or dividing land in the unincorporated county to pay a local drainage fee before a map records or a development permit issues, funding the storm drainage facilities the county needs to control surface and storm water. The Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control District administers the fees; the Board of Supervisors adjusts the fee schedule every March 1st using the national construction cost index.
The board of supervisors declares and finds that the development of land for urban uses substantially accelerates the concentration of surface and storm waters, and that it is necessary to require the construction of and to establish and collect fees to defray the actual or estimated cost of constructing planned local drainage facilities for the control and safe disposal of surface and storm waters from local drainage areas in order to promote and protect the public welfare, safety, peace, comfort, convenience and the general welfare, and for the accomplishment of the purposes more particularly set forth as follows:
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 51).
Full Breakdown
010). 030). 050). 030(D)). 060). 100).
Violations & Fines
A disputed drainage fee can be paid under protest and reviewed by the director, who determines the correct amount according to law (Section 17.64.070); disputes over required dedications or improvements follow the appeal procedure of the ordinance under which the condition was imposed. Violating any provision of Chapter 17.64, including nonpayment of an owed fee, is punishable under the general penalty set out at Fresno County Code Section 1.12.010 (Section 17.64.110).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to pay a drainage fee to build in unincorporated Fresno County?
Are farms exempt from Fresno County's drainage fee?
Who collects and spends Fresno County's local drainage fees?
Can I challenge a drainage fee I think is wrong?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fresno County
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