Over the last year, the City of Glendale has been working with Lochmueller, the City Engineer, to develop updated stormwater ordinances to address a variety of concerns relating to both existing and infill properties. The Board of Aldermen approved the new stormwater regulations on Oct. 20, 2025, and the regulations are now in effect. You can find a copy of the new regulations at the link below, as well as a presentation from the City engineer providing an overview of the ordinances.

Please note, these ordinances have not been adopted by the Board of Aldermen at this time, and they are not in effect. 

Stormwater Management Goals

The goal of these ordinances is to ensure that Glendale can adequately address stormwater concerns relating to both existing and infill properties and provide us with better tools for enforcing rules and regulations regarding water retention, runoff and discharge. The new ordinances will also help Glendale:

  • Improve the effectiveness of stormwater control measures.
  • Adapt to changing environmental conditions and protect water quality.
  • Comply with state or federal regulations.
  • Promote sustainable development practices. 

To accomplish these goals, Lochmueller developed three separate ordinances:

  1. Erosion and Sediment Control – This ordinance establishes a new grading permit for certain land disturbance activities, and requires an Erosion & Sediment Control Plan, depending on the size of the activity. This is particularly needed given the City’s adoption of an impervious surface limit so that certain projects which ordinarily would not require a building permit can be reviewed for compliance.   
  2. Illicit Discharge and Connection – This ordinance prohibits the drainage of pollutants into the stormwater system and defines what is considered an illegal discharge. 
  3. Post-Construction Stormwater Quality – This ordinance is focused on construction projects, particularly in the long term. It specifies when a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) is required and helps clarify that stormwater infrastructure (referred to as Best Management Practices, or BMPs) installed as part of new homes or development must be maintained. It also gives the City authority to inspect BMPs for compliance if there are issues. 

While the City has adopted revised Architectural Review Board guidelines that include expanded stormwater requirements related to site plan development, these guidelines only apply to new development, so a more holistic approach to stormwater regulation is still needed. The stormwater ordinances are designed to supplement and inform the ARB process, while providing better guidance and clarity on how projects must be maintained post-construction.  

All three ordinances contained more detailed procedures for the City to issue citations, stop work orders, and fines for any violations of the stormwater regulations, giving the City greater authority to address issues as they arise. More details on some of the specifics relevant to each ordinance are outlined below. 

Grading Permit Requirements

The regulations concerning erosion and sediment control introduce a new grading permit for certain kinds of land disturbance activities. City staff has worked closely with Lochmueller to design this new grading permit to allow for quick reviews and approvals for simple projects while still having a more robust process for larger scale activities. In summary, a grading permit is required for excavations that:

  1. Are greater than 5 cubic yards or impacting greater than 200 square feet.
  2. Increase the impervious area of the lot by 10 percent.
  3. Result in the impervious area of the lot equaling or exceeding 55 percent of the lot.
  4. Elevation changes that cause impacts to stormwater runoff.

Basic grading permits will only require applicants to submit a site plan detailing the areas to be excavated, graded, filled and/or cleared. The main purpose will be to check for compliance with the impervious surface requirements and potential impacts on neighboring properties.

For larger scale projects such as a new home or addition, a more detailed Erosion and Sediment Control Plan will be required. The plan would include information on both temporary and permanent drainage systems and methods for controlling and containing erosion on the site. It also requires contractors to monitor and inspect erosion control BMPs on a regular basis.

Post-Construction Requirements

The new ordinances aim to provide greater clarity on how stormwater BMPs are installed, managed and maintained, especially as it pertains to MSDs standards. The kinds of detention tanks (Flo-Wells) that are commonly incorporated into new residential developments are a type of BMP, for example.

  • The ordinance requires that any Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) that is filed with MSD also needs to be provided to the City, along with an agreement for the long-term maintenance of any BMPs. This will mainly apply to larger land disturbance projects. 
  • It provides examples of the kinds of BMPs that should be used within the City and the standards to which they must be constructed.
  • It also requires that any BMPs mandated by the ARB be maintained so that they continue to operate properly and grants the City authority to perform long-term post-construction inspections if necessary.