Construction and Development Stormwater Requirements

Storm Water BMP

Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP)

The City of Arroyo Grande requires a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) and SWPPP Checklist to be submitted to the Community Development Department for regulated projects.

Unless exempted by the Regional Water Quality Control Board, a SWPPP is required prior to issuance of grading and/or construction permits, and/or prior to approval of subdivision improvement plans, for a project that involves clearing, grubbing, grading, or disturbance to the ground such as stockpiling or excavation that:

  1. Results in site disturbance of one acre or more of land area; or
  2. Results in site disturbance of less than one acre if the activity is part of a larger common plan of development that encompasses one acre or more of site disturbance.

SWPPP Checklist (PDF)

Stormwater Requirements for Grading Permits

The City of Arroyo Grande regulates grading permits by the City Grading Ordinance.

Regulated projects include all new development or redevelopment projects, both discretionary and ministerial, that create and/or replace at least two thousand five hundred (2,500) square feet of impervious surface (collectively over the entire project site).

Prior to acceptance of an application for a construction permit, grading permit, land use permit or subdivision application associated with a regulated project, the applicant shall submit a stormwater control plan (SWCP). The SWCP shall demonstrate compliance with all applicable post construction requirements for the Central Coast Region, adopted by the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board under Order R3-2013-0032 and comply with the City's design requirements for post construction compliance adopted by the City and incorporated herein by this reference, on file in the Community Development Department.

How to Obtain a Grading Permit (PDF)
Stormwater Plan Application (PDF) 
Erosion and Sediment Control Plan Checklist (PDF)

Stormwater Best Management Practices Handbooks
The California Stormwater Quality Association (CASQA) develops and publishes four Best Management Practices (BMP) Handbooks generally matched to the three kinds of stormwater permits. For more information, please visit the CASQA website.