Last Updated 07/21/2026
Central Coast Stormwater Laws & Regulations
The Region of Central Coast has enacted a Stormwater Ordinance in order to establish minimum stormwater management requirements and controls to protect and safeguard the general health, safety, and welfare of the public residing in watersheds within this jurisdiction. The Region of Central Coast is the permitting authority for all land disturbing activities and requires the land owner to maintain all on-site stormwater control facilities and all open space areas (e.g. parks or “green” areas) required by the approved stormwater control plan. The Region of Central Coast will only provide construction permits to projects that establish a plan to manage stormwater runoff occurring during the construction process. The Region of Central Coast, under the NPDES program, also has the authority to inspect properties for noncompliance and can issue a notice of violation (NOV) for any deficiency or infraction onsite. Property owners are responsible for the maintenance of any stormwater facilities or practices located on the property. The Region of Central Coast has the authority to inspect stormwater facilities and practices in order to ascertain that they are properly maintained and functioning.
Excerpt- POST-CONSTRUCTION STORMWATER MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS FOR DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN THE CENTRAL COAST REGION
B. Post-Construction Requirements
The primary objective of these Post-Construction Stormwater Management Requirements (hereinafter, Post-Construction Requirements) is to ensure that the Permittee is reducing pollutant discharges to the Maximum Extent Practicable and preventing stormwater discharges from causing or contributing to a violation of receiving water quality standards in all applicable development projects that require approvals and/or permits issued under the Permittee’s planning, building, or other comparable authority. The Post-Construction Requirements emphasize protecting and, where degraded, restoring key watershed processes to create and sustain linkages between hydrology, channel geomorphology, and biological health necessary for healthy watersheds. Maintenance and restoration of watershed processes impacted by stormwater management is necessary to protect water quality and beneficial uses.
Excerpt- TECHNICAL SUPPORT DOCUMENT FOR POST-CONSTRUCTION STORMWATER MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS FOR DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN THE CENTRAL COAST REGION
I. Introduction
The management of stormwater runoff from sites after the construction phase is vital to controlling the impacts of development on water quality. The increase in impervious surfaces such as rooftops, roads, parking lots, and sidewalks due to land development can have a detrimental effect on aquatic systems post construction. Runoff from impervious areas can contain a variety of pollutants that are detrimental to water quality, including sediment, nutrients, heavy metals, pathogenic bacteria, and petroleum hydrocarbons. High levels of impervious cover can result in stream warming and loss of aquatic biodiversity in urban areas. Imperviousness limits both shallow groundwater movement and recharge of underlying groundwater basins. Impervious surfaces also reduce the supply of natural, beneficial sediment and organic matter to receiving waters.
The main goal of post-construction stormwater management is to prevent or limit these effects. This goal is best pursued by setting performance standards for new and redevelopment projects to ensure the projects integrate measures into their design and construction that protect, or to the extent feasible restore, the natural processes that support healthy aquatic systems. Over time, parcel-based requirements reduce the cumulative impacts of development at the watershed scale.
These Post-Construction Stormwater Management Requirements for Development Projects in the Central Coast Region (Post-Construction Requirements) establish the specific performance criteria and related implementation measures that municipalities will use to implement postconstruction stormwater management actions. As with many other aspects of urban stormwater management (e.g., illicit discharge detection and elimination, construction management, public education and outreach), municipalities possess the authority to implement post-construction stormwater management actions to prevent impacts from urban runoff. Through implementation of these Post-Construction Requirements, municipalities will ensure that the new and redevelopment projects they approve integrate measures into their design and construction to protect, or to the extent feasible restore, the processes supporting healthy aquatic systems throughout the life of the project.
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Resources
POST-CONSTRUCTION STORMWATER MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS FOR DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN THE CENTRAL COAST REGION
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TECHNICAL SUPPORT DOCUMENT FOR POST-CONSTRUCTION STORMWATER MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS FOR DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN THE CENTRAL COAST REGION
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California Stormwater Website
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Stormwater Multiple Application and Report Tracking System (SMARTS) Login
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the goal of the Central Coast Region's post-construction stormwater requirements?
Reducing pollutant discharges to the maximum extent practicable and preventing stormwater from causing or contributing to a violation of receiving water quality standards. That standard applies to any development project that needs approval or a permit under a municipality’s planning, building, or comparable authority within the region.
Why does the Central Coast Region's stormwater policy talk about watershed processes instead of just drainage design?
Because the requirements are built around protecting, and where degraded, restoring the connections between hydrology, channel geomorphology, and biological health that sustain a healthy watershed. The underlying premise is that stormwater management isn’t just about moving water off a site, it’s about maintaining the natural processes an entire watershed depends on.
How does new development in the Central Coast Region typically affect water quality?
Primarily through added impervious surface. Rooftops, roads, parking lots, and sidewalks generate runoff carrying sediment, nutrients, heavy metals, pathogenic bacteria, and petroleum hydrocarbons, and high levels of impervious cover are linked to stream warming and reduced aquatic biodiversity in developed areas.
Does impervious surface affect groundwater in addition to surface water in the Central Coast Region?
Yes. Impervious cover limits shallow groundwater movement and reduces recharge of underlying groundwater basins, on top of reducing the supply of natural sediment and organic matter that would otherwise reach receiving waters. That’s part of why the region’s requirements treat post-construction management as a groundwater issue, not purely a surface runoff one.
Who actually implements post-construction stormwater requirements in the Central Coast Region, the region or individual cities?
Individual municipalities. The region’s Post-Construction Requirements establish the performance criteria, but cities and counties hold the authority, and the responsibility, to implement those actions, along with related programs like illicit discharge detection, construction management, and public education.
Do the Central Coast Region's post-construction requirements only apply during construction, or afterward too?
Throughout the life of the project. The stated goal is ensuring new and redevelopment projects integrate design and construction measures that protect, or restore where feasible, the natural processes supporting healthy aquatic systems for as long as the project exists, not just during the build phase.
How can AQUALIS help my property meet the Central Coast Region's post-construction stormwater requirements?
AQUALIS helps Central Coast Region property owners and developers design stormwater controls that meet the maximum-extent-practicable standard local municipalities enforce, and maintains those controls over the life of the project to protect the watershed processes the region’s policy is built around.
The information on this page is provided for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Regulations change frequently — AQUALIS makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of this content, and any reliance on it is at your own risk. Consult a qualified professional or your local regulatory authority to confirm requirements applicable to your specific property.
