Last Updated 08/13/2026
Broken Arrow Stormwater Laws and Regulations
Chapter 25 - STORMWATER MANAGEMENT
Sec. 25-1. - Findings of fact.
The City of Broken Arrow makes the following findings of fact:
(1) Because of its physical terrain and geographical location, the city is particularly subject to damage from stormwaters, which, from time to time, overflow from existing watercourses and drainage facilities;
(2) Floodplain areas of the city are subject to periodic inundation which may result in the loss of life and property, health and safety hazards, disruption of commerce and governmental services, and extraordinary public expenditures for flood protection and relief, all of which adversely affect the public health, safety and general welfare;
(3) The flood losses are created by the cumulative effect of obstructions in floodplains and increase of impervious areas which cause an increase in flood heights and velocities, and by the occupancy of floodplain areas by uses vulnerable to floods and hazardous to other lands because they are inadequately elevated, flood-proofed, or otherwise protected from flood damage;
(4) Previous regulations addressing drainage requirements for new land development must be replaced by a comprehensive approach in order to prevent or minimize damage to property and to reduce the potential for loss of life;
(5) A comprehensive approach to managing stormwater runoff and floodplain management is required to address existing and future needs;
(6) The presently existing stormwater drainage facilities of the city require continuous operation, maintenance, renewal and replacement;
(7) While the city does not own all drainage facilities within its jurisdiction, it does own or control a sufficiently comprehensive system in each of the major drainage basins so as to make a unified approach to flood issues a desirable and administratively achievable goal;
(8) The stormwater management program should be funded in the manner of a public utility.
Sec. 25-4. - Stormwater manager.
The stormwater manager shall exercise all lawful powers necessary and appropriate under the City of Broken Arrow’s Stormwater Management Program and shall have the authority as granted by the city manager to:
(1) Develop and administer all phases of a comprehensive program of stormwater management including planning, designing, establishing, acquiring, constructing, developing, installing, maintaining, operating, improving, repairing, replacing, and reconstructing the stormwater drainage system of the city;
(2) Administer the recordkeeping and support personnel and recommend the budget necessary for the efficient operation of the stormwater management program;
(3) Enforce the requirements contained in this chapter, including coordination with other departments and agencies;
(4) Perform studies and analyses required to establish or modify the stormwater management program;
(5) Provide for public information and awareness that will improve stormwater management and reduce hazards to life and property;
(6) Oversee the implementation of the state of Oklahoma’s General Permits regulating stormwater activity and management within the City’s jurisdiction:
(A) Oklahoma General Permit OKR04 – Phase II Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System Discharges within the State of Oklahoma, latest effective date;
(B) Oklahoma Pollutant Discharge Eliminate System (OPDES) Multi-Sector General Permit OKR05 – Stormwater Discharges from Industrial Activity with the State of Oklahoma, latest effective date; and
(C) Oklahoma General Permit OKR10 – Stormwater Discharges from Construction Activities within the State of Oklahoma, latest effective date;
(7) Administer the implementation of the regulations defined in the Earthwork Operations and Pollution Prevention Measures chapter and the Stormwater Management chapter of the City of Broken Arrow’s Engineering Design Criteria Manual, latest effective date;
(8) Administer and manage the implementation of the stormwater and drainage utility system charge requirements aspect of the overall stormwater management program as defined in this chapter;
(9) Administer and manage the implementation of the general watershed development requirements aspect of the overall stormwater management program as defined in this chapter;
(10) Administer and manage the implementation of the drainage system service charge aspect of the overall stormwater management program as defined in this chapter;
(11) Administer and manage the implementation of the environmental impacts aspect of the overall stormwater management program as defined in this chapter; and
(12) Review, approve or deny all applications for stormwater development permits required by this chapter with the exception that stormwater development permits may be reviewed, approved, or denied by the city manager’s designee.
Sec. 25-201. - Stormwater drainage system.
(a) Stormwater drainage systems shall consist of five major components, both public and private. These components are defined herein this chapter as follows:
(1) Stormwater transmission system. This component shall include all elements that generate stormwater runoff and transmit said runoff to a point of collection on a conveyance system, which include, but are not limited to, the following:
(A) Overland sheet and channel flow from on grade surfaces in a basin that generate stormwater runoff;
(B) Below grade groundwater flow; and
(C) Other sources of stormwater, water and/or drainage runoff generators.
(2) Stormwater collection system. This component consists of any and all individual elements that gathers, accept and/or collects stormwater runoff at a specific point and connects it to a conveyance system, which include, but are not limited to, the following:
(A) Street inlets;
(B) Area drains;
(C) Median drains;
(D) Side culverts;
(E) Other points of direct stormwater collection.
(3) Stormwater conveyance system. This component consists of the individual elements that convey stormwater to a discharge point or a storage facility, which include, but are not limited to, the following:
(A) Roadway/street surface drainage systems,
(B) Enclosed storm sewer pipe networks,
(C) Enclosed concrete box networks,
(D) Open channel systems:
(a) Unimproved, natural drainage ways, such as rivers, creeks, streams, etc.;
(b) Improved (manmade) channels;
(c) Borrow ditches and swales;
(E) Connection networks:
(a) Junction boxes;
(b) Stormwater manholes;
(4) Stormwater storage system. This component consists of the individual elements, whether on-line, off-line, and/or below grade facilities, that store stormwater runoff prior to its discharge to a receiving body, which include, but are not limited to, the following facilities:
(A) Detention facilities—provide a designed and managed reduction in the peak stormwater runoff and offset the stormwater runoff volume in a holding facility. These facilities may be publicly- or privately-owned but must be maintained by the property owner of record.
(1) Open detention facilities—facilities that are open to the atmosphere.
(2) Closed detention facilities—facilities that are not open to the atmosphere.
(B) Retention facilities—typically captures all the stormwater runoff and volume in a total retaining facility such that the water is only released through means of evaporation and/or infiltration. These facilities may be publicly or privately owned but must be maintained by the property owner of record.
(5) Discharge system. This component releases the stormwater runoff in a controlled manner from a specific point within the drainage system to a receiving body of water. Discharge elements shall include all outlet control structures, as well as the corresponding energy dissipators. These include, but are not limited to, the following:
(A) Outlet control structures:
(1) Weir structures;
(2) Orifice flow device structures;
(3) Flume structures;
(4) Open channel flow structures;
(5) Pressurized flow structures;
(6) Spillway structures.
(B) Energy dissipators:
(1) Riprap;
(2) Pre-manufactured revetment systems;
(3) Stilling basins;
(4) Concrete energy dissipation systems;
(5) Concrete armored system.
(b) General requirements of the stormwater drainage system.
(1) All stormwater drainage systems shall be subject to review and approval by the city with regard to analysis, design and construction of drainage facilities. The appropriate public authority shall have the right to maintain, or cause to be maintained, the drainage system for its intended purposes. If a basin master drainage plan is adopted for the area under consideration, then the provisions of the plan shall be adhered to unless amended.
(2) Every development shall be provided with a stormwater drainage system designed by an engineer registered in the State of Oklahoma, adequate to serve the development, and otherwise shall meet the approval requirements of the officials having jurisdiction.
(3) The stormwater drainage system shall be designed so that property owners located downstream from and upstream from the development shall not be injuriously affected by the construction, operation, or maintenance of such system.
(4) The stormwater drainage system plans prepared and sealed by a professional engineer shall show both plan and profile views of the proposed improvements. Any manhole or access point to the system that is buried out of sight shall be dimensioned to permanent objects in the vicinity.
Sec. 25-415. - Post-construction stormwater impacts.
(a) The purpose of this section is to address the operation, and maintenance requirements of post-construction best management practices and stormwater drainage systems within the City of Broken Arrow to reduce or eliminate post-construction adverse stormwater quality and quantity impacts to the municipal separate storm sewer system, any watercourse of the city, or any waters of the state or United States.
(b) For the purposes of this section, the following shall mean:
Post-construction. The general time period referenced in perpetuity after the final acceptance of the construction phase of any construction activity identified in subsection (c) below.
(c) This section shall be applicable to all post-construction best management practices and stormwater drainage systems on developments which require or required platting, site plan approval, or alterations to existing public stormwater drainage systems. Post-construction operation and maintenance of private best management practices and private drainage systems on single-family residential properties are exempt from the requirements of this section.
(d) Operations and maintenance of post-construction best management practices and stormwater drainage systems shall be performed in such a manner so that adverse stormwater quality and quantity impacts to stormwater drainage systems and receiving streams both on the subject property and on off-site properties are avoided, reduced, or eliminated. Adverse stormwater quality and quantity effects for the purposes of this section include: increased flood elevations, erosion, siltation, sedimentation; reduced base flow; pollution; and degradation of water quality.
(e) Stormwater drainage systems for the purposes of this section include any facility, structure, improvement, development, equipment, property or interest therein, including structural and nonstructural elements, which are made, constructed, used or acquired for the purpose of collecting, containing, storing, conveying, filtering, treating, infiltrating and controlling stormwater. This includes, but is not limited to, detention facilities, retention facilities, sediment basins, ponds, lakes, engineered open channels, natural channels, floodplains, creeks, storm sewers, conduits, pipes, borrow ditches, swales, roadways, infiltration systems, rain gardens, and bio-retention filters.
(f) Post-construction best management practices and stormwater drainage systems shall be operated and maintained so that property owners located downstream from and upstream from the development shall not be injuriously affected.
(g) Operations responsibility of post-construction best management practices and stormwater drainage systems shall be borne by the property owner.
(h) Maintenance responsibility of post-construction best management practices and stormwater drainage systems shall be borne by the property owner.
(i) In the event that the owner fails to properly operate or maintain the post-construction best management practices and stormwater drainage systems such that negative stormwater quality or quantity impacts to the municipal separate storm sewer system, any watercourse of the city, or any waters of the state or United States or stormwater drainage systems and or receiving streams either on the subject property or on off-site properties occurs or is imminent, the City of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, may order compliance with this section by written notice of violation (NOV) to the owner. Such notice may require without limitation:
(1) The performance of monitoring, analysis, and reporting;
(2) The elimination of illicit discharges or connections;
(3) That violating discharges, practices, or operations shall cease and desist;
(4) The abatement or remediation of stormwater pollutants and restoration of any affected property;
(5) The implementation of source control or treatment best management practices; and
(6) Payment of penalties as set forth as a class A offense per Broken Arrow Code.
If abatement of a violation or the restoration of affected property is required, the notice of violation shall set forth a deadline that such remediation or restoration must be completed. Said notice of violation shall further advise that should the violator fail to complete the remediation or restoration within the established deadline, the work may be performed by the City of Broken Arrow, or its designated contractor, and the cost shall be paid by the owner.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Are single-family homes exempt from Broken Arrow's post construction stormwater rules?
Yes. Post construction operation and maintenance requirements apply to developments that required platting, site plan approval, or alterations to existing public stormwater systems. Private best management practices (BMPs) and drainage systems on single-family residential properties are specifically exempt from this section.
What happens to my financial security if I default on my maintenance agreement?
The property owner bears both the operations and maintenance responsibility for post construction BMPs and stormwater drainage systems on their property. This covers a wide range of features, including detention and retention facilities, ponds, engineered and natural channels, storm sewers, swales, infiltration systems, rain gardens, and bio-retention filters.
What's the goal of maintaining my post construction stormwater system in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma?
Your system needs to be operated and maintained so it avoids, reduces, or eliminates adverse stormwater quality and quantity impacts, both on your own property and on neighboring properties. This includes preventing increased flood elevations, erosion, siltation, sedimentation, reduced base flow, pollution, and water quality degradation. AQUALIS can help property owners build a maintenance routine that meets this standard.
Can my completed stormwater system in Broken Arrow affect my upstream or downstream neighbors?
It shouldn’t. Post construction BMPs and drainage systems need to be operated and maintained so that property owners located both upstream and downstream from your development aren’t injuriously affected.
What happens if I don't maintain my post construction stormwater system in Broken Arrow?
If your property isn’t being properly operated or maintained and it’s causing, or is about to cause, negative water quality or quantity impacts, the city can issue a written notice of violation. That notice can require monitoring and reporting, eliminating illicit discharges or connections, stopping violating discharges immediately, cleaning up pollutants and restoring affected property, implementing additional BMPs, and paying penalties as a Class A offense under the Broken Arrow Code. AQUALIS can help property owners resolve issues before they escalate to this level.
What if I don't complete required repairs by the deadline in my Broken Arrow notice of violation?
Your notice of violation will set a deadline for completing remediation or restoration work. If you don’t finish by that deadline, the City of Broken Arrow (or a contractor it designates) can perform the work itself, and you’ll be responsible for paying the cost.
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.
