Last Updated 08/04/2026
Murfreesboro, Tennessee Municipal Code
Chapter 27.5 - STORMWATER MANAGEMENT
Purpose and Intent
- Restriction of land uses allowed within water supply basins;
- Impervious area and density limitations; and
- Engineered stormwater control structures and the best management practices as listed in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ State Design Manual.
Section 27.5-7 - Permanent Stormwater Management—Planning, Design, and Operation and Maintenance.
General Conditions
(1) Design and construction of land development projects shall provide measures for control of the quantity, rate, and quality of stormwater runoff, with the goals to maintain or restore the quality of streams, including the integrity of stream banks, and to prevent flooding detrimental to property; and to achieve compliance with Federal, State and local requirements.
(2) Concept plans, stormwater management plans and designs must be presented for review in formats prescribed by the City and with information important for evaluating whether the plans comply with the City’s standards.
(3) Designs shall consider factors that will affect long-term maintenance of stormwater control measures, with the goal of practicable and reliable long term operation and maintenance,
(4) Individual stormwater control measures (SCMs) must be confined to a single lot of record or common area.
(5) The City shall promulgate guidance and standards for planning, design, and operation and maintenance of stormwater control measures (SCMs), such as the Stormwater Planning and Low Impact Design Guide and the Stormwater Controls Manual. These may be updated and expanded administratively from time to time. Updated copies are to be maintained available on the City’s world wide web site.
(6) Stormwater facilities that are designed, constructed, and maintained in accordance with the City’s ordinances and design standards will be presumed to meet minimum performance standards.
(7) If not specified in City’s design manuals, methods for calculating stormwater quantities, flows and quality shall be in accordance with good engineering practices.
(8) The City Council must approve any change to the stormwater design manuals which impose a new general requirement or which allows a new credit to the stormwater utility fee. Changes shall be based upon the recommendation of the Director of MWRD, based on improvements in engineering, science, results of monitoring, and on local maintenance experience. City Council approval of proprietary systems is not required.
Requirements for Control of Quantity and Discharge
(1) Applicability.
(a) Any new development or redevelopment project, whether a site or subdivision or a common plan of development or sale, that will result in disturbance of one acre or involve the construction of 10,000 square feet of impervious surfaces;
(b) Within watersheds of waters with unavailable parameters silt, habitat alteration, nutrients, or bacteria, any project that will involve the disturbance of 10,000 square feet; and
(c) In the case of construction of a single-family home that is not a part of a larger common plan of development or sale, only if disturbance is one acre or more.
Construction of 10,000 square feet of impervious surface refers to construction of, rather than addition of, 10,000 square feet of impervious surface.
(2) Required controls.
(a) Streambank protection. For new development, discharge must be controlled so that runoff from 75% of the one-year, 24-hour storm event is discharged over a 24-hour or greater period. For redevelopment, runoff from the added impervious area must be controlled so that runoff from 75% of the one-year, 24-hour storm event is discharged over a 24-hour or greater period; or equivalent control.
(b) Peak discharge rates post-construction may not exceed the preconstruction peak discharge rates for two-year, ten-year, 25-, 50-, and 100-year storm events.
(c) If the site has less than two acres (87,120 square feet) of impervious area, the City will consider on site low impact or green infrastructure design features included in the City’s stormwater design manual as an alternative method of achieving control of peak discharge and extended detention.
(3) The City may waive some or all required controls in paragraph (2) above if a hydrologic analysis from an engineer shows to the satisfaction of the City that such controls will result in an adverse impact (increased flooding, damage to structures or streambanks, etc.) downstream.
Requirements for Control of Quality
(2) General.
(a) Requirements of this section are intended to fulfill standards set forth in Tennessee Rule 0400-40-10-.04 and in the Tennessee small MS4 general permit (NPDES permit TNS000000).
(b) Designs of stormwater control measures shall adhere to standards in the City’s design manual; except that City staff may allow and approve other SCMs, based on evidence of their treatment efficiency, that can be constructed practicably and can be reliably operated and maintained.
(c) The City’s design manual should set forth treatment efficiencies of SCMs that correspond to treatment efficiencies set forth in the MS4 permit.
(3) Overall treatment standard – 80% TSS removal from WQTV.
Operation, Maintenance and Repair of Stormwater Management Facilities.
(1) Maintenance Plan.
(a) The design and planning of all stormwater management facilities shall include detailed maintenance and repair procedures to ensure their continued performance. These plans will identify the parts or components of a stormwater management facility that need to be maintained and the equipment and skills or training necessary. Provisions for the periodic review and evaluation of the effectiveness of the maintenance program and the need for revisions or additional maintenance procedures shall be included in the plan.
(b) The plan may, at City’s option, require the owner to file periodic inspection reports or certifications that the required maintenance and repairs have been performed and that the facility is functioning as initially designed and installed. A location map of all stormwater management BMP’s with a permanent elevation benchmark shall be submitted to assist in the periodic inspection of the facility.
(2) Maintenance Easements. The applicant must ensure access to the site for the purpose of inspection and repair by securing all the maintenance easements needed. These easements must be binding on the current property owner and all subsequent owners of the property and must be properly recorded in the office of the Register of Deeds.
(3) Maintenance Agreement.
(a) The maintenance responsibilities for permanent stormwater runoff control facilities shall be determined based upon the type of ownership of the property which is controlled by the facilities.
(b) Where the permanent stormwater runoff control facilities are designed to manage runoff from property in a single entity ownership as defined below, the maintenance responsibility for the stormwater control facilities shall be with the single entity owner.
(c) The stated responsibilities of the entity in terms of owning and maintaining the facilities shall be submitted with the stormwater management plan for determination of their adequacy. Approval of the stormwater management plan shall be conditioned upon the approval of these terms. These terms shall be in writing, shall be in recordable form, and in addition to any other terms deemed necessary by the City shall contain a provision permitting inspection at any reasonable time by the City.
(d) A single entity shall be defined as an individual, an association, public or private corporation, partnership firm, trust, estate or any other legal entity allowed to own real estate.
(e) Unless made specifically clear in the preliminary stages of the stormwater management plan review, it will be assumed that all stormwater detention, retention, treatment or storage facilities and/or devices shall be operated and maintained by a single entity as defined above.
(f) Where the City has explicitly and in writing accepted an offer of dedication of the permanent stormwater management facilities, the City shall be responsible for maintenance.
(4) Operation, Maintenance and Repair. Notwithstanding the condition of the items described above in this section – the maintenance plan, maintenance easements and maintenance easement – the owner of stormwater management facilities, including stormwater quality control measures, must inspect condition of the facilities and maintain them in good working order so that they perform substantially as designed, to capture pollutants and regulate discharge of stormwater.
7.3 STORMWATER MANAGEMENT
Section 27.5-11 - Post construction requirements.
(A) Certification by engineer. An engineer shall submit a certification that the stormwater system is complete and functional in accordance with the City approved stormwater management plan to the MWRD/Stormwater Coordinator for all developments and redevelopments. The certification is required for stormwater systems which are to be publicly owned or maintained and for stormwater systems which are to be privately owned and maintained. No temporary or permanent certificate of occupancy for any structure in a development or redevelopment shall be issued until such certification is received.
(B) As-built plans. The City may request as-built plans as a condition of signing of final plat where stormwater infrastructure will become publicly owned or operated.
(C) Final inspections and release of bonds for public stormwater facilities. A final inspection by the City will be required before any performance security will be released on a stormwater facility which is or is to become publicly owned or maintained. The City may, but is not required to, provide for partial, pro-rata releases of the performance security based on completion of various stages of development.
(D) Stabilization requirements.
(1) Any area of land from which the natural vegetative cover has been either partially or wholly cleared by development activities shall be revegetated according to a schedule approved by the City. The following criteria shall apply to revegetation efforts:
(a) Reseeding must be done with an annual or perennial cover crop accompanied by placement of straw mulch or its equivalent of sufficient coverage to control erosion until such time as the cover crop is established over 75% of the seeded area.
(b) Replanting with native woody and herbaceous vegetation must be accompanied by placement of mulch or its equivalent of sufficient coverage to control erosion until the plantings are established and are capable of controlling erosion.
(c) Any area of revegetation must exhibit survival of a minimum of 75% of the cover crop throughout the year immediately following revegetation. Revegetation must be repeated in successive years until the minimum 75% survival for one year is achieved.
(d) Final stabilization shall be accomplished with permanent cover.
(2) Developers shall be required to give a warranty for stabilization vegetation as part of their development agreement and to provide a performance security.
(E) Inspection of stormwater management facilities. Periodic inspections of facilities shall be performed as required by the City.
(F) Failure to meet or maintain maintenance or performance standards. If a responsible party fails or refuses to meet maintenance or performance standards required under this chapter, the City, after reasonable written notice, may correct violations of the standards by performing all necessary work to place the facility in proper working condition. If the stormwater management facility becomes an immediate danger to public safety or public health, the notice may be oral or omitted. The cost of any action by the City under this section shall be charged to the responsible party.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can the City of Murfreesboro inspect my property for stormwater compliance?
Yes. Designated city staff have the right of entry to any property subject to the stormwater ordinance, with ready access for inspection, monitoring, sampling, records examination, and copying. If your property has security measures in place, you’ll need to arrange for staff to enter without delay once they present proper identification. The city can also set up sampling or metering devices on your property as needed.
What happens if my stormwater facility in Murfreesboro falls out of compliance?
If a responsible party fails to meet maintenance or performance standards, the city can provide written notice and then perform the necessary work itself to bring the facility into proper condition, billing the cost back to the responsible party. If the facility becomes an immediate danger to public health or safety, the city can skip written notice and act right away. AQUALIS can help property owners stay ahead of maintenance requirements to avoid this kind of city intervention.
What triggers a notice of violation in Murfreesboro, Tennessee?
The city can issue written notice to anyone violating the stormwater ordinance, a permit, an order, or a maintenance agreement. Within 10 days of that notice, the responsible party must submit an explanation of the violation along with a plan to correct and prevent it. Submitting this plan doesn’t remove liability for violations that occurred before or after the notice was received.
What are the financial penalties for stormwater violations in Murfreesboro?
Civil penalties range from $50 to $5,000 per day for each day of violation, with each day counted as a separate violation. The city also considers factors like harm to public health or the environment, the economic benefit gained by the violator, and the effort put toward fixing the issue when setting the penalty amount. Beyond civil penalties, the city can recover any additional damages it incurs because of the violation, including investigation and enforcement costs.
How often does Murfreesboro inspect stormwater management facilities after construction?
The city’s goal is to conduct annual inspections of stormwater management facilities. Where chronic or severe problems are found, the city has the authority to fix the issue directly and charge the responsible party for the cost of that work.
Do I need a maintenance plan for my stormwater facility in Murfreesboro?
Yes, as part of the Stormwater Management Site Plan process. The plan needs to outline the scope of maintenance activities, a schedule, costs, funding source, and who’s responsible, along with how vegetation, sediment, access, and safety will be handled. AQUALIS can help property owners put together a maintenance plan that covers all of these elements.
Can commercial properties get a discount on Murfreesboro's stormwater fee?
Yes, if the property is non-single family residential. Owners can apply for credits by implementing stormwater management controls, with credit for stormwater quality set at 15%, and credit for streambank protection volume control set at 25%. Flood control volume credit is evaluated on a case by case basis. To keep the credit, the property owner must maintain the facilities to city standards, document all maintenance activity, and make those records available to the city upon request. AQUALIS can help identify which BMPs would qualify for these credits.
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.
