Construction Permitting

Construction projects that will include any land disturbing are required to obtain a Storm Water Permit  

Stormwater runoff from construction activities can have a significant impact on water quality. As stormwater flows over a construction site, it picks up pollutants like sediment, debris, and chemicals. Polluted stormwater runoff can harm or kill fish and other wildlife. Sedimentation can destroy aquatic habitat and high volumes of runoff can cause stream bank erosion.
 
Construction activities (including other land-disturbing activities) are regulated under our NPDES stormwater program.  Our Stormwater Quality program requires operators of construction sites (including smaller sites that are part of a larger common plan of development) to obtain authorization to discharge stormwater under our NPDES construction stormwater permit. 

The development and implementation of stormwater pollution prevention plans is the focus of our NPDES stormwater permits for regulated construction activities.

 Where Stormwater Quality is the permitting authority, the Construction (Best Management Practices Manual) outlines a set of provisions construction operators must follow to comply with the requirements of the NPDES stormwater regulations.

 Construction / Land Disturbing activities 1 (one) acre or smaller are only required to permit with The City of Oklahoma City’s Stormwater Quality Division, areas that are greater than 1 (one) acre require our permit and a D.E.Q. permit.

Construction sites located within Oklahoma City jurisdiction are audited on a regular basis.  The intent of these audits is to reduce or eliminate the potential to pollute surface runoff at each site.

The number one water pollutant of streams in the nation is sediment.  When sediment enters a waterway, it has the power to suffocate a stream (see Bio-Assessment of Streams). 

All construction projects in the city's jurisdiction are required to develop and implement a stormwater pollution prevention plan primarily to prevent silt from
escaping and damaging creeks or drainage structures down stream from the project.

Stormwater Quality Management
David Phillips, Section Head
420 West Main, 7th Floor
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
Phone: 405-297-3542
Fax:   405-297-1770
E-mail: david.phillips@okc.gov