The City of Wilmington is a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II community. Federal Law requires that the City of Wilmington implement a Stormwater Ordinance that includes Post Construction Controls. This permitting process is required by the Clean Water Act and applies to urbanizing areas.
The City of Wilmington’s Stormwater Ordinance that includes the NPDES Phase II Post Construction Controls was adopted by the Wilmington City Council effective on November 1, 2009. The City’s Comprehensive Stormwater Ordinance applies to all new development, redevelopment and expansion or modification of existing development. It regulates both water quality (pollution) and water quantity (volume) with regards to run-off generated by development activities. For many projects, it will replace the State Stormwater Permit process currently administered by the NCDEQ - Division of Energy, Mineral & Land Resources. There are two tiers of Stormwater Review that may apply – Full Stormwater Review and Drainage Plan Review. The document below will help determine which level of review applies to your project.
All development review for the City of Wilmington is coordinated by City Planning staff as part of the Site Plan Review Process. This involves a 3-tiered series of meetings and review submittals intended to step a project from concept through full approval and construction release. The bulk of the technical review for a project is done as part of the 3rd and final tier - the Technical Review Committee (TRC) meeting. Engineering and Stormwater review is a component of the overall Site Plan Review Process. All plans, forms and other supporting documentation necessary for Engineering and Stormwater review are submitted through City planning– they are not submitted directly to Engineering. Additional information on the City’s Site Plan Review Process can be obtained from the website below or you may contact any City Engineering for Planning staff member.
All projects that require a stormwater permit (Drainage Plan or Full Stormwater Permit) must complete submit a signed Stormwater Permit Application form. A checklist of other submittal requirements, including calculations, forms and documents are listed on p5 of the application. All required forms and documents must be submitted along with the appropriate plan review fee for a project to be considered for Engineering TRC review.
The Stormwater Permit Application Instructions(PDF, 74KB) must be read prior to completing the Stormwater Permit Application Form.
All High-Density projects or projects proposing permeable pavements (for credit) are required to submit one (1) supplement for each proposed Stormwater Control Measure (SCM). One (1) operation and maintenance agreement shall be submitted for each type of SCM proposed. The City of Wilmington is utilizing the State (NCDEQ) Supplement EZ form as the required SCM supplement.
Any subdivision (residential or commercial) or project where a portion of the property has the potential to be sold must submit one (1) proposed property restriction document with the application packet. The proposed property restriction language is typically included in the master protective covenants for the subdivision and is required to be recorded prior to the sale of any lot.