Richardson, TX SWPPP & Stormwater Requirements

What does Richardson require for SWPPP compliance?

In Richardson, a slope disturbed during construction must be secured against erosion as soon as possible — using erosion control fabric or fast-growing grass seeding, with effective controls placed down-slope until the soil is secure — and storm drain inlets and manholes must always be protected when paving or applying seal coat, tack coat, slurry seal or fog seal.

Controls regardless of size

Richardson's construction stormwater standards note that regardless of the size of the project, dirt, debris and other construction-generated wastes can negatively impact the environment if allowed to contaminate storm drains and other waterways, and direct sites to use straw waddles, silt fences or other control measures — kept effective and maintained — to prevent the flow of silt off the site.

The city's standards speak to the work, not the acreage — small sites carry real obligations here.

Before water leaves the site

Richardson directs crews to call the city before discharging water to a street, gutter or storm drain — filtration or diversion through a basin, tank or sediment trap may be required — and concrete washout water must be contained and can never reach the street, storm drain or fresh water sources such as creeks or streams.

A call before a discharge is cheaper than an enforcement conversation after one.

The tree chapter is new and strict

Richardson's tree ordinance — a new Chapter 22.5 enacted by ordinance adopted May 6, 2024 — prohibits removing a protected or specimen tree without a tree removal permit, subject to the chapter's own exemptions, which include developed residential property and residential redevelopment; an emergency threatening persons or property may be addressed immediately, with the permit application filed no later than the first city business day afterward. In Richardson, a protected tree is any tree six inches in caliper DBH or larger which is not an unprotected tree, and a specimen tree is a tree with a caliper of 24 inches DBH or greater.

A recently enacted chapter means recently updated review habits — assume the reviewers know it well.

Mitigation rides with the grading permit

Richardson requires a tree mitigation plan — prepared by a qualified professional and current within the ordinance's window — to be submitted to the director both with an application for a permit to fill or grade property and with a development application including a site plan, landscape plan, civil plans, or a plat; where a property to be developed has no protected trees, a qualified professional's affidavit is submitted instead.

The mitigation plan is a permit-application document, so the arborist work happens before the permit, not after.

The program behind it

The City of Richardson MS4 holds TCEQ authorization TXR040042 with authorization status ACTIVE and authorization type MS4 Level 3, covering the area within the city limits located in the counties of Collin and Dallas within the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington urbanized area, with coverage dating from December 17, 2008 and East Fork Trinity River and Rowlett Creek listed as impaired water bodies.

An active state authorization is what puts the city's program on your project.

The state permit still applies

The city's standards sit on top of the state's, not in place of them. A stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWP3) must be prepared and implemented before construction activities begin. TXR150000's standard schedule requires construction site inspections at least once every 14 calendar days and within 24 hours of the end of a storm event of 0.5 inches or greater.

The city's standards and the state program run together for the life of the disturbance.

Inspections and the record

The operator owns the inspection record from first disturbance to final stabilization. Terradyne provides routine SWPPP inspection reports with cloud-based client access. See SWPPP Inspections for how the program works, and Silt Fence Installation for the perimeter the reviewers will look at first.

Check before you mobilize

Ordinances and city standards get revised; confirm the current documents with the city before you mobilize. For other North Texas cities, start at Local Compliance.