Last Updated 07/27/2026
Amarillo Regulations
Excerpts from Storm water management criteria manual
1.3.15 Detention and Retention
Maintenance of detention and retention basins requires the periodic removal of debris and sediment. Without maintenance, a basin will become unsightly, a social liability and eventually ineffective as a detention or retention basin. Maintenance of these basins will be assumed by the City when such basins are designed and built in accordance with the Storm Water Management Criteria Manual and adequate maintenance provisions, including access, are provided.
1.3.19 Operations and Maintenance
Operation and maintenance of storm water facilities and playas is required to ensure that they will perform as designed. Channel bed and bank erosion, drop structures, pipe inlets, and outlets, pumping facilities and overall condition of the facilities shall be routinely inspected and repaired as necessary to avoid reduced conveyance capacity, displeasing aesthetics and ultimate failure. Sediment and debris shall be periodically removed from channels, storm drains, detention basins and retention basins. Trashracks and inlets shall also be routinely cleared of debris to maintain system capacity. The developer shall provide for perpetual maintenance of private drainage facilities. Private drainage facilities are those drainage improvements which remain on private property, are designed to serve only private property and are not owned by the City. The City will provide for perpetual maintenance of public drainage facilities after the warranty period. The City Drainage Policy requires that access be provided to all storm water facilities for maintenance and inspection. Developers shall be responsible for providing system features to facilitate maintenance of minor drainage systems, including inlets, pipes, culverts, channels, ditches, detention basins and retention basins.
Excerpt from Amarillo Municipal Code
Sec. 18-3-101. - MS4 Enforcement procedures.
(a) MS4 Enforcement Response Procedures: Violations of this article shall be enforced by, but not limited to, the following escalating steps.
(1) Notification of violation. Whenever the City finds that any User has violated or is violating this article, the City shall serve upon such person a written Notice of Violation (NOV) stating the nature of the violation and provide a period of ten (10) business days for satisfactory correction thereof. If the User fails to voluntarily comply with the conditions of the NOV, the City shall enact escalation of enforcement procedures.
a. NOV’s shall require a written response as to the cause of the violation and the steps taken to prevent further such violations from reoccurring. Written responses shall be submitted within ten (10) business days of receipt of the NOV. The response shall be submitted to the City Stormwater Coordinator at the following address: Laboratory Administration, PO Box 1971 Amarillo, Tx 79105. Failure to submit a response by the due date may lead to enforcement escalation.
(2) Compliance orders: When the City finds that a User has violated, or continues to violate, any provision of this article, or any other standard or requirement of the MS4, the City may issue an order to the User responsible, directing that the User come into compliance within ten (10) business day of issuance. If the User obtains full compliance during the ten (10) days, the User may request a reinspection of the site. If the User does not come into compliance within ten (10) business days, a red tag order shall be issued. A compliance order does not relieve the User of liability for any violation, including any continued violation. Issuance of a compliance order shall not be a bar against, or a prerequisite for, taking any other action against the User.
(3) Civil Penalties: Upon issuance of a compliance order, civil penalties shall be assessed by the Director. The User shall be penalized no less than an amount of one hundred dollars ($100.00) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) for each violation, for each day that it exists. Each day on which a violation shall occur or continue shall be deemed a separate and distinct offense. Each day that a violation persists, penalties shall be escalated. In addition, repeat violators such as a specified contractor, shall be subject to the same escalation of penalties.
(4) Red Tag Order: When the City finds that any operator of a construction site has violated, or continues to violate, any provision of the City’s MS4 – TPDES permit, the construction general permit TXR150000, or any order issued thereunder, the City shall issue a “Red Tag Order” to the operator, posted at the construction site, and distributed to all City departments and/or divisions whose decisions affect any activity at the site. The red tag shall prohibit any further inspection or approval by the City associated with a building permit, grading permit, subdivision plat approval, site development plan approval, or any other City approval necessary to commence or continue construction or to assume occupancy at the site. Issuance of a red tag order shall not be a bar against, or a prerequisite for, taking any other action against the violator.
a. Once a red tag order been issued, it shall not be removed until:
i. A site inspection has been conducted and all violations have been resolved.
ii. All penalties associated with the enforcement of the construction site have been paid in full. Including any previous unpaid penalties associated with the specified User and or contractor.
(b) MS4 Enforcement Response Plan:
(1) The City shall develop and utilize a MS4 Enforcement Response Plan (ERP) to identify the enforcement tools available to municipal staff to use if they observe noncompliance with the City’s regulatory mechanisms for illicit discharge, construction stormwater runoff control, and post-construction stormwater management.
(c) MS4 Enforcement Criteria:
(1) Whenever the City finds that a User has violated a prohibition or failed to meet a requirement of this article, the City shall issue a NOV to the responsible User. The NOV shall require:
a. The elimination of illicit discharge.
b. The abatement or remediation of Stormwater Pollution and the restoration of any affected property.
(2) If a User fails to meet the conditions of a previously issued NOV, a compliance order shall be issued ordering the User to obtain compliance with the City’s MS4 – TPDES permit, and the construction general permit TXR150000, within ten (10) business days of receipt of the compliance order.
(3) If a User fails to meet the conditions of a compliance order, the User shall then be issued a Red Tag Order. The red tag order shall require:
a. The abatement or remediation of Stormwater Pollution and the restoration of any affected property.
b. Remediation Penalties: If abatement of a violation or restoration of affected property is required, the City shall set forth a deadline within such remediation or restoration must be completed. Should the violator fail to remediate or complete restoration within the City’s established deadline, the work will be done by the City or a contractor designated by the City and the expense thereof shall be charged to the violator.
c. City or a contractor designated by the City shall enter upon the Users property and is authorized to take all measures necessary to abate the violation and restore the property. It shall be unlawful for any person, owner, agent, or person in possession of any premises to refuse to allow the City or designated contractor to enter upon the premises for the purposes set forth above. Refusal of entry shall result in immediate suspension of water utility service until authorization is granted and abatement measures are complete.
(d) Appeals:
(1) Any User receiving a red tag order may appeal the determination to an appeals committee. Members of the committee shall be an Assistant City Manager, and two (2) Director level positions selected by the Assistant City Manager. The notice of appeal must be received by the appeals committee within five (5) days from the date of receipt of the red tag order. The committee shall hear the appeal within ten (10) business days from the date of the committee’s receipt of the notice of appeal.
(2) The User may appeal the decision of the appeals committee with the City Manager, within five (5) business days after receiving notice of the appeals committee’s decision. The decision of the City Manager is final.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is responsible for stormwater facility maintenance in Amarillo?
Responsibility for stormwater maintenance in Amarillo depends on whether a facility is public or private. Private drainage facilities are those that remain on private property, are designed to serve only that private property, and are not owned by the City. Developers are responsible for providing for the perpetual maintenance of all private drainage facilities.
The City will assume maintenance responsibility for public detention and retention basins only when those basins were designed and built in accordance with the Storm Water Management Criteria Manual and adequate maintenance provisions, including proper access, are in place. Facilities that do not meet that standard remain the developer’s or property owner’s responsibility.
AQUALIS can manage your private stormwater facility maintenance obligations on your behalf.
What does routine stormwater maintenance involve in Amarillo?
The Amarillo Stormwater Management Criteria Manual identifies several specific components that must be routinely inspected and repaired to keep stormwater facilities functioning as designed.
Channels and drainage ways must be inspected for bed and bank erosion, and repaired as necessary to avoid reduced conveyance capacity and eventual failure.
Drop structures, pipe inlets and outlets, and pumping facilities must be routinely inspected and repaired to maintain system performance.
Detention and retention basins require periodic removal of sediment and debris. Without regular maintenance, basins lose storage capacity and eventually stop functioning effectively.
Trashracks and inlets must be routinely cleared of debris to maintain system capacity.
All stormwater facilities must also have access provided for maintenance and inspection purposes. Developers are responsible for building system features that make access possible for minor drainage systems including inlets, pipes, culverts, channels, ditches, and basins. AQUALIS can inspect your facilities and develop a maintenance schedule based on their current condition.
How do I know if my Amarillo stormwater system is at risk of failure or safety violation?
Watch for these warning signs.
Your detention or retention basin has significant sediment buildup. The Criteria Manual specifically identifies sediment accumulation as the primary reason basins lose effectiveness and eventually fail. If your basin is shallower than it was when originally constructed, or has vegetation growing where open water should be, it is overdue for dredging or cleanout.
Trashracks, inlets, or outlets are clogged. Blocked drainage components directly reduce system capacity and can cause flooding during rain events. Routine clearing of these components is an explicit requirement of the Criteria Manual.
Channels show signs of erosion. Bank erosion near drainage channels, drop structures, or outlet pipes indicates the system is experiencing velocities or flows it was not designed to handle, or that structural maintenance has been deferred too long.
Access to your facility is obstructed. The Criteria Manual requires that access be provided to all stormwater facilities for maintenance and inspection. Facilities that cannot be accessed are not meeting that requirement and cannot be properly maintained.
You are unsure whether your facility is public or private. If your property has stormwater infrastructure and you are not certain whether the City has assumed maintenance responsibility for it, that needs to be confirmed. AQUALIS can assess your facilities and clarify your maintenance obligations.
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.
