7 Washington Runoff and Drainage Rules Homeowners Get Fined For

Where the water goes after your weekend project matters more than you might think.

In Washington, runoff that reaches a storm drain can come with fines, and the rules differ from one city or county to the next.

Here’s what can get Washington homeowners fined, so you can plan around it.

Note: This is general information, not legal advice. Stormwater rules and penalties are subject to change, so confirm the current requirements with the Washington Department of Ecology or your city or county stormwater office.

1. Chlorinated Pool Water

Seattle bars you from sending chlorinated swimming pool or hot tub water into a public or private drainage system.

You can drain it only after you dechlorinate it to 0.1 parts per million of chlorine or less, among other conditions.

You also can’t discharge pool-cleaning wastewater or filter backwash.

A violation can cost you up to $5,000.

Each day or portion of a day counts as a separate violation, so a drain-down that stretches across two days can mean two.

Seattle names a property’s owners and occupants as responsible parties, so the fine can come to you.

2. Cement and Paint Rinse Water

If your patio pour or paint job leaves you with a bucket of rinse water, keep it out of Seattle’s storm drains.

The city’s drainage rules list cement wash water and painting products among the banned substances, along with dirt, gravel and sand.

A broader line bars any discharge into a drainage system that consists of more than stormwater.

If you send that rinse water into a storm drain, you face the same penalty as pool water, up to $5,000 for each violation.

3. Biodegradable Soap

Does biodegradable soap get a pass at a Bellevue storm drain?

Not under the city’s storm and surface water code, which lists biodegradable soaps among the substances that can’t enter a storm drain.

Detergents and ammonia sit on that list too, along with petroleum products, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and domestic animal wastes.

You can still give your building’s exterior a routine washdown if you skip detergents and keep dirt and other pollutants out of the storm system.

The city’s civil penalty for these violations runs up to $500 a day.

A repeat violation within two years costs more, with up to $1,000 a day for the first repeat.

From the fifth repeat on, it’s up to $5,000 a day.

4. Yard Debris

Tumwater’s stormwater rules count lawn clippings, leaves and branches as pollutants that can’t go into the city’s stormwater system.

If you own the property, the city can assess you a civil penalty for a first violation of up to $1,000.

The cap rises to $2,500 for a second violation and $5,000 for a third and continuing violation.

Tumwater also counts every day or portion of a day of continued unlawful activity separately.

5. Illicit Drain Connections

In unincorporated King County, meaning the area outside any city, the stormwater enforcement rule covers illicit connections.

An illicit connection is a human-made connection to the storm drain system that carries more than stormwater.

The county’s director decides, based on an investigation or other evidence, whether a connection qualifies.

The list of human-made connections includes hoses and above-ground piping, as long as they carry anything besides stormwater.

Residents and property owners are covered, so if you live there, it reaches you.

Penalties start at $500, depending on a point score the county assigns.

6. Neglected Drainage Facilities

Neglecting a required drainage facility on your property can be a violation in unincorporated King County, even if you never dump anything.

A drainage facility is any constructed or engineered feature that manages stormwater runoff, including a pipe, ditch or gutter.

You’re expected to operate and maintain any required facility as designed.

The county scores neglect on the same scale as any other violation, which tops out at $10,000.

7. Used Motor Oil

Oil is on Seattle’s list of banned drain discharges, along with antifreeze, gasoline, grease and all other automotive and petroleum products.

If you pour used oil into a Seattle storm drain, the city can penalize you up to $5,000 for each violation.

Ecology’s used oil guidance says never to dispose of used oil on the ground, in the garbage or down a drain.

You can find a used oil recycling location through 1-800-RECYCLE.

Costs on Top of Fines

Stormwater fines aren’t the whole bill.

If you’re the violator, Seattle Municipal Code 22.808.050 makes you liable for the city’s investigation and correction costs, plus a 15 percent charge for administrative costs.

Paying the penalty doesn’t cancel your duty to correct the violation if a Notice of Violation names you.

Spokane works differently when the city abates a nuisance under its stormwater chapter, meaning the city does the cleanup work.

Spokane’s director totals the city’s expenses and any accrued penalties, then adds 100 percent of the contractor’s costs.

Ecology's Penalty Notice

The Department of Ecology sets your fine, up to $10,000 a day, by weighing your history and how badly the violation hurt public health or the environment.

It can count each day a violation continues as a separate violation.

Ecology notifies you in writing, by certified mail or in person.

The penalty generally comes due 30 days after you receive the notice.