Building Permits

Stormwater Requirements for Building Permits

Preparing to build in Anacortes? Stormwater is an important consideration in every step of your project, from preliminary design through final inspection. The City has adopted the Department of Ecology’s 2019 Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington (SWMMWW). The electronic version of this manual is available for free online here. The SWMMWW provides the framework to appropriately design and construct your project in accordance with City, State, and Federal regulations.

In order to have a complete permit application, a stormwater site plan must be included. This page will walk you through how to prepare your submittal.

The first step in preparing your stormwater submittal for a building permit is to use the Department of Ecology flowcharts to find out what the Minimum Requirements for your site are.

Flowchart for New Development (click on chart to enlarge)

New Development flowchart

Flowchart for Redevelopment (click on chart to enlarge)

Redevelopment flowchart

When you have determined the Minimum Requirements for your project, you are ready to fill out the City’s Minimum Requirements form to submit with your permit application. The form includes Minimum Requirements #1-9, as well as Appendix 7. You may remove the Minimum Requirements that do not pertain to your project. For example, if your project requires Minimum Requirements #1-5, then remove Minimum Requirements #6-9 from the document.

The 2019 Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington (SWMMWW) goes into detail on the Minimum Requirements and how to fulfill them. Volume I, Chapter I-3 - Minimum Requirements for New Development and Redevelopment describes the Minimum Requirements for stormwater management at development and redevelopment sites. Volumes II through V of the SWMMWW present Best Management Practices (BMPs) for use in meeting the Minimum Requirements.

Erosion Control on Construction Sites

Contractors are required to submit erosion and sediment control inspection reports weekly to the City. Reports may be submitted via email to buildingpermits@cityofanacortes.org. 

Fillable inspection forms are available on the City website:

For contractor inspections:

  • For projects greater than one acre, the inspections must be conducted by a Certified Erosion and Sediment Control Lead (CESCL). Project sites less than one acre may have a CESCL or a person without CESCL certification conduct the inspections.
  • The CESCL or inspector must inspect all areas disturbed by construction activities, all BMPs, and all stormwater discharge points at least once every calendar week and within 24 hours of any discharge from the site (typically due to a rain event). For purposes of this condition, individual discharge events that last more than one day do not require daily inspections. For example, if a stormwater pond discharges continuously over the course of a week, only one inspection is required that week. If this discharge starts as a result of a storm event, the inspection must occur within 24 hours of the start. The CESCL or inspector may reduce the inspection frequency for temporarily stabilized, inactive sites to once every calendar month.
  • Examine stormwater visually for the presence of suspended sediment, turbidity, discoloration, and oil sheen.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of BMPs and determine if it is necessary to install, maintain, or repair BMPs to improve the quality of the stormwater discharges.

City inspectors will also inspect stormwater facilities as part of normal inspection processes.

Final Inspection

At the close of the project, the site will have to undergo a stormwater final inspection to ensure that permanent stormwater facilities have been properly installed and maintained. In order to final the project, the City requires a signed, recorded BMP maintenance agreement for any permanent stormwater facilities and a copy of the as-builts.

Useful Links

For additional information, please contacting the Building Department at 360-293-1901.