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Article 7: Stormwater Management
Section 7.1. General Provisions
7.1.3. Authority
June 23, 2017
Morrisville, NC
Page 7-2
Unified Development Ordinance
Establishing minimum post-development stormwater management standards and design criteria for
the regulation and control of stormwater runoff quantity and quality;
Establishing design and review criteria for the construction, function, and use of structural stormwater
best management practices (BMPs) that may be used to meet the minimum post-development
stormwater management standards;
Encouraging the use of better management and site design practices, such as the use of vegetated
conveyances for stormwater and the preservation of greenspace, riparian buffers, and other
conservation areas to the maximum extent practicable;
Establishing provisions for the long-term responsibility for and maintenance of structural and
nonstructural stormwater BMPs to ensure that they continue to function as designed, are maintained
appropriately, and pose no threat to public safety;
Establishing administrative procedures for the submission, review, approval and disapproval of
stormwater management plans, for the inspection of approved projects, and to assure appropriate
long-term maintenance.
Controlling illicit discharges into the municipal separate stormwater system.
7.1.3.
Authority
The Morrisville Town Council is authorized to adopt this article pursuant to North Carolina law, including but
not limited to Article 14, Section 5 of the Constitution of North Carolina; North Carolina General Statutes
Chapter 143-214.7 and rules promulgated by the Environmental Management Commission thereunder;
Chapter 143-215.6A; Session Laws 2009-216, 2009-484; Chapter 153A-454; Chapter 160A, §§ 174,
185, 459.
7.1.4.
Applicability and Jurisdiction
A.
General
Beginning with and subsequent to its effective date, this article shall be applicable to all development
and redevelopment—including, but not limited to, applications for Site Plan Approval, Subdivision
Approval, Construction Plan Approval, and grading approval—unless exempt pursuant to this article.
B.
Implementation
As per Session Law (SL) 2015-241 and SL 2015-246, implementation of 7.3.2 and 7.3.5 of this Article
are temporarily suspended until August 10, 2020.
C.
Exemptions
Single-family detached, duplex, and manufactured home dwellings and recreational development
and redevelopment that cumulatively disturbs less than one acre and are not part of a larger
common plan of development or sale are exempt from the provisions of this article.
Commercial, industrial, institutional, single-family attached and multifamily residential, or local
government development and redevelopment that cumulatively disturbs less than one-half acre and
are not part of a larger common plan of development or sale are exempt from the provisions of
this article.
Development and redevelopment that disturbs less than the above thresholds are not exempt if
such activities are part of a larger common plan of development or sale and the larger common
plan exceeds the relevant threshold, even though multiple, separate, or distinct activities take place
at different times on different schedules.
Development or redevelopment that is exempt from permit requirements of Section 404 of the
federal Clean Water Act as specified in 40 CFR 232 (primarily, ongoing farming and forestry
activities) is exempt from the provisions of this article.