*** PWD’s 5/19 Stormwater Regulations Updates Webinar (recording) ***

Greetings, Philadelphia Development Community!

As announced earlier this spring, Development Services has proposed updates to PWD’s Stormwater Regulations and the Stormwater Management Guidance Manual. On May 19th, PWD hosted a webinar to provide an overview of these planned changes. Read on for more and a link to the presentation recording.

PWD Stormwater Regulations Updates Webinar

To introduce the proposed changes to PWD’s Stormwater Regulations and related Guidance Manual updates, on May 19 Development Services hosted a Zoom webinar expressly for the development community and design professionals. A recording (approx. 45 minutes) of this virtual presentation may be accessed using this link.

Updates to PWD’s Stormwater Regulations Proposed for July 1, 2026

Beginning this July, the Philadelphia Water Department proposes to:

  • Exempt Small Residential Development from Post-Construction Stormwater Management requirements. Small Residential Development is a project that proposes less than 1-acre earth disturbance, consisting of buildings used exclusively as one- or two-family dwellings.
  • Expand Public Health and Safety (PHS) Release Rate areas. Projects in a PHS Release Rate area must comply with the set maximum release rate for the one-year through 10-year storm events.
  • Require approval of Erosion and Sediment (E&S) Control Plans for projects proposing earth disturbances of 5,000 SF and greater.

Stormwater Management Guidance Manual version 3.4 debuts July 1, 2026

Accompanying the proposed July 1 changes to Philadelphia’s Stormwater Regulations, Development Services will release the latest iteration of the Stormwater Management Guidance Manual, version 3.4. Notable updates include:

  • A new map illustrating the expanded Public Health and Safety (PHS) Release Rate areas (link)
  • The reclassification of Porous Pavements to Porous Surfaces
    • Porous Asphalt, Porous Concrete, and Resin-bound Aggregate will be removed from the Manual
    • Permeable Pavers, Reinforced Turf, Artificial Turf, and Porous Play/Safety Surface will remain, under the category of “Porous Surfaces”
  • Other SMP design modifications to improve SMP access, maintenance, and longevity

These newly added SMPs, as well as the reclassification of acceptable Porous Surfaces, are reflected in PWD’s revised “SMP Hierarchy” below.

PWD’s revised SMP Hiearchy (effective 07.01.2026)

Updates to the Plan Review Portal

Last week, Development Services debuted updates to the Plan Review Portal’s dashboard section. Users will now see four distinct locations that more accurately represent our various project reviews. Most notably, Stormwater Retrofit (aka, Stormwater Grants) applicants now have their own category separate from Stormwater Plan Review. And all applicants will have the ability to request meetings with staff before submitting projects.

Visit the updated Plan Review Portal via this link.