If you live within a neighborhood that drains to the Monongahela River, Girty’s Run (The Borough of Millvale, Ross Township, and Shaler Township), or Squaw Run (Fox Chapel and O’Harah Township), you may have recently received a postcard from the City of Pittsburgh regarding proposed updates to the Zoning Code and Stormwater Management Code. 

Although the Stormwater Management Code applies City-wide, development or redevelopment in areas within these particular watersheds have specific requirements under the Allegheny County’s Act 167 Stormwater Management Plan to slow the flow of water during rain events and reduce stream and river pollution.  

These rules are currently housed within the Zoning Code (Title 9), but the City of Pittsburgh and PWSA are proposing to relocate them to the Stormwater Management Code (Title 13) in order to keep most stormwater-related regulations in a single section of code. The Zoning Code requires that all properties in the affected area be notified of this relocation of Act 167 language.

The language relocation is part of a larger Stormwater Management Code update. Development and redevelopment sites across the City of Pittsburgh that meet certain thresholds are required to manage the stormwater that flows off their properties. The overall code updates will improve stormwater management, simplify the code, and allow for more flexibility.  

There will be a webinar on Tuesday, July 13 at 2 PM about the proposed code updates. Additional information is available at engage.pittsburghpa.gov/stormwater-code.