The updated Fort Collins Stormwater Criteria Manual will go in front of City Council on November 7, 2017. This is the final version of the manual, prior to Council adoption. View the draft (PDF 10MB) and appendices (PDF 28MB).

The Stormwater Criteria Manual sets stormwater policies and provides drainage criteria for all new stormwater design and construction activities.

City Council adopted the manual December 2011 with Ordinance 174, 2011 (PDF 4MB). The manual incorporates most of the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District (UDFCD) Manual with amendments that are unique to Fort Collins. The Fort Collins table of contents (PDF 248KB) lists whether the criteria was adopted, amended or deleted.

In February of 2013, City Council adopted the LID policy and criteria in Ordinance 152, 2012 (PDF 110KB).

This Ordinance was later updated in January, 2016 with Ordinance 007, 2016 (PDF 109KB) to provide additional flexibility in the implementation of the LID Policy.

Additionally, on that date the Underground Detention Policy was also adopted as Ordinance 006, 2016 (PDF 223KB) to formally allow detention to be placed below surface.

Detailed LID criteria are incorporated in Volume 3, Chapter 3 of the manual below.

Urban Drainage and Flood Control District Manual

Volume 1

Preface (PDF 47KB)
Chapter 1 Drainage Policy (PDF 644KB)
Chapter 3 Planning(PDF 566KB)
Chapter 4 Rainfall (PDF 2.1MB)
Chapter 5 Runoff (PDF 1.4MB)
Chapter 6 Streets Inlets Storm Sewers (PDF 2MB)
Chapter 7 Major Drainage (PDF 4.2MB)

Volume 2

Preface (PDF 47KB)
Chapter 8 Structures (PDF 4.5MB)
Chapter 9 Culverts (PDF 1.5MB)
Chapter 10 Storage (PDF 2.7MB)
Chapter 12 Revegetation (PDF 646KB)

Volume 3

Preface (PDF 75KB)
Chapter 1 Stormwater Management (PDF 592KB)
Chapter 2 BMP Selection (PDF 1.2MB)
Chapter 3 Calculating the WQCV and Volume Reduction (PDF 2.4MB)
Chapter 4 Treatment BMPs (PDF 10.1MB)
Chapter 5 Source Control BMPs (PDF 1.3MB)
Chapter 6 BMP Maintenance (PDF 534KB)
Chapter 7 Construction BMPs (PDF 10.3MB)

Fort Collins Amendments

Full Amendments (PDF 1.1MB)

Volume 1

Chapter 1 Drainage Policy (PDF 177KB)
Chapter 2 Drainage Law (PDF 4KB) Chapter 3 Planning(PDF 4KB)
Chapter 4 Rainfall (PDF 32KB)
Chapter 5 Runoff (PDF 37KB)
Chapter 6 Streets Inlets Storm Sewers (PDF 24KB)
Chapter 7 Major Drainage (PDF 33KB)

Volume 2

Chapter 8 Hydrualic Structures (PDF 9KB)
Chapter 9 Culverts (PDF 12KB)
Chapter 10 Storage (PDF 221KB)
Chapter 11 Flood Proofing (PDF 5KB)
Chapter 12 Revegetation (PDF 37KB)

Volume 3

Preface (PDF 4KB)
Chapter 1 Stormwater Management and Planning (PDF 5KB)
Chapter 2 BMP Selection (PDF 32KB)
Chapter 3 Calculating the WQCV and Volume Reduction (PDF 168KB)
Chapter 4 Treatment BMPs (PDF 694KB)
Chapter 5 Source Control BMPs (PDF 9KB)
Chapter 6 BMP Maintenance (PDF 8KB)
Chapter 7 Construction BMPs (PDF 232KB)