McHenry County Stormwater Management Ordinance (SMO) Information

The purpose of the McHenry County Stormwater Management Ordinance is to establish reasonable rules and regulations for floodplain and stormwater management in order to:

• Protect and preserve the quality and environmental values of land and water resources in McHenry County;
• Encourage development in a manner that promotes the orderly, sustainable and cost-effective utilization of land and water resources;
• Minimize the impact of development on flood hazards, erosion, and water quality;
• Minimize the need for additional expenditure of public funds for flood control projects, repairs to flood damaged public facilities and utilities, and flood related emergency operations;
• Minimize additional disruption of governmental services and the economy due to flooding and drainage problems;
• Maintain eligibility for the NFIP by equaling or exceeding Federal floodplain development regulations (the NFIP is codified as 44 CFR 59-79, as amended) thereby making federally subsidized flood insurance available to residents in participating communities;
• Protect the hydrologic, hydraulic, water quality, aquatic habitat, recreation and other beneficial functions of streams, ponds, lakes, wetlands, and flood storage areas;
• Protect the quantity and quality of groundwater resources;
• Meet the requirements of The Rivers, Lakes and Streams Act, Resources, 615 ILCS 5/1 et. seq.;
• Minimize harm due to periodic flooding including loss of life and property and threats and inconveniences to public health, safety and welfare;
• Protect buildings and improvements to buildings from flood damage;
• Facilitate the permitting of sound maintenance of channels and existing stormwater management systems; and
• Require the regular, planned maintenance of new stormwater management systems. 

The SMO establishes minimum countywide standards for stormwater management, including floodplains, detention, soil erosion & sediment control, water quality treatment, and wetlands.

The SMO is administered and enforced at the local level. Twenty-one of the thirty municipalities in the county are Certified Communities.  As a Certified Community, the municipality is authorized to enforce the SMO within their corporate limits.  Regulated development within unincorporated areas of the county and within Non-certified Communities are issued permits through the McHenry County Department of Planning and Development. 

A copy of the McHenry County Stormwater Management Ordinance may be purchased at the Department of Planning and Development or downloaded from this page.  The McHenry County Technical Reference Manual is available for download by clicking here.

Jurisdictional Determinations and Wetland Delineations

The SMO provides standards for any isolated wetland that is no longer under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).  If your project may impact a wetland, you are required to submit a Jurisdictional Determination to determine if the wetland is a Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) or an Isolated Waters of McHenry County (IWMC). 

Wetland delineations are required to be completed by a Certified Wetland Specialist.  Please click here for a list of McHenry County's Certified Wetland Specialists.

FEMA Floodplain Areas

Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) are maps prepared by FEMA that depict the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) within a community. These maps are available from the FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer or the FEMA Map Service Center, a Division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Map Service Center.  Please note that the FEMA designated floodplain areas make up only a portion of the flood hazard areas that are regulated within McHenry County.

Stormwater Management Commission

The purpose of the McHenry County Stormwater Management Commission (SMC) is to manage and mitigate the effects of development on stormwater runoff in McHenry County by enforcing a countywide Stormwater Management Ordinance that sets minimum standards for floodplain and stormwater management.

The Commission meets the fourth Thursday of every other month at 8:15 a.m. at the McHenry County Administration Building, 667 Ware Rd., Woodstock.

Click here to view the Stormwater Management Commission meeting dates, including agendas and minutes.

Technical Advisory Committee

The purpose of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) is to assist the McHenry County Stormwater Management Commission by providing technical recommendations on matters such as amendments to the Stormwater Management Ordinance and the Technical Reference Manual.

The Committee meets the fourth Thursday of every month at 9:30 a.m. at the McHenry County Administration Building, 667 Ware Rd., Woodstock.

Click here to view the Technical Advisory Committee meeting dates, including agendas and minutes.

Comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan

The Comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan is the planning document that preceded the McHenry County Stormwater Management Ordinance.  The Stormwater Management Commission, through state legislation, was tasked with: 1) Consolidating the existing stormwater management framework into a unified countywide structure; 2) Setting minimum standards for floodplain and stormwater management; and 3) Preparing a countywide plan for the management of stormwater runoff, including the management of natural and manmade drainageways. The document was approved by the McHenry County Stormwater Committee on May 14, 1996 and subsequently adopted by the McHenry County Board on July 16, 1996.

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