---
title: "City of Aiken Council Reviews Updated Stormwater Ordinance Affecting New Subdivisions"
url: https://www.hereaiken.com/2026/05/29/aiken-city-council-stormwater-ordinance-subdivisions/
date: 2026-05-29T19:24:55+00:00
modified: 2026-05-29T19:24:55+00:00
author: "admin"
categories: ["Politics"]
site: "HERE Aiken"
attribution: "HERE Aiken"
---

# City of Aiken Council Reviews Updated Stormwater Ordinance Affecting New Subdivisions

*Source: [HERE Aiken](https://www.hereaiken.com/2026/05/29/aiken-city-council-stormwater-ordinance-subdivisions/) — May 29, 2026 by admin*

The Aiken City Council is reviewing an updated stormwater ordinance that would tighten on-site retention requirements for new residential subdivisions and commercial sites built within city limits, in response to flooding complaints from neighborhoods near Hitchcock Woods and the Whiskey Road corridor.

### What the ordinance does

The proposal, drafted by the city’s engineering staff and reviewed by the Planning Commission, raises the minimum on-site stormwater retention standard for new developments above one acre. It also introduces a tiered impact fee tied to the percentage of impervious surface — pavement, rooftops, and concrete pads — added by each project.

Key provisions under discussion:

- Higher retention basin sizing for subdivisions of 25 lots or more

- Mandatory low-impact development features (rain gardens, permeable pavers, or bioswales) on new commercial parcels above two acres

- A stormwater impact fee schedule indexed annually to construction cost inflation

- Penalties for repeat violations of erosion-control plans during active construction

- Updated mapping of flood-prone watershed areas south of Whiskey Road

### Community response

Homeowners in the Three Runs Plantation, Foxchase, and Houndslake neighborhoods have appeared at recent council meetings to support tougher rules, citing repeated yard flooding after summer thunderstorms. The Aiken Home Builders Association has asked the council to phase in the fee schedule and grandfather projects already in the permitting pipeline.

City Manager Stuart Bedenbaugh said the staff recommendation balances new-development cost concerns against the city’s obligation under state stormwater rules and the federal MS4 permit covering urbanized Aiken County.

### Timeline

The council is expected to take a first-reading vote at its next regular meeting at City Hall, 111 Chesterfield Street South. A second reading and final passage would follow at the subsequent meeting. If adopted, the ordinance would take effect for permit applications filed 90 days after passage.

Residents can review the draft ordinance text on the city’s website or request a printed copy from the City Clerk’s office. Written public comment is accepted up until the second-reading vote.