Stormwater BMP Inspection Program

For inspections in 2026, property owners are now automatically opted into the self-inspection program or the complaint-based inspection program. If you received a letter in the mail indicating that you must conduct a self-inspection, you must submit your survey(s) by Thursday, June 11th. Reminders were sent out on April 1st this year.

NHT BMP Inspections 2026 QR

Watch this space for updates regarding step-by-step instructions for completing the BMP self-inspection. If you are part of the complaint-based inspection program for BMPs such as disconnected downspouts and amended soils, you do not need to take action at this time UNLESS you received a letter this spring. 

The 2026 survey can be completed through your internet browser by visiting the self-inspection link provided in your notification letter, or you can download the ‘ArcGIS Survey123’ app onto your mobile device. Once in the app, you can scan the QR code below to open the survey. Please note that if you do not use the QR code, the inspection survey will not populate. You must use THIS YEAR'S LINK to access the self-inspection survey for 2026. Previous links have been disabled to protect data integrity from earlier surveys.

All properties with a stormwater management facility, or a “BMP” (Best Management Practice), shall be responsible for inspecting the facility on a regular basis. Stormwater management facilities fall under two categories: Post-Construction Stormwater Management (PCSM) BMPs and individual on-lot BMPs. PCSM BMPs refer to stormwater facilities that were installed as part of an approved land development plan and are required to be inspected in accordance with plan requirements, typically annually, triennially, or upon complaint. Individual on-lot BMPs refer to stormwater facilities that were installed on an individualized basis (e.g. resulting from the construction of a new house, or construction of some other improvement like a pool or detached structure that added more than 1,000 square feet of regulated impervious cover), and are required to be inspected at a frequency identified in the Operations & Maintenance Agreement for that property. This is typically once per year for the first five years, and then at least once every three years thereafter (or upon complaint).

Property owners shall ensure that the BMPs located on their properties are properly maintained at all times. The purpose of the inspection program is to verify that proper maintenance is being performed and that the BMP is functioning properly. Starting in 2025, the Township has made self-inspections the default inspection method and instituted a complaint-based system for simpler BMP types with low likelihood of failure.

  • Self-Inspections (Default method for 2026)

      • Property owners with inspections due in 2026 are required to conduct self-inspections by default. They must meet the deadlines for the self-inspection program for every inspection year. If property owners fail to complete their self-inspection by the initial deadline of June 11th, a violation notice will be issued and the responsible party will be given a final deadline to remedy the missed inspection. All inspections must be completed at least 72 hours after the last rainfall.
      • All inspections conducted within 72 hours of the last rainfall automatically fail the 2026 inspection program, and you will receive a notice indicating noncompliance and the requirement to reinspect your BMP(s). Please plan accordingly so that you do not run out of time to conduct your inspections.
      • Property owners will complete a self-inspection on forms provided by the Township. All forms and other educational materials will be available through the Survey123 link. Property owners or their designee should complete the self-inspection using the web-based online submission form provided. Photographs are required to be submitted with the inspection form.
      • All forms must be filled out completely and submitted by the deadline. No fees are required to submit a self-inspection.
      • Upon receipt of a completed self-inspection form, Township staff will review the submission. The property owner will be sent a letter to either verify the BMP is in compliance or to note if any violations were identified during the inspection. Please note that a compliant inspection is based upon photographs and evidence submitted to the Township, and the Township is not responsible for errors and omissions. If photographs showing ongoing noncompliance are submitted in the future, the Township has the right to request corrective action per the terms of the standing Operations and Maintenance Agreement.
      • If violations were identified during the review of the submitted inspection report, the follow-up letter will explain what those violations are and outline what the remediation steps will be. Remediation steps will be tailored to the violations identified. For minor violations, remediation will require the violations be addressed prior to the following year’s inspection. For more significant violations, remediation will be required immediately and may require a follow-up self-inspection or engineer inspection during the same year. If significant violations are identified, the property owner may be responsible for engineering fees associated with the review of their inspection form, and the Township may require the Engineer perform a follow-up inspection.

  • Engineer Inspections (phased out for 2026)

      • If property owners fail to perform a required self-inspection, the Township Engineer may be sent to the property to perform an inspection of the BMP(s) on a property and provide a written report of the inspection. Photographs will be taken of the BMP. There are currently no plans to send out the Township Engineer in 2026, but each case will be reviewed individually based upon the circumstances.
      • The property owner will receive a copy of the inspection report, once completed, along with a letter to either verify the BMP is in compliance, or to note if any violations were identified during the inspection.
      • If violations were identified during the inspection, the letter will explain what those violations are and outline what the remediation steps will be. Remediation steps will be tailored to the violations identified. For minor violations, remediation will require the violations be addressed prior to the following year’s inspection. For more significant violations, remediation will be required immediately and may require a follow-up inspection during the same year.
      • Property owners will be billed for the cost of the inspection based on the hourly engineering fees outlined in the Township’s Fee Schedule.

  1. Complaint-Based Inspections

      • Property owners with BMPs such as downspouts and amended soils were automatically entered into a complaint-based inspection program in 2025. Property owners will receive a letter indicating that they have been entered into the complaint-based program.
      • If an inspection is required due to a complaint, property owners will be given 30 days to perform a self-inspection. After that time period as indicated in the letter expires, the inspection will default to an engineer inspection.

Please refer to the notice sent to your address on record to determine whether an inspection is required this year. These notices were sent April 1, 2026. If you know you have a BMP on your property and have not yet received a notice for 2026, you may contact the township to confirm your inspection status for this year at SWM@newhanoverpa.gov.

You are not required to perform an inspection at this time if you were shifted to complaint-based inspections in 2025 unless you received a notice of noncompliance in January 2026.

The Township tracks all of the properties that have a stormwater BMP. If the BMP on your property falls under the PCSM category of stormwater facilities, inspection is required based upon the terms of recorded plans and agreements. If the BMP on your property falls under the individual on-lot category, inspections are required for the first five years after installation, after which the frequency of inspection may be reduced to once every three years. If violations are found on a property, an inspection will be required either within the same inspection year, or the following year. Complaint-based BMPs will only be inspected if the Township receives a complaint about a malfunctioning system or if there is an unresolved violation or noncompliance leftover from prior inspection program years.

A visual inspection will be performed to verify all components are present and functioning properly. The inspection form will include general questions to identify your property, BMP type, and weather conditions the day of the inspection, as well as more specific questions to answer regarding your BMP. These include, but are not limited to, the presence/absence of certain features, the condition of the lawn and/or vegetation in or around the BMP, and the condition of the physical infrastructure like an outlet, inlet, outfall, level spreader, etc. Photographs are a required component of the inspection to support the reported conditions.

All available stormwater plans and Operations & Maintenance Agreements are provided for digital viewing on the Township’s GIS Portal. Under the “layers” tab, turn on the “PCSM BMPs” and “LT1AC BMPs” layers; you will see pink and yellow stars on the map. Type in your address into the address search bar and select the star icon for your property. In the pop-up tab, you will see a link to your plan and O&M Agreement. If your plans or O&M do not show up in our online portal, you may also request a copy from the Township or stop by the Township building in person to view your files. We are working to digitize as many of these files as possible to ensure ease of access, but some record updates are still in progress.

Self-inspections may not be completed within 72 hours (3 days) of a rain event. This has to do with the design function of stormwater facilities. They are not supposed to hold water beyond 72 hours, which is only verifiable when it hasn’t rained in at least that amount of time. However, please note that if your BMP type is a downspout, it is fine to complete a self-inspection at any point, regardless of rainfall.

Your BMP will automatically be inspected by the Township’s engineer, and subject to the inspection fees. The deadline to submit your COMPLETED self-inspection form is June 11, 2025. If your submission is considered incomplete, is missing required information, or is otherwise deficient, the Township will notify you and require that you correct any noted deficiencies by the deadline.

All properties with BMPs have an Operations & Maintenance Agreement, either as a separate standalone document recorded at the County Recorder of Deeds, or as part of the approved subdivision and/or land development plan, which gives the legal right for the Township to enter onto property for the purposes of conducting inspections. Inspections by the Township Engineer will only be scheduled as necessary.

Regardless of whether the inspection is performed by the Township Engineer or by the property owner, the Township will issue a letter with a copy of the inspection report for the property owner to retain for their files. The letter will indicate if the BMP is in compliance or not. If noncompliant, the letter will include next steps for correcting any violations noted during the inspection. All self-inspections are subject to review by the Township Engineer. You will be notified if the Township requires any additional information, photographs, or clarification on the submitted inspection form.

For a self-inspection: If violations were identified by the property owner, or violations were identified by the engineer reviewing the self-inspection form submitted, the follow-up letter will explain what those violations are and outline what the remediation steps will be. Remediation steps will be tailored to the violations identified. For minor violations, remediation will require the violations be addressed prior to the following year’s inspection. For more significant violations, remediation will be required immediately and may require a follow-up self-inspection or engineer inspection during the same year. If significant violations are identified, the Township may require the Engineer perform a follow-up inspection and the property owner may be responsible for engineering fees associated with the review and/or inspection.

For an inspection performed by the Township: If violations were identified during the inspection, the follow-up letter will explain what those violations are and outline what the remediation steps will be. Remediation steps will be tailored to the violations identified. For minor violations, remediation will require the violations be addressed prior to the following year’s inspection. For more significant violations, remediation will be required immediately and may require a follow-up inspection during the same year. Any additional inspections will be subject to a fee as outlined in the Fee Schedule.

Township staff will evaluate any previous years’ inspections and verify that the BMP has been brought into compliance with any noted corrective action. For self-inspections, the property owner shall be responsible to demonstrate that any previously noted violations have been corrected.