Storm Drainage Improvements
To place a storm water service request, ask a billing question or report water pollution call 3-1-1 (or 704-366-7600) Monday-Friday between 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Mecklenburg County Storm Water Services works with the Towns of Cornelius, Matthews, Mint Hill, Pineville and unincorporated areas of Mecklenburg County to maintain and improve drainage systems. Each jurisdiction within Mecklenburg County determines how to spend their funds on drainage repairs. These systems consist of storm drains, catch basins, underground pipes, open channels, culverts and creeks. Drainage improvements include replacing old drains and pipes, cleaning culverts and removing large creek obstructions.
The towns of Huntersville and Davidson maintain their own drainage system and should be contacted separately.
Find more drainage improvement information for the City of Charlotte.
Eligibility
The Storm Water Services program uses fees to work on public stormwater projects. When you report a drainage concern, an inspector will visit the site to determine if the concern is eligible. To be eligible, a repair must carry stormwater from a public street and serve the public good, not simply enhance private property. If the issue is eligible, the inspector will analyze the severity of the situation to prioritize and rank the request for service. First priority is given to protecting lives and homes.
Priority Levels
- Flooding of living space
- Damage or the imminent possibility of damage to a habitable structure
- Flooding that threatens the safety of the traveling public
- Flooding of crawl space of habitable structures
- Flooding of mechanical equipment
- Severe erosion posing a threat to secondary structures (fences are not considered secondary structures)
- Severe erosion with water quality implications to creeks
- Pipe or drainage structure failure
- Blocked pipes or ditches that have not or will not cause A or B priority problems
- Moderate erosion
- Standing water resulting from a publicly-funded project
- Yard flooding
- Drainage problems caused by landscaping
- Wet or flooded areas due to underground springs, wetlands or ground water seepage
- Routine maintenance including mowing grass and removing litter
- Channel within stream buffers that do not severely impact water quality
- Water standing in drainage channels
- Drainage conditions within NCDOT right-of-way (Please call 980-523-0000)
- Any property without a habitable structure
- Roof drainage system problems
- Violations of state statutes and/or municipal codes
- Sheet flow from adjacent properties
- Minor erosion
- Properties still covered by the homebuilder’s warranty
Easements
One of the common delays for stormwater repairs relates to easements. Before work can begin, property owners must grant an easement, allowing Mecklenburg County Storm Water Services and construction crews access to property. An easement does not reduce your property size or transfer ownership to the County. It does, however, create some limitations on the use of the easement area for the sake of the drainage system. There are two types of easements: a Mecklenburg County Storm Water Services easement and a public drainage easement.
Mecklenburg County Storm Water Services easement grants the County the permanent right to access and maintain stormwater systems to protect the public’s investment. A public drainage easement allows upstream property owners the right to drain their stormwater runoff across downstream properties. Flows may be overland or concentrated in pipes and open ditches.
Contractors
Most repair projects are managed through private contractors. Mecklenburg County Storm Water Services inspectors and engineers visit the sites, develop a plan and complete drawings that the contractors will use during construction. Construction contracts then must be bid, materials purchased and workers scheduled before work can begin.