For Clearwater sites, permeable resin-bound surfacing can play a stormwater role when it's designed into the site's stormwater management system: a resin-bound surface over a permeable base such as Rock Crete and an open-graded stone reservoir, sized by an engineer and reviewed under the city's drainage criteria and Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) rules. It's most useful at redevelopment, when Clearwater requires stormwater facilities even on sites that never had them.
It's less useful as a fee strategy. Clearwater bills homes a flat rate per dwelling unit and businesses by impervious area, and the city's definition of impervious is broad. Laid over existing concrete, resin-bound is a resurfacing finish and should be described as one.
Clearwater's drainage criteria and its broad impervious definition
Clearwater made stormwater a city utility through Ordinance 5058, adopted in December 1990. Residential properties pay one equivalent residential unit (ERU) per dwelling unit; non-residential properties are billed on actual impervious area divided by 1,830 square feet, with a minimum of 1.0 ERU. The ordinance definition covers land modified to reduce its ability to absorb rainfall, including areas that are paved, graveled or compacted, and the city's fee page describes no credit for on-site systems. Assume a permeable section stays on the bill unless the city says otherwise.
The design rules matter more. The city's Stormwater Drainage Criteria combine SWFWMD requirements with the Engineering Department's own, apply the stricter standard where they differ, and require the SWFWMD permit before the city grants final construction approval. All development and redevelopment must provide stormwater management, and a redeveloping property with no existing facilities has to add them even if runoff won't increase. On a tight lot, a permeable section may be able to supply part of that storage without giving up parking or landscape, if the city's engineers and SWFWMD accept it as part of the design.
King tides, a record surge and shallow groundwater
Clearwater sits between the Gulf and Old Tampa Bay, and the city already deals with sunny-day flooding in low areas during king tides, installing tidal valves to stop backflow. Hurricane Helene pushed the Clearwater tide gauge to 6.67 feet above mean higher high water in September 2024, beating the record from the March 1993 storm on a station dating to 1973.
On Clearwater Beach and around Clearwater Harbor, groundwater rises with the tide and the wet season, and that limits reservoir depth more than the sand does. Confirm separation with borings taken in the wet season, consider underdrains to a tide-protected outfall, and expect to clear sand and debris after surge or wash-over.
Where it fits in Clearwater
- Clearwater Beach hotels and motels rebuilding pool decks, drop-off courts and walkways during redevelopment.
- Downtown and Cleveland Street infill, where small parcels must add stormwater management when they redevelop.
- Island Estates and other waterfront homes replacing driveways and patios damaged by surge.
- Medical offices and shopping centers along the US 19 corridor with parking aisles and walkways.
The city's North Beach Stormwater Improvement Project shows how much attention drainage on the barrier island is getting.
From the Development Review Committee to installation
Larger projects go through the city's Development Review Committee, and some to the Community Development Board; engineering staff apply the drainage criteria and SWFWMD handles the state permit. SWFWMD applications deemed complete after December 28, 2025 fall under the statewide nutrient rule, which lets redevelopment sites outside impaired-water basins use a lower treatment standard but still requires calculations and an operation and maintenance plan.
Resin Rock supplies the system components, provides technical data sheets for the engineer of record, and connects owners with an approved installer. Contractors can apply for our Florida installer training.
Before you specify permeable resin-bound in Clearwater
- Confirm whether the work counts as redevelopment under the Community Development Code.
- Ask the city how it will classify a permeable area for the stormwater fee.
- Line up the SWFWMD permit before final city construction approval.
- Take wet-season borings to check tidal and seasonal groundwater.
- Plan cleaning after king tides and surge events.
Common questions about permeable resin-bound in Clearwater
Will a permeable surface lower my Clearwater stormwater fee?
Probably not on its own. Residential properties pay one ERU per dwelling unit regardless of what they build, and non-residential fees follow impervious area under a definition that includes paved, graveled or compacted surfaces. The city's fee page doesn't describe a credit program. Ask the city how it would classify a designed permeable section before you count on any savings.
My hotel is redeveloping. Do I need new stormwater facilities?
Very likely. Clearwater's drainage criteria require stormwater management for all development and redevelopment, and a redeveloping property with no existing facilities must add them even if runoff won't increase. A permeable resin-bound area over an engineered base can provide part of the required storage on a tight beach lot, if the engineer's design and the city accept it.
Does Clearwater need the SWFWMD permit before it approves construction?
For projects that need one, yes. The city's drainage criteria say the appropriate SWFWMD stormwater permit and any other required agency permits must be in hand before the city gives final construction permit approval. Designers are expected to know the district's current rules, and where city and district standards differ, the stricter one applies.
Do king tides affect a permeable surface in Clearwater?
They can. Near Clearwater Harbor and the beach, groundwater rises with the tide and the wet season, which can fill the lower part of a stone reservoir and slow drainage. High-tide, wet-season groundwater readings should set the base depth, and any underdrain needs an outfall protected from tidal backflow, the same problem the city tackles with tidal valves.
Official sources for Clearwater
- City of Clearwater Stormwater Ordinance & Fees (with drainage criteria)
- City of Clearwater Development Review Committee / Community Development Board
- Flooding in Clearwater (king tides, tidal valves)
- SWFWMD Environmental Resource Permits
Local rules change. We last checked these sources in October 2026. Confirm current requirements with the reviewing agency before you design, and treat this page as a starting point, not engineering or permitting advice.