Permeable Resin-Bound Surfacing in Durham, NC

Two lake watersheds, one review desk

Durham sits on a divide. Ellerbe Creek and the Eno River carry much of the north and downtown toward Falls Lake in the Neuse basin, while Third Fork, New Hope and Northeast creeks drain the south toward Jordan Lake. The City's Stormwater Development Review section regulates development in the Falls, Jordan and Neuse basins, applying the Falls Water Supply Nutrient Strategy and the Neuse nutrient strategy alongside the Stormwater Performance Standards for Development and the watershed overlay standards in Section 8.7 of the UDO.

The rules shifted in 2025. A City-County letter to industry says the Regulatory Reform Act of 2025 raised the disturbance threshold for single-family, duplex and recreational development in the Falls Lake watershed from half an acre to one acre, as long as the project is not part of a larger plan. Other development types keep their original thresholds.

For design standards, the review page points to the NCDEQ archived design manual from 2009 to 2016 with a City of Durham addendum, plus Section 8.3 of the Reference Guide for Development. Confirm which version governs before design starts: the current state Chapter C-5 requires a surface infiltration rate of at least 50 inches per hour and proof of long-term performance for any surface other than pavers, pervious concrete or porous asphalt.

Slow clay soils and what the reservoir has to do

Large parts of Durham lie in the Triassic Basin, where clay subsoils tend to drain slowly and shrink and swell with moisture. Durham's 2013 addendum to the state manual says these clays limit infiltrating permeable pavement in the city. North Carolina's current chapter, C-5, says a detention design is the better fit on such soils, with the stone base releasing water through an underdrain over two to five days, and requires an infiltrating design to drain within 72 hours. Durham's review page still points to the archived 2009 to 2016 manual, whose permeable pavement chapter allows up to five days to drain, so ask which version applies before sizing the base.

That choice carries weight. C-5 gives infiltrating pavement a built-upon area credit and a higher pollutant removal credit than a comparable detention system, while the archived chapter counts infiltrating pavement on clay (HSG C and D) soils as only 50 percent pervious. In both, an impermeable liner under a detention design lowers the TSS removal credit from 85 to 70 percent. Former mill, warehouse and fueling sites can also hold contaminated soil, and C-5 says stormwater must not be infiltrated into it. Settle soils, liner and outlet with the engineer before anyone prices the surface.

Where it fits in Durham

• Downtown and Brightleaf-area redevelopment, where courtyards and patios at converted tobacco warehouses need a finish that also handles runoff.
• University and medical campus walks and plazas with light pedestrian loads and a single owner responsible for maintenance.
• Office and lab parking in south Durham toward Research Triangle Park, with permeable stalls over an underdrained reservoir.
• Apartment and townhome common areas, which can qualify for the City's fee credit when controls go beyond what was required.

Review, credits and supply in Durham

Permeable pavement on a regulated site goes through Stormwater Development Review with the rest of the site plan. Ask early how a resin-bound wearing course will be evaluated and which manual version applies to your project.

Non-residential and multi-unit properties pay $11.80 per ERU of 2,400 square feet as of July 1, 2026. The City's fee credit manual, as revised by a 2010 operating procedure, allows credit only for properties other than detached homes and duplexes, caps it at 75 percent split among peak flow, water quality and maintenance, and excludes facilities funded by grants or generating nutrient credits. It also warns that credits may be reduced as City requirements change, so treat a credit as something to discuss, not a forecast.

Resin Rock does not install. We supply binder, stone blends, trims, the Rock Crete permeable sub-base and technical data sheets, and we train and approve installers. To refinish an existing slab instead, see concrete resurfacing in Durham. When the reservoir design is final, ask us to match an approved installer, usually within 24 hours.