On most of Long Island, permeable resin-bound surfacing can work as a true infiltration practice, because the glacial sands under Nassau and Suffolk usually drain fast. The catch is what lies beneath them: the aquifer system that supplies Long Island's drinking water. Built as a porous pavement with an open-graded stone reservoir, sized to your town's on-site retention rule and kept well above groundwater, it can hold and recharge rain where it falls.

Laid over an existing driveway slab, it cannot. Water passes the resin-bound layer and then runs off the concrete or asphalt below, so an overlay does nothing toward a drywell or retention requirement and should not be presented that way.

Town retention codes sit on top of the state rules

Stormwater on Long Island is regulated in layers. NYSDEC's construction general permit, GP-0-25-001, covers projects disturbing an acre or more and points designers to the July 2024 New York State Stormwater Management Design Manual, where porous pavement is a runoff reduction practice. Most site-level control, though, comes from the towns and villages, each an MS4 operator with its own code.

Those codes are often stricter for small projects. The Town of North Hempstead requires on-site retention of 2.5 inches of rainfall when new impervious area exceeds 5 percent of the lot or 750 square feet, whichever is less. The Town of Southold requires every project that adds or replaces impervious surface to contain a two-inch rainfall on site, and requires a stormwater management control plan for new or resurfaced impervious surfaces of 1,000 square feet or more. Southold's code also tells designers to minimize impermeable paving, which is where a permeable section can help.

Fast sand, a protected aquifer and salt air: design considerations

Suffolk County describes its groundwater as a federally designated sole source aquifer system, and the state manual responds to that. For porous pavement, it requires at least 2 feet between the bottom of the stone layer and the seasonal high water table or bedrock, increased to 4 feet in sole source aquifers. Soils must infiltrate at 0.5 inch per hour or better, and underdrains are needed below 2 inches per hour. Porous pavement may not treat stormwater hotspots such as fueling or vehicle service areas.

Groundwater rises toward the South Shore bays and the North Fork and South Fork shorelines, so the 4-foot rule can bind on low lots. The manual also bars sand and winter traction grit on porous pavement and caps run-on at three times the paved area. Your engineer may specify Rock Crete or another permeable base over an open-graded aggregate reservoir sized to the town's retention volume.

Where it fits from the Nassau suburbs to the East End

Driveway and patio replacements in Nassau's older suburbs, where a new permeable section can carry some of the required retention and reduce the number of drywells.
Pool surrounds, garden paths and motor courts on North Fork and South Fork properties, where codes stress on-site containment near wetlands and bays.
Village downtown plazas and rear parking near LIRR stations, where redevelopment adds pressure on small storm systems.
Restaurant and marina walkways on the bays, kept clear of fueling and boat maintenance areas that count as hotspots.
School and campus walks where district facilities staff want low-glare, slip-resistant paths.

Who reviews it, and how Resin Rock fits in

Review happens at the town or village: the building department for permits, and the planning board, town engineer or board of trustees for site plans and work near wetlands. Southold, for example, has its Building Inspector confirm that a project can hold the two-inch rainfall before a permit issues. Larger sites also file under the state construction permit, and Suffolk County Department of Health Services rules can apply where groundwater protection is at issue.

Resin Rock manufactures and supplies the binder, stone blends, trims and Rock Crete, with data sheets for the drainage submission. We do not install. We match owners with an approved Long Island installer and run installer training for New York contractors. Whether a permeable area counts toward retention is the reviewer's call.

Before you specify permeable resin-bound in Long Island

Read your town or village retention rule; the design storm differs across Nassau and Suffolk.
Confirm seasonal high groundwater and keep 4 feet of separation under the stone bed.
Test infiltration rate at the footprint and decide on underdrains.
Exclude fueling, repair and other hotspot areas from the permeable section.
Plan winter care without sand or grit on the surface.
Show the permeable area and drywells together on the drainage plan.

Common questions about permeable resin-bound in Long Island

Can a permeable resin-bound driveway replace drywells on Long Island?

Sometimes it can replace part of them. Many towns require a set rainfall depth, such as two or two and a half inches, to be held on site. If the engineer sizes the stone reservoir to store that volume and the building department accepts it, fewer or smaller drywells may be needed. Roof runoff usually still goes to drywells.

Why does the aquifer matter if our sandy soil drains so well?

Because the water that soaks in becomes drinking water. The state manual adds groundwater separation for porous pavement in sole source aquifers, from 2 feet to 4 feet, and bars it from hotspots. That protects the aquifer but can rule out low-lying lots near the bays, where groundwater sits close to the surface.

Is resurfacing my existing driveway with resin-bound regulated?

Possibly. Southold, for example, requires a stormwater plan for resurfaced impervious areas of 1,000 square feet or more and on-site containment of a two-inch rainfall. An overlay on the old slab will not provide that retention, so check with your building department before ordering materials.

Official sources for Long Island

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.

Permeable Resin-Bound Surfacing in Long Island, NY