Permeable Resin-Bound Surfacing in Norfolk, VA

Norfolk's fee reduction, site plan review and the Resiliency Quotient

Public Works' Division of Environmental Storm Water Management bills the stormwater fee by Equivalent Residential Unit: one ERU for a property with one to four residences, and impervious area divided by 2,000 square feet for non-residential property, at $0.504 per ERU per day from July 1, 2026. The residential fee reduction program caps credits at 60% per site and lists permeable pavement with underdrain at 20%, with a 300-square-foot minimum drainage area. It defines pervious pavement as concrete blocks, grid pavers, or pervious concrete or asphalt over a stone reservoir, and says gravel doesn't count.

For development, site plan review applies when land disturbance exceeds 2,500 square feet. Plans follow the Norfolk Stormwater Design and Construction Manual, and BMPs need a Declaration of Covenants recorded with the Circuit Court Clerk. The manual also asks for a tabulation of practices that earn points under Component 2, Stormwater Management, of the Resiliency Quotient in Section 5.12 of the Zoning Ordinance, with supporting calculations.

Resin-bound isn't on the City's list of pervious pavement types, so confirm with the Division how it would be credited before relying on the 20%.

Tides, shallow groundwater and sandy Coastal Plain soils

Norfolk is flat Coastal Plain ground bounded by the Chesapeake Bay and the Elizabeth River, with the tidal Lafayette River running through the city, and recurrent tidal flooding reaches neighborhoods such as the Hague and Larchmont. Sandy soils can take water quickly, but the water table is often close to the surface. The Virginia Stormwater Management Handbook's coastal plain guidance for permeable pavement requires at least 2 feet between the bottom of the system and the water table and a minimum 0.5% slope on any underdrain.

Norfolk's manual adds documentation: plans must show the seasonal high groundwater elevation at each BMP, and where groundwater intersects the BMP section the design must include an impermeable liner and buoyancy calculations. On many lots the practical result is a shallow, lined reservoir with an underdrain to the storm system rather than a deep infiltrating section.

Salt air and heavy summer downpours belong in the design brief too, so specify UV-stable materials and an overflow route that still works when outfalls are tide-locked.

Norfolk properties that can use it

• Driveways and rear parking pads in Ghent, Colonial Place and Larchmont, where the residential fee reduction applies if the design is accepted.
• Rental properties near Old Dominion University, where parking areas make up much of the impervious total.
• Courtyards and plazas downtown and along Granby Street, where redevelopment needs Resiliency Quotient points and water quality treatment.
• Church and school lots, where large paved areas raise ERU counts.

Keep permeable sections away from boatyards, fueling and maintenance areas, which call for contained pavement.

Plan review in Norfolk, and Resin Rock's supply role

The Division of Environmental Storm Water Management reviews and approves site plans submitted through the Department of City Planning, and handles fee reduction applications. Bring groundwater data at each BMP, liner and buoyancy calculations where needed, the underdrain profile and covenant documents. On City-owned property, the manual accepts permeable pavement only case by case.

Resin Rock is a manufacturer-supplier; installation is done by installers we train. We supply UV-stable binder, natural stone blends, trims and the Rock Crete permeable sub-base, with technical data sheets for your submittal, and we train and approve installers. Find an installer usually returns a Norfolk match within 24 hours. If you only want to renew a sound slab with no stormwater goal, see concrete resurfacing in Norfolk.