Permeable resin-bound surfacing can be part of a permeable pavement design in Tacoma when it sits on an engineered open-graded base over soils that pass the city's infeasibility screens, and Environmental Services accepts the section under BMP L633. Laid over an existing slab, it is a resurfacing: water passes the top layer and then runs off the concrete, so it shouldn't be counted as stormwater control.

Tacoma's July 2026 Stormwater Management Manual took effect on July 1, 2026, keeping the city in step with the 2024 state manual. Its permeable pavement chapter describes porous asphalt, pervious concrete, pavers and grids. A poured resin-bound wearing course isn't a named type, so the engineer's design and the reviewer's acceptance carry more weight here.

Tacoma's 2026 manual and BMP L633

The City Council adopted the updated manual by Ordinance 29107 to meet Tacoma's municipal stormwater permit. It applies to applications submitted on or after July 1, 2026, and to some older applications that haven't started construction. Volume 4, Chapter 12 covers permeable pavements as BMP L633, which can satisfy Minimum Requirement #5 for on-site stormwater management and help with treatment, flow control and wetlands protection.

The chapter is specific about when permeable pavement is infeasible under the List Approach. Native soil with a measured initial saturated hydraulic conductivity below 0.3 inches per hour rules it out, as does 1 foot or less of separation to seasonal high groundwater, bedrock or another impermeable layer. A wearing course steeper than 6 percent, a location within 10 feet of a building, or heavy truck traffic also count against it. A soils report is required to design permeable pavement at all.

Outwash, the South Tacoma aquifer and Tideflats fill

Tacoma's ground varies sharply. The South Tacoma Groundwater Protection District protects the South Tacoma Aquifer, part of the city's drinking water supply, and projects that infiltrate pollution-generating stormwater there must provide treatment under the district's infiltration policy, administered with the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department. A resin-bound walkway is not pollution-generating in the way a parking lot is, but the engineer should confirm how the reviewer classifies it.

Elsewhere, glacial till and steep gulches toward the Narrows and Commencement Bay limit infiltration, and the manual sets a 50-foot setback from the top of slopes over 20 percent unless a geotechnical analysis says otherwise. Fill and known contamination around the Tideflats trigger additional infeasibility criteria. In those places a lined or underdrained section, or no infiltration at all, may be the honest answer.

Practical uses in Tacoma

North End homes. Patios, garden paths and side yards. The manual treats permeable pavement within 10 feet of a building as infeasible for code credit, so keep it back if it needs to count.
Hilltop and Stadium District infill. Courtyards and shared walks on private land in new multifamily buildings.
South Tacoma commercial sites. Pedestrian areas and entry plazas, with treatment questions settled early because of the aquifer district.
Campus and institutional grounds. Walkways and outdoor seating at colleges, schools and clinics.
Sloped lots above the water. Terraced paths in Old Town and along Ruston Way, where each terrace stays under the manual's 6 percent wearing-course slope for code credit and the geotechnical report clears the slope setback.

Busy truck yards and Tideflats industrial sites are generally poor candidates for an infiltrating section, because the manual treats industrial activity, frequent truck use and fuel transfer as infeasibility triggers.

Review in Tacoma and support from Resin Rock

Environmental Services sets the stormwater standards, and permits run through Planning and Development Services at 747 Market Street. The manual notes Tacoma has standard plans for permeable pavement sections that work for public and private projects, and right-of-way sections must meet the city's Right-of-Way Design Manual. A resin-bound proposal will need the engineer's section, soils report and modeling where the manual calls for it.

Resin Rock supplies UV-stable resin binder, natural stone aggregate blends, trims and Rock Crete permeable sub-base, with technical data sheets for the submittal. We don't install. We train and approve installers through our Washington installer training and can match you with an approved installer, usually within 24 hours.

Before you specify permeable resin-bound in Tacoma

Order a soils report; Tacoma requires one to design permeable pavement.
Confirm measured native-soil infiltration of at least 0.3 inches per hour for the List Approach.
Check more than 1 foot of separation to seasonal high groundwater.
Keep the surface under 6 percent slope and 10 feet from buildings if it must count toward code.
Check whether the site is inside the South Tacoma Groundwater Protection District.

Common questions about permeable resin-bound in Tacoma

Is resin-bound an approved permeable pavement type in Tacoma?

Not by name. BMP L633 in the 2026 manual describes porous asphalt, pervious concrete, interlocking and aggregate pavers, and grid systems. A resin-bound wearing course on an engineered base would be reviewed on its design and the soils report. Ask Environmental Services early how they will classify it for Minimum Requirement #5.

My home is in South Tacoma. Can my patio infiltrate?

Possibly. The outwash soils there often drain well, but the area sits over the South Tacoma Aquifer. Projects that infiltrate pollution-generating stormwater in the protection district must provide extra treatment, so a patio or path is a simpler case than a driveway or parking area. Your engineer should check the district policy and the city's review.

Can I put resin-bound over my cracked concrete instead?

You can resurface it, and it will look and drain better on top, but water still runs off the slab underneath. That means it isn't permeable pavement for Tacoma's manual and shouldn't be shown as a stormwater facility. Removing the slab and building a permeable base is the route if you need stormwater credit.

Official sources for Tacoma

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 Tacoma, WA