Permeable resin-bound surfacing can be part of a stormwater design in Virginia Beach where the reservoir beneath it can stay at least two feet above the water table, which rules out some low-lying lots and shapes the design on most others. Where it works, and if the City and plan reviewers accept the surface, it may help a commercial or multifamily site qualify for the City's stormwater utility fee adjustment and count toward the water quality treatment Virginia requires on new development.

Over an existing slab it is a finish only, since water passes the surface and runs off toward the Lynnhaven, the Elizabeth or Back Bay. Below: the City's fee adjustment and permit framework, how sea level rise and sandy soils affect the base, where the system fits, and how to get it reviewed.

The fee adjustment, the MS4 deadline and Virginia's phosphorus limits

The City's Stormwater Utility Fee Adjustment Program offers up to 50% off for faith-based organizations, commercial and industrial properties, and private multifamily properties with at least five dwelling units that operate one or more functional on-site stormwater management facilities. Owners sign a facility maintenance agreement with the City and submit an adjustment application, and the City continues regular inspections. Reducing impervious area can also qualify. Single-family homes aren't covered.

The City's MS4 permit, effective January 26, 2024 through January 25, 2029, requires Virginia Beach to meet 100% of its Chesapeake Bay TMDL pollutant reductions by June 30, 2028, which keeps pressure on private development to treat runoff. Statewide, new development plans submitted on or after July 1, 2025 must hold total phosphorus to 0.26 pounds per acre per year, and the Virginia Stormwater Management Handbook lists permeable pavement among approved practices.

Public Works' Stormwater Management Regulatory Division runs the MS4 program and the fee adjustment. Resin-bound surfacing isn't one of the Handbook's named permeable pavement surfaces, so confirm with the Division and plan reviewers how it would be treated.

Sea level rise, sandy soils and a high water table

Virginia Beach is low Coastal Plain ground with sandy soils that often infiltrate well, but the water table can sit close to the surface, especially near the Lynnhaven River, Back Bay and the North Landing River. The Handbook's coastal plain guidance requires at least 2 feet between the bottom of a permeable pavement system and the water table, and a minimum 0.5% slope on any underdrain. On flat sites, achieving that slope and an outfall that drains at high tide takes careful grading.

The City's Sea Level Wise Adaptation Strategy, published in March 2020, describes accelerating sea level rise increasing the frequency and extent of flooding across four watersheds: Oceanfront, Elizabeth River, Lynnhaven and Southern Rivers. Rising tides also lift groundwater, so a reservoir designed today should keep margin for higher water tables. The strategy also modeled wind tides in Back Bay and the North Landing River, another flood source in the southern city.

Blowing sand near the Oceanfront can clog any porous surface, so plan for more frequent vacuum sweeping there.

Virginia Beach properties that suit it

Hotel courtyards, pool decks and resort-area walkways near the Oceanfront, where a natural-stone, drain-through surface handles constant foot traffic.
Plazas and streetscapes in Town Center, where commercial owners can pursue the fee adjustment with a maintained on-site facility.
Apartment and condominium communities of five or more units in Kempsville, Great Neck and along the Lynnhaven, which fall within the adjustment program.
Churches and private schools, which the City names among eligible faith-based and non-residential properties.

Getting a Virginia Beach design approved, and Resin Rock's part

Development plans and stormwater permits go through the Development Services Center in the Department of Planning and Community Development, under the City's Stormwater Management Ordinance and the state regulation; fee adjustments go to the Stormwater Management Regulatory Division with an application and a maintenance agreement. Give reviewers the seasonal high water table at the paving footprint, the reservoir and underdrain design, outfall elevations relative to tide, and a maintenance plan.

Resin Rock doesn't install; we're the manufacturer-supplier behind the system. We supply UV-stable binder, natural stone blends, trims and Rock Crete permeable sub-base, with technical data sheets for the plan set, and we train and approve installers. Find an installer usually matches Virginia Beach projects within 24 hours. If you simply want to refresh sound concrete without a stormwater goal, see concrete resurfacing in Virginia Beach.

Before you specify permeable resin-bound in Virginia Beach

Measure the seasonal high water table at the paving footprint before design.
Keep at least 2 feet between the reservoir bottom and the seasonal high water table; if you can't, ask reviewers whether a lined, underdrained section is acceptable or choose a different practice.
Check that the underdrain outfall still drains at high tide.
Confirm the property type qualifies for the fee adjustment (non-residential or five or more units).
Ask the Stormwater Management Regulatory Division how a resin-bound surface would be treated.
Budget for extra sweeping near the Oceanfront, where sand blows in.

Common questions about permeable resin-bound in Virginia Beach

Can my Virginia Beach business lower its stormwater fee with permeable paving?

Possibly. Commercial, industrial, faith-based and multifamily properties with five or more units can receive up to a 50% adjustment if they operate a functional on-site stormwater management facility, sign a maintenance agreement and apply. Ask the Stormwater Management Regulatory Division whether a permeable resin-bound section counts as such a facility before you build.

Does the fee adjustment apply to single-family homes?

The City describes the program for faith-based, commercial, industrial and private multifamily properties with at least five dwelling units, so a single-family home would not normally qualify. Homeowners can still use a properly built permeable surface to reduce runoff from their lot, but shouldn't expect a fee adjustment from it.

Is the water table too high for permeable pavement in Virginia Beach?

Sometimes. The state Handbook requires at least 2 feet between the bottom of a permeable system and the water table in the coastal plain. Many sites meet that with a shallow reservoir and an underdrain; low lots near the Lynnhaven, Back Bay or tidal creeks may need a different practice. A lined design doesn't remove the 2-foot rule, so it works only if reviewers accept it.

Official sources for Virginia Beach

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 Virginia Beach, VA