Stream, Wetland and Water Body Regulations, Title 9 Land Use Codes, City of Boulder

Agency or Organization: City of Boulder, Colorado
Location: Boulder, Colorado, USA

The City of Boulder land use code regulates wetlands and water bodies as indispensable and fragile natural resources. Goals include: restriction of development activities that might adversely affect these resources; no net loss of wetlands; and seeking balance between property owners' interests and resource protection.

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DC Bag Fee for Watershed and River Education and Restoration, Washington, DC

DC passed a "bag fee" in 2010, the first of its kind in the nation. The law requires that business charge a 5 cent fee for every disposable bag. The policy raises money for watershed education and river restoration and works to help change resident behavior by drastically reducing the amount of disposable plastic used in the District. A variety of ordinances have been enacted to reduce single-use bags around the world. Some focus specifically on plastic bags while others apply to all single-use bags. Basic approaches include bag bans, bag use fees, or a combination of the two (such as banning plastic and applying fees to the use of paper bags). Some generate revenue to pay for other programs (e.g., Washington, DC: watershed education and river restoration)

Links:

Skip the Bag, Save the River | DC Department of the Environment

National List of Local Plastic Bag Ordinances

Plasticbaglaws.org

San Francisco's Checkout Bag Ordinance

International Dark Sky Communities

Agency or Organization: International Dark-Sky Association (IDA)
Location: Various

The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) certifies "International Dark Sky Communities" -- towns, cities, municipalities, or other legally organized communities that show "exceptional dedication to the preservation of the night sky through the implementation and enforcement of quality lighting codes, dark sky education, and citizen support of dark skies." Currently, there are 10 certified communities mostly in the United States. Provides guidelines for "small communities, urban neighborhoods and subdivisions on sky-friendly lighting fixtures.

Links:

International Dark Sky Communities

IDA Outdoor Lighting Guidance

The Audubon Society has a number of "Lights Out" Programs around the country. For more information, click here.

Model Native Plant Landscape Ordinance Handbook

Agency or Organization: Florida Native Plant Society
Location: Various

Handbook designed to foster the adoption of laws and regulations that protect and encourage the use of native plant species. Appropriate native vegetation is defined as vegetation found in the natural community that is suited to the soil, topography, and hydrology of a particular site. Examples from Florida and Arizona cities.

Links:

Model Native Plant Landscape Ordinance Handbook

Urban Agriculture Ordinances

Agency or Organization: Seedstock
Location: Various

Summaries and links to Seedstock's list of "ten cities leading the way with innovative urban agriculture ordinances that provide a blueprint for a new economic future grounded in sustainable food production in urban centers" -- including Detroit, Portland (OR) and Chicago.

Links:

Seedstock, 10 American Cities Lead the Way With Urban Agriculture Ordinances

Weed Laws and Ordinances

Agency or Organization: Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes
Location: Various

Presents material to assist in the drafting of ordinances to support native plants and natural landscaping, including model municipal ordinance and related examples.

Links:

Weed Laws and Ordinances, Examples and Guidelines

When Cities Grow Wild - Natural Landscaping from an Urban Planning Perspective: Legislative, Regulatory and Policy Opportunities and Barriers by by John Ingram

Cook County Watershed Management Ordinance

Agency or Organization: Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
Location: Cook County, Illinois, USA

Known as the Cook County Watershed Management Ordinance, or WMO, the new ordinance establishes standards that regulate stormwater run-off throughout Cook County. The new standards require that future developments treat and manage the rainfall that collects on their site in a way that protects our streams and wetlands and reduces flooding. To assist developers and municipalities in understanding how to implement the ordinance, a Technical Guidance Manual was developed to serve as a companion document to the WMO. The Guidance Manual provides detailed information, methodologies, and examples to explain how compliance with the rules and regulations set forth in the WMO can be achieved.

Links:

Cook County Watershed Management Ordinance

Watershed Management Ordinance: Short Summary

Technical Guidance Manual for the Cook County Watershed Management Ordinance

What is a Watershed Management Ordinance? Friends of the Chicago River

Other Principles Four Entries:

Principle Four Policies : a specific plan or course of action adopted by government

Principle Four Practices : a public or private program, service or method

**[Principle Four Financing Mechanisms : a funding source, public or private

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