Chatham County, GA - The City of Savannah began using pervious paving to protect trees that are hundreds of years old. They chose pervious concrete paving around these trees, since it lets water and air get to the roots. Developers in Savannah have also utilized pervious concrete to comply with local regulations for stormwater. To enable a Wal-Mart Superstore to build next to protected wetlands, pervious concrete was part of the stormwater management system. Designers used new scrubs and trees, detention structures, and pervious concrete paving on all outlying parking areas. It is the first Wal-Mart Superstore in the U.S. with pervious concrete.

Florida - Located in Tampa, Florida, the Florida Aquarium serves about 700,000 visitors a year. In 1998-1999 a case study was carried out, by the Southwest Florida Water Management District, to discover what the benefits were of the site's bioretention features. These features are as follows: end-of-island bioretention cells; bioretention swales around the parking lot; permeable paving; bioretention strips between parking spaces; and a small pond to assist with storage and pollution control. The study showed a large reduction in runoff volume, peak runoff rate, and pollutants.

Illinois - The City of Chicago has initiated numerous LID (low impact development) techniques, which the city generally refers to as "green infrastructure" or "green building." The techniques include rain gardens, permeable paving, rooftop gardens, rain barrels, bioswales and disconnecting downspouts. The garden on the roof of City Hall, occupying 20,300 square feet, is perhaps the best-known example. These LID practices have helped reduce the city's problems with sewer overflows and severe flooding.

Maryland - Prince George's County (Maryland) has been a pioneer in LID (low impact development) since the mid-1980s. In 2005 an EPA grant was awarded to the county to support its LID Urban Retrofit Development Project in the Anacostia Watershed. In addition, a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Legacy grant was awarded in 2003 to Washington, DC, for a LID retrofit plan, to be developed by the LID Center and the Anacostia Watershed Society.

Maryland - Somerset is an 80 acre subdivision of about 200 homes in Prince George's County, Maryland. Built in the early 1990s, it was one of the first LID (low impact development) projects. The standard design of curbs, gutters, pipes, sidewalks and detention ponds was replaced with swales and rain gardens; most of the 10,000 square-foot lots have a 300-400 foot rain garden. The rain gardens (also known as bioretention areas) are located at low points on the lots; they allow water to pool to a depth of six inches, and achieve complete infiltration of this ponded water in 48 hours. The estimated savings was at least $4,000 per lot, and eliminating the stormwater pond allowed for the addition of six more houses. Tests in 2000 showed that runoff had been reduced. Residents have, in general, been enthusiastic about the rain gardens, and maintain them well.

Minnesota - Jackson Meadow is a housing development on a site of 336 acres near the town of Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota. Local residents rejected a generic development proposal of "McMansions" and wide streets, leading to a new development team and a more innovative approach. Extensive meetings took place between the developer and the community. The result is a cluster PUD development of 64 homes, with over 200 acres left as open space. Certain zoning code revisions were made relating to setbacks and road widths. Because standard sewer service was not available, and the lot sizes were too small for septic systems, the project uses two constructed wetlands, which are integrated into the community's open space, for wastewater treatment. The project also uses low impact development techniques, such as natural swales, "inverted crown" streets, narrow roads and shared driveways. The architecture reflects the vernacular Scandinavian-influenced tradition of the region, and also uses green building techniques, such as basements to help conserve heat. The development is pedestrian-friendly and includes 5 miles of trails, including a link to the nearby downtown of Marine on St. Croix only a 10-minute walk away. This project has won several awards for its environmental conservation, planning and architecture.

Oregon - The City of Sandy, Oregon (about 20 miles from Portland), encourages the use of low impact development methods through its stormwater management incentive program. This program encourages multi-family residential, commercial, and industrial property owners to reduce runoff by treating and disposing of stormwater onsite. The decrease in runoff entering the stormwater system reduces the city's infrastructure costs. Furthermore, the decrease in runoff and pollution loading improves the water quality of streams in the area. The program defines one Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) as 2,750 square feet of impervious area. Property owners are charged the monthly stormwater management fee ($3.00) multiplied by the number of ERUs that the property is judged to have. ERUs are measured from actual measurements, blueprints, and/or aerial photos. The program thus financially motivates owners to reduce their impervious surfaces by using smaller parking lots, narrower streets, pervious paving and/or eco-roofs. Credits are also given for methods that hold and absorb stormwater onsite. Such methods include tree plantings, vegetated swales, grassy swales, planter boxes, vegetated unfiltration basins, sand filters and soakage trenches.

Virginia - The Chancery on the Lake is a development of 170 condominiums in Alexandria, Virginia, that uses LID (low impact development) features. The development has an attractive open space area including a 14-acre pond, which functions both as a scenic amenity and as an onsite location for stormwater runoff.

Washington - The City of Mercer Island, in Washington State, has a unified land development code that sets percentage limits on the amount of impervious surfaces allowed on residential lots. The limit is based on the lot slope. For a lot slope of less than 15% the impervious surface limit is 40%; for a lot slope of 15% to 30% the impervious surface limit is 35%; for a lot slope of 30% to 50% the impervious surface limit is 30%; and for a lot slope of greater than 50% the impervious surface limit is 20%.

Washington - The Puget Sound Action Team, an inter-governmental group in Washington, has been promoting LID (low impact development) approaches in the Puget Sound region. By 2004, about 15-20 municipalities had adopted or revised ordinances to allow for (or mandate) LID techniques. As of 2005, the Action Team was working with 11 local governments (5 cities and 6 counties) that were considering integrating LID into their regulations.