What Is a Stormwater Fee?
- It’s a recurring fee charged to property owners for the service of managing runoff and associated pollutants coming from their property.
- Stormwater fees typically fund on the ground projects to reduce pollution by replacing failing infrastructure, restoring stormwater management systems and creating buffers and green space to filter runoff.
- It’s sometimes referred to as a stormwater utility, since it is similar to other utilities like water or sewer fees.
- It’s calculated based on the demands a property places on the drainage system and is administered separately from the general tax fund, ensuring accountability and transparency for these public services.
Today, more than 1,400 stormwater utilities have been documented in 39 states and the District of Columbia and it is estimated that between 1,800-2,000 stormwater utilities exist nationwide.
Municipalities that do not charge a stormwater fee typically fund stormwater management through the general revenue. Under this system, some property owners may overpay for stormwater services, while others are being subsidized because the fee is based on property taxes as opposed to the actual stormwater runoff of a property.
Maryland's Approach to Polluted Runoff
In 2012, the Stormwater Management - Watershed Protection and Restoration Program (HB987) was passed by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor. This law requires Maryland’s ten largest jurisdictions to fund pollution-reducing projects to meet federal Clean Water Act requirements. The local programs are funded by a fee on hard surfaces such as rooftops, driveways and parking lots.