Stormwater Mgt Fee - FAQs

The fee is based on the amount of impervious area on a parcel.  The Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) area was derived using the average impervious surface for a residential lot in the County.  The ERU for Isle of Wight is 3,200 SF.

All developed residential property owners will be assessed a fee of $54 per year.  The storm water management fee will be added as a separate line item on real estate tax bills.

The Yearly Stormwater Managemnt Fee runs concurrent with the County’s fiscal year (July 1 through June 30).

A Best Management Practice can include schedules of activities, prohibitions of certain activities, maintenance procedures, and other management practices to prevent or reduce the pollution of surface waters and groundwater systems from the impacts of development activities.  This includes  both structural and nonstructural practices to treat stormwater runoff.

As storm water travels across impervious surfaces it picks up pollutants and ultimately carries them to our waterways.  The rate and volume of stormwater runoff increases as the impervious area of a site increases.  At the same time,  the ability of the soil to absorb runoff decreases.  Overtime these pollutants have decreased the water quality in our community.  Properly designed and constructed stormwater management BMPs help reduce the negative impact of development activities.

The Total Maximum Daily Load defines the limit of a pollutant that can be discharged to minimize impacts to water quality.  It has been described as a pollution diet.  Some County waterways already have a TMDL in place while others are still being developed.

The Stormwater Management Fee is not a tax.  The Stormwater Management Fee is considered by many to be a fair and equitable method for funding stormwater related activities.

A surface composed of any material that significantly impedes or prevents natural infiltration of water into soil.  Impervious surfaces include but are not limited to roofs, buildings, streets, parking areas, and any concrete, asphalt, or gravel surface that is or may become compacted.  Impervious Surfaces are measured from aerial photographs that have been processed to produce scaled images from which accurate measurements can be made.

The Stormwater Management Fee applies whether the property is occupied or not.

Most newly developed properties will begin being assessed a Stormwater Management Fee when the certificate of occupancy is issued.  New residential properties will be assessed a yearly fee of 1 ERU, prorated for the number of whole or partial months remaining. New non-residential properties will be charged on the amount of impervious area reported on the site plan which must be reviewed and approved by the County with a 1 ERU minimum.

All Stormwater Management Fees collected will be accounted for separately from other revenues and funds, and will be used by the County solely for the operational costs, maintenance costs, management costs, indirect costs, capital improvements, and establishment of a reserve fund for stormwater related services.  Some of the initiatives required by the County include: Maintaining and Installing Infrastructure, Public Education, Protection of the Environment, Reviewing Plans, Inspections, Mapping the System, and TMDL Implementation Plans.

The County Board of Supervisors is responsible for setting and adjusting County taxes and no changes are anticipated as a result of the Stormwater Management Fee.  The Fee option was chosen to prevent a greater tax increase.

Businesses and other nonresidential properties will be charged the Stormwater Management Fee based on the ratio of impervious area on site to the impervious area of 1 ERU.  For example a nonresidential property that has 32,000 SF of impervious area would be accessed an ERU of 10 which equates to a yearly Stormwater Management Fee of $540.00.

Undeveloped parcels and parcels with less than 400SF of impervious area will not be assessed a Stormwater Management Fee until they are developed.

Yes, the County will provide credits to non-residential properties in accordance with the credit policy being developed for existing and new water quality and water quantity BMPs.  Individual owners will need to apply for the credits and provide the appropriate documentation to the County to obtain credits, including but not limited to a BMP Maintenance Agreement.

All developed residential property owners will be assessed a fee of $54 per year.  The storm water management fee will be added as a separate line item on the Real Estate tax bills. The storm water will be billed $27 on each half. For billing questions, please contact the Treasurer’s Office at 757-365-6228. Commercial Real Estate accounts will need to contact Melissa Lindgren at General Services. Call 757-357-5442 or email  melissa.lindgren@isleofwightus.net.