Stormwater Utility Implementation

Learn what to expect if you live in a single-family home or a multi-family home, and if you manage a non-residential commercial building or tax-exempt organization in Arlington.

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Want to get a better idea of your future Stormwater Utility fee and how the new rate was calculated? An online tool is available to help you estimate the number of Stormwater Utility billing units on your property.

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From November 1, 2023 through January 15, 2024, all property owners in Arlington can apply for voluntary credits offsetting up to 35% of their Stormwater Utility bill. Qualifying credit opportunities will be calculated based the type of property and actions taken, such as tree planting, volunteer activities, and installing some types of pervious surfaces. Actions taken during Calendar Year 2023 will be eligible for credit on the first bill in May 2024, so you can start getting ready today.

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There will be a dispute and appeal process for property owners if they would like to dispute the impervious area measurement for their property. Stay tuned for more information.

Under a Stormwater Utility, a property’s impervious coverage is estimated using the County’s digital mapping system (GIS). The median impervious coverage for single-family detached properties in Arlington has been calculated to be 2,400 square feet. This is called an Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) and is used as the billing unit. Properties would be charged based on how many ERUs are on the property. An ERU is currently estimated to be $230-250/year. Please note that the fee estimates may change as the budget and Stormwater Utility are finalized. The County Board will adopt the annual ERU rate each year during the budget process. For Calendar Year 2024 (the first year the utility will be billed), the rate will be set during fall 2023.

Impervious areas are hard surfaces that significantly prevent water from seeping into the soil. Impervious surfaces include roofs, buildings, streets, parking areas, driveways, and any concrete, asphalt, or compacted gravel surface. 

Outlines of the impervious area on a property are developed from aerial maps and geographic information system (GIS) data. A GIS technician manually reviews the imagery and outlines impervious areas as defined by County policies. That information is combined with GIS parcel data, resulting in an outline of impervious area on each parcel. The GIS software then calculates the impervious area on the parcel based on that outline. County GIS staff perform regular maintenance of the impervious area based on updated aerial imagery, building permits, and other sources.

Yes, the stormwater utility fee will replace the sanitary district tax. The County is changing how we fund the Stormwater Management Program. Since 2008, the stormwater program has been funded by a sanitary district tax based on a property’s real estate assessment. Beginning in 2024, the County will change to a Stormwater Utility fee based on the amount of impervious area on a property (hard surfaces like roofs and driveways that don’t let rain runoff soak into the ground). Customers will receive the first real estate bill with the Stormwater Utility fee in May 2024. 

Arlington’s stormwater program is currently funded through a Sanitary District Tax, which is based on a property’s assessed value. The current stormwater fee is $0.017 per $100 of assessed value. An average property pays about $136 per year under the sanitary district tax. However, a property’s assessed value doesn't correlate well to the amount of runoff a property generates.

Arlington’s stormwater programs are part of the Office of Sustainability and Environmental Management in the Department of Environmental Services including water quality regulations, planning, engineering, construction, stormwater infrastructure, and incentive and outreach programs. Learn more about the County’s stormwater management program.

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality issues permits for the discharge of stormwater into waterways like Four Mile Run and the Potomac River. These permits, called municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) permits, are good for five years. Arlington’s current MS4 permit (VPDES Permit No. VA 0088579) was issued on July 1, 2021.

The previous Sanitary District Tax and the current Stormwater Utility fee generate all of the funding to support these programs. The Stormwater Utility fee is calculated on a cost recovery basis – fees are set to generate the necessary revenue for the stormwater management program.

More information about the stormwater management program’s budget can be found here starting on page 805.

A Stormwater Utility provides a fairer way to pay for the County’s stormwater management program, based on the amount of hard surfaces (impervious area) on a property and the usage of the storm system. A property’s impervious area is a better measure of how much stormwater runoff each property generates, as opposed to the property assessment. 

Everyone will pay a stormwater utility fee based on the amount of impervious area on their property because all property owners benefit from a properly maintained and operated stormwater management system.  Some key benefits include reduced flooding; reduced property damage; protection of critical infrastructure (such as electrical, communications, drinking water, wastewater); safe transportation for residents; improved quality of life; cleaner streams; restored water habitat; and compliance with Federal and State regulations for water quality improvements.

Stormwater is an issue that extends far beyond one immediate residence or business and a robust stormwater management program provides benefits to the overall community in which you live, work, and play.

After a public hearing held on March 28, 2023, the County Board approved a resolution on April 22, 2023, stating their intent to adopt a Stormwater Utility. There will be another public hearing before the Board officially adopts the utility, ordinances, and sets the Calendar Year 2024 utility rate in fall 2023.  There was an extensive engagement process leading up to the vote in April, 2023.

The Stormwater Utility fee will be included on property owners’ twice annual real estate tax bill as a separate line item. Real estate taxes are due June 15 and October 5 of each year.

If property owners have a mortgage on their property, the property tax bill will continue to be sent to their mortgage company. The mortgage company will pay the fee from the escrow account.

Yes, stormwater fee-based programs are promoted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and authorized by the Commonwealth of Virginia as a way of providing dedicated funding for water resources and stormwater management. Stormwater fee-based programs have been used since 1974, and there are currently over 1,500 stormwater fee-based programs in the country. In the surrounding area, D.C., Prince George's County, the Cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, Manassas, Fairfax, and Manassas Park all have Stormwater Utility fees in place.