Fees & Exemptions

Who Doesn't Get Charged

According to the code of ordinances, the following are exempt from the Clean Water Act Fee:

Exemptions: The following shall not be assessed a Clean Water Act Fee:

Property located within the municipal limits of the City of Bowie*
Property owned by the state, a unit of state government, the county, a municipality, or a regularly organized Volunteer Fire Department that is used for public purposes

* Property located within the municipal limits of the City of Bowie is not assessed a Clean Water Act Fee since the City of Bowie administers its own stormwater program.

Who Gets Charged

All properties in Prince George’s County, with some exclusions, will be subject to the Clean Water Act Fee (CWAF) on an annual basis as follows:

Unimproved properties are subject to 1 Administrative Fee of $20.58 per tax account.
Improved properties are subject to 1 Administrative Fee of $20.58 per tax account, plus an Impervious Area Fee per property account, (“improved” means a property with some impervious area as defined in County Code).

Special Cases

Gravel

Gravel Parking Lots and Railroad (ballast section): Areas that are covered with gravel material to the point where water cannot infiltrate into the underlying soils (e.g., parking lots, roads, railroads, unspecified compacted gravel areas, etc.), and where natural hydrologic patterns are altered will be assessed a fee as follows:

1 Administrative Fee of $20.58 per tax account
100% Impervious Area Fee, unless a hydrologic disconnection from culverts and tributaries can be demonstrated, in which case the Impervious Area Fee can be reduced up to 50% (see Credits page for more information on the CWAF reduction credits)

Gravel Driveway (applies to agricultural residences only):

1 Administrative Fee of $20.58 per tax account.
100% Impervious Area Fee, unless a hydrologic disconnection from culverts and tributaries can be demonstrated, in which case the Impervious Area Fee can be reduced up to 50% (see Credits page for more information on the CWAF reduction credits)

Farms

Only for the principal residential structure: A property that has an agricultural use assessment as determined by the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation shall be subject to a CWAF, including both the Administrative and Impervious Area Fee, based on the impervious area measurement only for the principal residential structure located on the property. The portion of the land under agricultural use for agricultural purposes will not be charged a CWAF.

Fee Structure

The following is the Clean Water Act Fee (CWAF) Schedule (PDF) as established by the legislation. For the purpose of calculating the amount of the CWAF, the following terms shall be used:

The Administrative Fee rate is $20.58 per tax account per year.
The Impervious Area Fee rate is $20.90 per Equivalent Service Unit.
An Equivalent Service Unit is equal to 2,465 square feet of impervious area.

All unimproved parcels, regardless of zone, shall be charged the Administrative Fee rate, but shall not be subject to an Impervious Area Fee.

Understand how your fee was calculated, and to view examples of how to calculate the CWAF

Fee Lookup Tool

This online Fee Lookup Tool allows you to search for your property and obtain a detailed record of information on your Clean Water Act Fee (CWAF), for example:

The breakdown of the fee components (the Administrative Fee, Impervious Area Fee, and total fee).
The amount of impervious surface area charged to the property (in Equivalent Service Units, 1 ESU = 2,465 square feet).
The Tier designation (e.g., Tier 1, 2, or 3 for residential; "Direct Measure" of impervious area for other types of uses).
The property's assigned zoning classification (e.g., R-R for rural residential).
The state's Assessor Zone Code or AZC*, which indicates (in most cases) how the property is being used, e.g., industrial, farm, commercial.

Can the Fee be Modified or Reduced?

Property owners that retrofit their property with approved Best Management Practices that improve the quality of stormwater discharged from their property can receive up to a 100% reduction in the impact fee. Additionally, under the rebates program, the County will provide a limited amount of rebate funds each year to property owners to retrofit their properties. If there is an error in the way the County calculated the fees, an appeal can be made to the Department of the Environment.

Lowering Your Fee

Property owners who have on-site or off-site Best Management Practices (BMPs) that reduce the quantity or improve the quality of stormwater discharged from their property may be eligible for a Clean Water Act Fee (CWAF) reduction credit. To learn more about BMPs and see examples of those eligible for a fee reduction credit, visit the Rain Check Rebate Program page. The Fee Lookup Tool can also be used as a fee reduction calculator to estimate various hypothetical fee reductions based on adding best management practices to treat stormwater runoff.

Determining Reduction Credits

CWAF reduction credits shall be determined in accordance with the following:

The fee reduction credit only applies to a reduction of the Impervious Area Fee. The Administrative Fee ($20.58) will continue to be collected in its entirety for each tax account.
The Director of the Department of the Environment (DoE) or his designee shall make the final determination on the amount of fee reduction credit to award for on-site or off-site BMPs.
A property that does not contain a BMP may be credited if located within the same drainage area as another property that contains a BMP if both properties have the same owner.
All BMPs for which credits are being requested are subject to an inspection and field verification by the DoE. Access to the BMPs must be granted to the DoE in order for credit to be awarded.
In order to receive a fee reduction credit, all BMPs must be functioning correctly, must be maintained in good condition, and must pass a DoE inspection.
Once approved, credits are valid for three years. To renew the credit, the property owner must reapply to the DoE.

A summary table of the reduction credits available for all property types is available online.

To view examples of how reduction credits are determined by property type, follow these links:

Reduction Calculator

The Fee Lookup Tool can also be used as a fee reduction calculator to estimate various hypothetical fee reductions based on adding best management practices to treat stormwater runoff.

If you do not have access to the Internet or need help with the online tool, contact the Stormwater Management Division at PGC311 for assistance.

Note: the Assessor Zone Codes are used as the basis for the CWAF when the zoning does not relate to the direct use of the property. For example, a property zoned R-80 (tier 2 residential) may actually be used as a commercial lot. This property would have an AZC of 005 which indicates that the use of the property is commercial. For CWAF purposes, the property would then be directly measured for the impervious area rather than falling under the residential tier 2 category.

Hardship Exemptions

If you are a residential property owner who can demonstrate substantial financial hardship as a result of the Clean Water Act Fee (CWAF) you may be eligible for financial hardship status. To qualify you must have received the Homeowners’ Property Tax Credit from the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation during the tax year for which the CWAF is billed. To continue receiving the tax credit, you will need to apply annually to the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation. Upon determination of homeowner eligibility, the County’s Office of Finance shall provide a suspension of the fee in its entirety for the eligible tax year.

For more information, see the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation Homeowners' Property Tax Credit Program website, or contact them at 800-944-7403 (toll free).

Combining Multiple Adjoining Properties

Any property owner with multiple property tax accounts, assigned to adjoining properties, who wishes to investigate combining them into a single account with one Administrative Fee, can contact the Prince George's County Assessment Office by either facsimile or mail:
Prince George’s County Assessment Office
14735 Main Street
Upper Marlboro, Maryland 20774

Telephone: 301-952-2500
Facsimile: 301-952-2955

Your request must be in writing and include all property tax account numbers and addresses. The County Assessment Office will investigate and consider your request.