Sec. 3118.
(1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, until October 1, 2019, the department shall collect storm water discharge fees from persons who apply for or have been issued storm water discharge permits as follows:
(a) A 1-time fee of $400.00 is required for a permit related solely to a site of construction activity for each permitted site. The fee shall be submitted by the permit applicant with his or her application for an individual permit or for a certificate of coverage under a general permit. For a permit by rule, the fee shall be submitted by the construction site permittee along with his or her notice of coverage. A person needing more than 1 permit may submit a single payment for more than 1 permit and receive appropriate credit. Payment of the fee under this subdivision or verification of prepayment is a necessary part of a valid permit application or notice of coverage under a permit by rule.
(b) An annual fee of $260.00 is required for a permit related solely to a storm water discharge associated with industrial activity or from a commercial site for which the department determines a permit is needed.
(c) An annual fee of $500.00 is required for a permit for a municipal separate storm sewer system, unless the permit is issued to a city, a village, a township, or a county or is a single permit authorization for municipal separate storm sewer systems in multiple locations statewide.
(d) An annual fee for a permit for a municipal separate storm sewer system issued to a city, village, or township shall be determined by its population in an urbanized area as defined by the United States Bureau of the Census. The fee shall be based on the latest available decennial census as follows:
(i) For a population of 1,000 people or fewer, the annual fee is $500.00.
(ii) For a population of more than 1,000 people, but fewer than 3,001 people, the annual fee is $1,000.00.
(iii) For a population of more than 3,000 people, but fewer than 10,001 people, the annual fee is $2,000.00.
(iv) For a population of more than 10,000 people, but fewer than 30,001 people, the annual fee is $3,000.00.
(v) For a population of more than 30,000 people, but fewer than 50,001 people, the annual fee is $4,000.00.
(vi) For a population of more than 50,000 people, but fewer than 75,001 people, the annual fee is $5,000.00.
(vii) For a population of more than 75,000 people, but fewer than 100,001 people, the annual fee is $6,000.00.
(viii) For a population of more than 100,000 people, the annual fee is $7,000.00.
(e) An annual fee of $3,000.00 is required for a permit for a municipal separate storm sewer system issued to a county.
(f) An annual fee for a single municipal separate storm sewer systems permit authorizing a state or federal agency to operate municipal separate storm sewer systems in multiple locations statewide shall be determined in accordance with a memorandum of understanding between that state or federal agency and the department and shall be based on the projected needs by the department to administer the permit.
(2) A storm water discharge permit is not required for a municipality that does not own or operate a separate storm sewer system. The department shall not collect storm water discharge fees under this section from a municipality that does not own or operate a separate storm sewer system.
(3) Permit fees required under this section are nonrefundable.
(4) A person possessing a permit not related solely to a site of construction activity as of January 1 shall be assessed a fee. The department shall notify those persons of their fee assessments by February 1. Payment shall be postmarked no later than March 15. Failure by the department to send a fee assessment notification by the deadline, or failure of a person to receive a fee assessment notification, does not relieve that person of his or her obligation to pay the fee. If the department does not meet the February deadline for sending the fee assessment, the fee assessment is due not later than 45 days after the permittee receives a fee notification.
(5) If a storm water permit is issued for a drainage district, the drainage district is responsible for the applicable fee under this section.
(6) The department shall assess interest on all fee payments submitted under this section after the due date. The permittee shall pay an additional amount equal to 0.75% of the payment due for each month or portion of a month the payment remains past due.
(7) The department shall forward all fees and interest payments collected under this section to the state treasurer for deposit into the fund.
(8) The department shall make payment of the required fee assessed under this section a condition of issuance or reissuance of a permit not related solely to a site of construction activity.
(9) In addition to any other penalty provided in this part, if a person fails to pay the fee required under this section by its due date, the person is in violation of this part and the department may undertake enforcement actions as authorized under this part.
(10) The attorney general may bring an action to collect overdue fees and interest payments imposed under this section.
(11) If the permit is for a municipal separate storm sewer system and the population served by that system is different than the latest decennial census, the permittee may appeal the annual fee determination and submit written verification of actual population served by the municipal separate storm sewer system.
(12) A person who wishes to appeal either a fee or a penalty assessed under this section is limited to an administrative appeal, in accordance with section 631 of the revised judicature act of 1961, 1961 PA 236, MCL 600.631. The appeal shall be filed within 30 days of the department's fee notification under subsection (4).
(13) As used in this section and section 3119:
(a) "Certificate of coverage" means a document issued by the department that authorizes a discharge under a general permit.
(b) "Clean water act" means the federal water pollution control act, 33 USC 1251 to 1387.
(c) "Construction activity" means a human-made earth change or disturbance in the existing cover or topography of land that is 5 acres or more in size, for which a national permit is required pursuant to 40 CFR 122.26(a), and which is described as a construction activity in 40 CFR 122.26(b)(14)(x). Construction activity includes clearing, grading, and excavating activities. Construction activity does not include the practice of clearing, plowing, tilling soil, and harvesting for the purpose of crop production.
(d) "Fee" means a storm water discharge fee authorized under this section.
(e) "Fund" means the storm water fund created in section 3119.
(f) "General permit" means a permit issued authorizing a category of similar discharges.
(g) "Individual permit" means a site-specific permit.
(h) "Municipal separate storm sewer system" means all separate storm sewers that are owned or operated by the United States or a state, city, village, township, county, district, association, or other public body created by or pursuant to state law, having jurisdiction over disposal of sewage, industrial wastes, storm water, or other wastes, including special districts under state law, such as a sewer district, flood control district, or drainage district or similar entity, or a designated or approved management agency under section 208 of the clean water act, 33 USC 1288, that discharges to waters of the state. Municipal separate storm sewer system includes systems similar to separate storm sewer systems in municipalities, such as systems at military bases, large hospital or prison complexes, and highways and other thoroughfares. Municipal separate storm sewer system does not include separate storm sewers in very discrete areas, such as individual buildings.
(i) "Notice of coverage" means a notice that a person engaging in construction activity agrees to comply with a permit by rule for that activity.
(j) "Permit" or "storm water discharge permit" means a permit authorizing the discharge of wastewater or any other substance to surface waters of the state under the national pollutant discharge elimination system, pursuant to the clean water act or this part and the rules and regulations promulgated under that act or this part.
(k) "Public body" means the United States, the state of Michigan, a city, village, township, county, school district, public college or university, or single purpose governmental agency, or any other body that is created by federal or state statute or law.
(l) "Separate storm sewer system" means a system of drainage, including, but not limited to, roads, catch basins, curbs, gutters, parking lots, ditches, conduits, pumping devices, or man-made channels, that has the following characteristics:
(i) The system is not a combined sewer where storm water mixes with sanitary wastes.
(ii) The system is not part of a publicly owned treatment works.
(m) "Storm water" means storm water runoff, snowmelt runoff, and surface runoff and drainage.
(n) "Storm water discharge associated with industrial activity" means a point source discharge of storm water from a facility that is defined as an industrial activity under 40 CFR 122.26(b)(14)(i) to (ix) and (xi).
History: 1994, Act 451, Eff. Mar. 30, 1995 ;-- Am. 1995, Act 169, Imd. Eff. Oct. 9, 1995 ;-- Am. 1999, Act 35, Imd. Eff. June 3, 1999 ;-- Am. 2004, Act 91, Imd. Eff. Apr. 22, 2004 ;-- Am. 2008, Act 2, Imd. Eff. Jan. 16, 2008 ;-- Am. 2009, Act 102, Imd. Eff. Sept. 30, 2009 ;-- Am. 2011, Act 90, Imd. Eff. July 15, 2011 ;-- Am. 2015, Act 82, Eff. Oct. 1, 2015
Popular Name: Act 451
Popular Name: NREPA
Last modified: October 10, 2016