Surface Water Assessment Frequently Asked Questions

A surface water assessment is a user fee for stormwater services. It is similar to a fee for the availability of water or sewer service at your home or business.

The County provides services to reduce flooding, improve water quality, operate and maintain existing stormwater facilities (such as public ponds, ditches and culverts) and monitor and restore the health of our aquatic resources.

Recent federal regulations require a comprehensive stormwater quality management program, and that the County take a more active role in managing stormwater. The surface water assessment will enable the County to manage the stormwater system more closely, improve the condition of our infrastructure, study the impacts of stormwater on the natural environment, seek out and eliminate illicit connections and illegal discharges and enforce codes more proactively.

By establishing a dedicated funding source through an assessment, the County can ensure the revenue required to manage and maintain this important system is available. A fee based on the impervious surface area is an equitable way to charge and collect revenues for this program. Impervious or hardened areas in urban environments, lead to increased stormwater runoff, which can cause flooding, erosion and pollution. The fee will fund ongoing maintenance of County-owned storm drainage infrastructure, as well as water quality monitoring, evaluation and improvements.

No, the revenues will be placed in a separate fund that, by ordinance, can only be spent for surface water activities. This is one of the major advantages of this fee: It can only be used to address surface water management issues.

Surface water fees are not based upon the frequency or amount of rainfall received, so the surface water assessment will be administered regardless of rainfall. In fact, the best time to fix stormwater problems is when it is dry.

The Pinellas County Surface Water Assessment covers stormwater and associated surface water management services within all of unincorporated Pinellas County. This includes maintenance of County stormwater conveyances or waterways. It also includes monitoring and assessment of the lakes, streams and marine waters that receive flow from these conveyances and runoff from adjacent parcels, which tie to inspections and regulatory requirements the County is responsible for.

Mitigation credits are available for properties that discharge directly to tidal waters.

In Pinellas County, the median impervious surface area found on a single-family property is 2,339 square feet. This is called an Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU). The assessment for non-single-family home properties is determined by dividing the amount of the property’s impervious surface by 2,339 sq. ft., multiplied by the yearly charge of $117.74.

Single-family homes are divided into three tiers:

• Small (less than 1,576 sq. ft. of impervious) pay $70.64/year.
• Medium (1,577 to 4,367 sq. ft.) pay $117.74/year.
• Large (4,368 to 9,999 sq. ft.) pay $270.80/year
• Very large homes (greater than 10,000 sq. ft.) are charged similarly to non-single family home properties.

An impervious area is any hard surface that does not absorb water and impedes the natural flow of water into the soil. In general, impervious surfaces include hard surfaces such as buildings, garages, parking lots and other hard surfaces.

Single-family homes’ impervious area is based on data from the Pinellas County Property Appraiser’s (PAO) datasets, using the base area plus add-ons (called appurtenances) and appropriate extra features data, such as patios. Other non-single family homes’ impervious data is based on digitized recent aerial photography.

The County is using the tax bill to deliver the surface water assessment because it saves on billing and other administrative costs and it provides an incentive to property owners who pay early or through the payment plan.

All customers within unincorporated Pinellas County that have impervious surfaces must pay the assessment, regardless of ownership or tax status, because they generate runoff that the County has to manage.

This is a question for your tax advisor. In general, residential property is not a valid income tax deduction for your personal taxes. Please contact your accountant or income tax preparer for advice.

The assessment is billed forward for the upcoming fiscal year (Oct. 1 to Sept. 30).

If you don’t pay your bill, you risk having a lien placed on your property.

Some properties may be eligible for an adjustment or credit. Learn more about the adjustment and credit policy.

Stormwater ponds provide some benefits by reducing the stormwater runoff that enters the County’s drainage system. However, onsite ponds do not eliminate the impacts from the stormwater runoff or the need for stormwater services from the County. The County is still required to provide services to manage stormwater runoff from larger storms than the pond is designed to control, to comply with new federal stormwater regulations and to proactively plan and manage the operation and improvement of the County’s drainage system.

The County has developed a credit policy that may provide partial credit to customers that own and maintain permitted ponds.

Customers with less than 200 square feet of total impervious surface or agricultural parcels are exempted from the fee.

Learn more about the adjustment and credit policy. Fill out the form and County staff will correct your bill if approved. If County staff does not feel that the correction is warranted, there will be an appeals process.

An assessment based on impervious surfaces is more appropriate since each customer will be charged based on the impervious area of their property.

A property’s value does not affect runoff, so property taxes are not the most accurate way to pay for surface water services. For example, a high-rise building and a shopping mall may have similar appraised values and pay similar property taxes. However, the shopping mall produces much more runoff because of the amount of parking and rooftops.

In Florida, there are an estimated 140 cities and counties with a surface water-related fee. In Pinellas County, 15 cities, or about 65% of county residents and businesses, currently pay a fee. Other counties in Florida that have a fee include Pasco, Hillsborough, Sarasota, Bay, Brevard, Charlotte, Leon, Marion, Miami-Dade and Volusia counties.

The revenues from this fee will be used to:

• Reduce street and structural flooding.
• Provide better planning for the future.
• Increase stormwater system maintenance.
• Increase stormwater system repair frequency.
• Reduce sedimentation and erosion.
• Reduce stormwater pollution.

Because there are numerous areas in the county that have major flooding problems, you may not see improvements in your area immediately. This does not mean they will not be fixed. Problem areas will be prioritized, and a project schedule will be developed.