Stormwater Management Service Charge

    The City of Newport News Stormwater Management program is funded by a stormwater management service charge.  This service charge is based on the amount of impervious surface on a developed piece of land.  For example, a single-family residence in the city of Newport  news has an average impervious area of 1,777 square feet.  This average, known as an Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU), is used to determine the monthly stormwater charge.

• Owners of each single-family residence are charged for one ERU at the rate of $5.45 per month ($65.40 per year).
• Multi-family residences have less impervious area per residence, so these owners are charged for $2.29 per month ($27.48 per year).
• Business and commercial property owners are charged based on the amount of impervious area on their property as compared to the ERU.

    To calculate the stormwater fee for a commercial property, divide the square feet of impervious surface by 1,777 and multiply the result by $32.70.  Commercial properties are then billed for this amount twice per year. 

For example, a commercial property with 20,000 square feet of impervious surface would be billed for $735.76 per year (20,000 ft²/1,777 ft²=11.25, 11.25 x $32.70=$367.88, $367.88 x 2=$735.76).  This system is designed to charge owners of developed property based on their contribution of stormwater runoff.