Palm Coast, FL Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Fee basis
- Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU)
- Single-family home
- 1 ERU billed monthly
- Vacant lot over 1 acre
- 2.96 ERUs
- Late fee trigger
- 20 days unpaid
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 2011-1, effective 3-1-11
Summary
Palm Coast charges every property owner a monthly stormwater management fee under City Code § 24-136, billed in Equivalent Residential Units (ERUs). A single-family home is billed as one ERU; vacant, multifamily and commercial parcels are billed on multiples of that unit based on acreage and impervious cover, with rates set by City Council resolution.
(a)Authorization. The City Council is empowered by this division to establish, by adoption of a rate resolution, service charges (fees) for the City's stormwater management facilities or systems. Such service charges shall be based on the cost of providing stormwater management services to all properties within the City and shall, together with any other lawfully available and appropriated revenues, be sufficient to fund the level of service for stormwater management facilities established in the City's comprehensive plan. ... Monthly service charges shall be established for each of the following billing classifications:(1)Single-family residential properties. Each single-family residential property with one dwelling unit shall be considered one ERU for billing purposes.(2)Vacant single-family residential property. Each vacant single-family residential property shall be assessed and charged based on the following assignments of ERUs:a.Property less than or equal to one acre = seventy-four one hundredths (0.74) ERUs.b.Property greater than one acre = Two and ninety-six one hundredths (2.96) ERUs.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 44 | Land Development Code: Supplement 18).
Full Breakdown
The stormwater management utility was established under Sec. 24-133 (Ord. No. 2011-1, § 1, adopted 3-1-11), governed by the City Council acting as Governing Board with the City Manager handling day-to-day administration under Sec. 24-135. Sec. 24-136 sets the billing structure: each single-family residence with one dwelling unit equals one ERU. 96 ERUs if larger than one acre. 96 ERUs per acre). Charges are billed with the monthly water/wastewater bill for occupied property, or annually in advance for vacant land, per Sec. 24-136(c). Sec. 24-137 applies the City's discharge prohibitions in article VI to anything entering the stormwater system, and lets the Council impose a surcharge on stormwater that overloads an impaired water body. Nonprofit, tax-exempt and even City-owned property are billed, with a narrow carve-out for land that is itself part of the stormwater system.
Violations & Fines
Under Sec. 24-138, a bill left unpaid 20 days from the utility bill date triggers a delinquent (late) fee set by City fee resolution. Unpaid service charges become a lien on the property from the date the charge is due until paid, enforceable under the City of Palm Coast Lien Ordinance, Sec. 43-76 et seq. The City may also collect charges through the non-ad valorem tax roll under F.S. § 403.0893(3), and can recover court costs and reasonable attorneys' fees through all appellate proceedings if it has to sue to collect.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the Palm Coast stormwater fee calculated?
Do vacant lots pay a Palm Coast stormwater fee?
What happens if I don't pay my stormwater bill?
Can Palm Coast collect stormwater fees through my property taxes?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palm Coast
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