Spring Hill, TN Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- ERU size
- 3,412 square feet of impervious area
- Residential rate from July 1, 2025
- $7.75 per ERU
- Annual escalation from July 1, 2026
- $0.25 or CPI-U, whichever is greater
- Large single-family threshold
- Impervious surface over 10,000 square feet
- Vacant land with no fee
- Less than 1,800 square feet of impervious surface
- Appeal deadline
- Ten days after the payment due date
- Billing
- Monthly, with the utility bill
Summary
In the City of Spring Hill, Tennessee, every developed property outside the exempt classes pays a monthly storm water user fee measured in equivalent residential units of 3,412 square feet of impervious area. The Board of Mayor and Aldermen sets the rate, and the Storm Water Coordinator runs the program.
(A) Establishment. ... There is established for purposes of calculating the storm water user fees the equivalent residential unit (ERU) as a method of measurement. The equivalent residential unit is hereby established to be 3,412 square feet of impervious area. ... (F) ERU rate established. (1) The ERU rate to be charged for storm water management utility fees for each ERU is hereby established as follows: Rates as of July 1, 2023 $5.25 for Residential $5.00 for Commercial Rates as of July 1, 2024 $6.75 for Residential $6.50 for Commercial Rates as of July 1, 2025 $7.75 for Residential $7.75 for Commercial (2) Beginning July 1, 2026 an escalation of $0.25 or an amount equivalent to the consumer price index, all urban consumers parent of inflation, whichever is greater shall be added annually to both residential and commercial customers.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 5 of Title 18 creates the Storm Water Utility inside the city's Storm Water Department. It operates under the Storm Water Coordinator and the City Administrator, and it funds the city's MS4 program and its NPDES permit compliance. Section 18-507 imposes the fee on each developed property except exempt property. Before the Board of Mayor and Aldermen sets or amends the fee, the city must publish notice in a newspaper of general circulation at least 30 days ahead of the meeting that considers it.
Section 18-508 fixes the equivalent residential unit (ERU) at 3,412 square feet of impervious area and requires the Storm Water Utility to re-evaluate it at least every five years. The code prints the per-ERU rates: for residential, $5.25 from July 1, 2023, $6.75 from July 1, 2024 and $7.75 from July 1, 2025; for commercial, $5.00, $6.50 and $7.75 on the same dates. Beginning July 1, 2026, the rate rises each year by $0.25 or the consumer price index for all urban consumers, whichever is greater.
Section 18-509 sorts every parcel into one of five classes. Single-family residential property pays a flat fee equal to the ERU base rate, unless its impervious surface, including detached accessory structures, exceeds 10,000 square feet, in which case it is charged as other developed property. Other developed property pays the base rate multiplied by its impervious area divided by one ERU, with the single-family fee as the minimum. Vacant property with less than 1,800 square feet of impervious surface pays nothing. Agricultural property is defined partly by a $1,000 annual minimum of agricultural products produced or sold in two of the last five years. Public rights-of-way, streets, alleys, sidewalks and greenways are exempt.
Section 18-511 makes the property owner liable, but a customer of record for water or sewer service who is not the owner is presumed to have agreed to pay. Section 18-512 bills the fee monthly with the utility bill. Section 18-514 points to the Storm Water Utility Credit and Adjustment Policy Manual for credits, including a small homes credit available only to single-family residential property.
Violations & Fines
A bill that is not received by the due date on the utility statement is delinquent and draws the late fee in the Board's fee schedule. Under Section 18-512(C), the city can recover collection fees and attorney's fees, discontinue utility service, refuse to take a utility payment without the storm water fee, and refuse to reconnect service until all storm water fees are paid. To dispute a fee calculation, file a written appeal with the Storm Water Coordinator within ten days after the payment due date, pay the review fee, and pay the billed charges under protest. The Storm Water Advisory Committee decision is final.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the storm water fee calculated for a house in Spring Hill?
How do businesses and apartment complexes pay?
Who is exempt from the storm water user fee?
How do I appeal my storm water fee?
Does the fee change each year?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Spring Hill
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