Annual Stormwater Fee

Stormwater must be managed for the common good as runoff does not follow subdivision or community boundaries.

Storm drain systems in areas outside of your neighborhood–places where you shop, work, recreate or travel–help keep you safe. Your quality of life, the value of your property and the health of the environment are related to how well storm drain systems are maintained. Without timely and adequate maintenance of the system and consistent upgrading and construction of new facilities, streets can become flooded and impassable after heavy rainfall.

As an intergovernmental agency, SEMSWA provides economy of scale, greater efficiency, and better levels of service. Current and future needed stormwater projects are estimated to cost $76 million.

Over time, the stormwater fees collected by SEMSWA will be used equitably across the SEMSWA service area and will be spent in the same areas from which the fees were collected. 

The scope of stormwater management services provided by SEMSWA to property owners affects the fee level. SEMSWA sets the fees so that there are sufficient funds to properly manage stormwater and meet federal regulatory requirements and unfunded mandates.

Stormwater fees are used to:

• Cover the costs of design, construction and maintenance of stormwater facilities

• Insure compliance with federal environmental regulations

• Insure compliance with regulations regarding new development

• Educate the public about stormwater issues

Your Fee is Determined By The Amount of Runoff Created From Impervious Surfaces.  SEMSWA calculates Impervious Area (IA) by using:

• Aerial photography is the primary source of information for determining impervious areas.  Aerial photography is updated yearly.
• Geographical Information System (GIS) software is used to process and generate fees consistently and accurately.
• Arapahoe County Assessor’s property records: parcel number, owner, site address, mailing address, single family residential or other property class, total parcel area and parcel boundary.
• Taxable properties are billed as Special Assessments on the Arapahoe County tax statement, and tax exempt properties are billed by SEMSWA directly via invoice.

From these files, the IA is identified and measurement of the IA is calculated. Roughly, the IA is the “footprint” of all surfaces on a parcel from which water would run off (roof, walkway, driveway, patio, parking lot, etc…).

The IA measurement is then used according to current fee rates to calculate the fee for a parcel.  Please see our Fee Schedule for current fee rates for Single Family Residential and Non-Single Family Residential (Commercial, Townhome/Condo, Non-Profit, Government) properties.

Single Family Residential properties are assigned to a fee tier based on the amount (square footage) of impervious area, and charged a flat rate according to the tier.

Non-Single Family Residential property rates are dictated by percent impervious.  Once the rate is determined, the fee is calculated as follows:  Rate x Impervious Area = Fee

If you would like a map and fee calculation report for your property please fill out a Contact Us form, or call Customer Service at 303-858-8844. Please include your street address and parcel/schedule number if available.