Gaithersburg is responsible for providing and maintaining effective stormwater management infrastructure to control flooding and protect local water quality. The Stormwater Program Fee is necessary for the City to comply with state and federal regulatory requirements that address water pollution, stormwater runoff management, and Chesapeake Bay restoration. The funding from the Stormwater Program Fee protects the stormwater infrastructure investment made by property owners within Gaithersburg.

Every developed property within the City generates runoff and utilizes the stormwater infrastructure. As such, every property is assessed a stormwater fee. Until 2015, the City charged residential and non-residential property owners whose stormwater drains to a residential catchment facility. To more equitably distribute the charges, the City now collects the stormwater fee from all property owners, including residential, commercial, non-profit, City, county, state, and federal properties. After reviewing a number of methods to calculate an equitable Stormwater Program Fee, the City selected one that is based on the amount of impervious surface (e.g. driveways, rooftops, etc.) present per property. The ordinance through which the fee is established requires that the funds collected be used solely for stormwater purposes.

Funding from the Stormwater Program Fee allows the City to comprehensively manage stormwater by fulfilling maintenance needs, controlling flooding, preventing erosion, and protecting public safety and property. The City has established the directive that its existing stormwater infrastructure be actively maintained, thus ensuring better water quality for the community. Funding from the Stormwater Program Fee ensures that there are sufficient resources to meet the community’s short-term and long-term needs by providing an equitable method of cost sharing.

How the Fee is Determined

Learn more about how the fee is calculated in Gaithersburg for different types of properties, and how rate payers are billed.

What is My Property’s Expected Fee?

Use the City’s online tool to look up your property by address or parcel number. View your property’s expected fee for the upcoming billing year.

Credit Programs

Eligible stormwater management facility owners may receive a fee credit for treating polluted stormwater. Explore available credits and learn about the City’s RainScape Rewards rebate program for homeowners and other eligible property owners.

Hardship Exemptions & Appeals Policy

The Stormwater Program Fee includes provisions for hardship exemptions, as well as an appeals process for rate payers who contest their fee.