Fee Schedule for Water Quality Permits
Effective July 1, 2025, all application and annual fees for all Discharge permit types have changed pursuant to G.S. 143B-279.19. This statute requires that beginning July 1, 2025, and every four years thereafter, the Department shall adjust the fees and rates imposed pursuant to G.S. 143-215.3D in accordance with the Consumer Price Index computed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics during the prior two bienniums. Fees that were previously changed in 2023 have been adjusted based only on the prior biennium. For more information, see the Legislative Report submitted to the NC General Assembly on April 1, 2025.
Fees made be paid using ePayment at: https://epay.deq.nc.gov/wq-epayments.html
Checks may be made payable to NC DEQ. Mail payment to: NCDEQ- Division of Water Resources, 1617 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC, 27699-1617.
CATEGORY A
| ACTIVITY See Notes 1,2 | NEW PERMIT APPLICATION FEE/ANNUAL FEE | MAJOR MODIFICATION FEE See Note 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Major Individual NPDES Permits | $4,884 | $1,387 |
| Minor Individual NPDES Permits | $1,214 | $345 |
| Single Family Residences (NCG55) | $71 | N/A |
| Wastewater Discharge General Permits (NCGs) | $119 | N/A |
CATEGORY B
| ACTIVITY See Note 1 | ADDITIONAL ANNUAL FEE See Note 4 | PROJECT FEE See Note 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Special Order by Consent-Major | $593 | $474 |
| Special Order by Consent-Minor | $297 | $474 |
CATEGORY C
| ACTIVITY See Note 1 | ADDITIONAL ANNUAL FEE See Note 4 |
|---|---|
| Sewer Extensions (Includes Reclaimed Water Distribution- see Note 6 below) | $634 |
| Water Quality Certifications-Major | $810 |
| Water Quality Certifications-Minor | $341 |
| Petroleum Contaminated Soils | $569 |
MISCELLANEOUS
| ACTIVITY | PROJECT FEE |
|---|---|
| Permit Renewal | Covered under annual fees |
Authorization to Construct *(For more explanation, see Note 5 below the chart) | $1056 |
| Minor Permit Modification | No Fee |
| Variances - Sewer | $634 |
NOTES:
- Refer to the definitions chart below for specific descriptions of each activity category.
- For new permit requests, refer to the definitions page for specific descriptions of each activity category.
- A major modification shall be defined as one that increases the volume, increases the pollutant load, results in a significant relocation of the discharge point, or results in a change in the characteristics of the waste generated. This fee is non-refundable if the permit request is denied.
- Special order of consent fees shall be in addition to the associated annual permit fee.
- Authorization to construct application fees are for a wastewater treatment plant expansion, upgrade, replacement, or repair.
Definitions of Permitted Activities
| Individual NPDES (Major) | >= 1.0 million gallons per day. Industries with high toxic potential; municipalities with pretreatment programs; municipal stormwater permits. |
| Individual NPDES (Minor) | < 1.0 million gallons per day. Industries with low toxic potential; municipalities; small domestic waste facilities; industrial stormwater permits. |
| Single Family Residences | All individual systems are covered under NPDES General Permit Number NCG550000, and non-discharge single-family residential systems. |
| Wastewater Discharge General Permits | Facilities covered under statewide General NPDES Permits. Common examples include: mine dewatering, cooling water, vehicle maintenance activities, etc. |
| Special Order by Consent (Major) | Refer to Category B described above for Major facilities. |
| Special Order by Consent (Minor) | Refer to Category B described above for Minor facilities. |
| Sewer Extensions | Collection system construction or extension to an existing system. |
| Petroleum Contaminated Soils | Removal, treatment, and disposal of petroleum-contaminated soils. |
This page was last modified on 07/02/2025