Fee Schedule for Water Quality Permits

The following fee schedule is based on the General Assembly of North Carolina, Session Law 2023-124, Section 12.14(a), which amends N.C.G.S. § 143-215.3D.  

Checks may be made payable to NC DEQ.

Water Quality Permit Fees Update October 2023 PDF

CATEGORY A

ACTIVITY   
See Notes 1,2		 NEW PERMIT APPLICATION   
FEE/ANNUAL FEE		 MAJOR MODIFICATION FEE   
See Note 3
Major Individual NPDES Permits $4,625 $1,387
Minor Individual NPDES Permits $1,150 $345
Single Family Residences (NCG55) $60 N/A
Wastewater   
Discharge General Permits		 $100 N/A
Recycle Systems (Non-discharge) $520 $156

Non-discharge Major Permits 

(Includes System-wide Collection System Permits)       

 $1,760 $528

Non-discharge Minor Permits

(Includes System-wide Collection System Permits)

 $1,160 $348
Animal Permits (Small Ops) $60 N/A
Animal Permits (Medium Ops) $180 N/A
Animal Permits (Large Ops) $360 N/A

CATEGORY B

ACTIVITY   
See Note 1		 ADDITIONAL ANNUAL FEE   
See Note 4		 PROJECT FEE   
See Note 3
Special Order by Consent-Major                                                           $500 $400  
Special Order by Consent-Minor $250 $400

CATEGORY C

ACTIVITY   
See Note 1		 ADDITIONAL ANNUAL FEE   
See Note 4
Sewer Extensions (Includes Reclaimed Water Distribution- see Note 6 below) $600
Water Quality Certifications-Major                                                                                $767
Water Quality Certifications-Minor $323
Petroleum Contaminated Soils $480

MISCELLANEOUS 

ACTIVITY PROJECT FEE
Permit Renewal Covered under annual fees          

Authorization to Construct

*(For more explanation, see Note 5 below the chart)                                             

 $1000
Minor Permit Modification No Fee
Variances - Sewer $600

NOTES:  

  1. Refer to the definitions chart below for specific descriptions of each activity category. 
  2. For new permit requests, refer to the definitions page for specific descriptions of each activity category.  
  3. 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. 
  4. Special order of consent fees shall be in addition to the associated annual permit fee.  
  5. Authorization to construct application fees are for a wastewater treatment plant expansion, upgrade, replacement, or repair.  
  6. Reclaimed Water Distribution is for distribution lines only, and does not include reclaimed water generation sources and end uses.
     

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.
Recycle Systems Must be a complete closed-loop recycle system.
Animal Permits (Small) 38,500 to 99,999 Steady State Live Weight
Animal Permits (Medium) 100,000 to 799,999 Steady State Live Weight
Animal Permits (Large) > 800,000 Steady State Live Weight
Non-discharge Permits (Major) > 10,000 gallons per day or > 300 acres of land required.
Non-discharge Permits (Minor) 100,000 to 799,999 Steady State Live Weight
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.
Water Quality Certifications (Major) > 1.0 acre wetland fill, > 150 feet stream impacts
Water Quality Certifications (Minor) < 1.0 acre wetland fill, < 150 feet stream impacts
Petroleum Contaminated Soils Removal, treatment, and disposal of petroleum-contaminated soils.

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This page was last modified on 10/03/2023