Stormwater Services Information

New Hanover County's Stormwater Services Program began in 2020 and helps to ensure the continued upkeep of the stormwater management system throughout the unincorporated areas of the county, and relieves property owners of the responsibility of maintaining and cleaning ditches and pipes on their property.

The new service only applies to property owners in the unincorporated area of the county (see map below) and is offered to all properties in this area regardless of whether a pipe or drainage ditch exists on the property. The service does not include the City of Wilmington or the county's beach towns. The service does not include road drainage, as road flooding or clogged roadside drains fall under NCDOT maintenance.

Stormwater Services Fee

Like all county programs, the Stormwater Services Program is managed during a fiscal year that runs from July 1 to June 30. For the current fiscal year from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023, the ERU will revert to the standard rate of $5.65.

During the first year of the program in 2020, fees were not collected due to the financial impacts of COVID-19 on residents, businesses, and organizations. Instead, around $4 million in funding provided through the Emergency Watershed Protection Program was utilized to remove hurricane debris from hurricanes Florence, Dorian, and Isaias.

For the fiscal year from July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022, New Hanover County utilized American Rescue Plan funding to pay a portion of the fees for property owners in the unincorporated county, and the rate was $1 per Equivalent Rate Unit (ERU) per month.

Residential Fee

A single-family residential property will pay a flat rate fee of $5.65 per month - or $67.80 per year - for the program during the current fiscal year.

Non-Residential Fee

Non-residential properties developed with impervious areas such as rooftops, asphalt, and sidewalks pay based on the amount of impervious surface. The formula for this is: the amount of impervious area in square feet divided by 4,000 square feet and then multiplied by an ERU. For this current year (Fiscal Year 2022 to 2023), the ERU will be $5.65 per month as mentioned above. (As an example: a business with 40,000 square feet of impervious surface pays a fee of 40,000 divided by 4000 equals 10, then 10 multiplied by 5.65 (ERU) for a total bill of $56.50 per month or $678 total for the current fiscal year).

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View an Interactive Map of the Unincorporated County Service Area

View an Interactive Map of the Unincorporated County Service
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