How does the City determine the impervious surface area of a property?

It depends…

For most residential customers the impervious surface area was determined from aerial photographs (called ortho photography). The digitized photos are individually examined and the impervious areas are outlined using digitizing software tools. This process was performed on over 150,000 parcels in 2005. In some cases, the impervious area may be determined from builder or contractor site plans and drawings and sometimes by direct physical measurements taken by the Stormwater Department.

Non-residential impervious surface areas are determined from builder site plans or direct measurement.

In cases where the impervious surface area is in dispute, a stormwater staff member can be requested to visit the site and physically perform a measurement of the impervious surface area.

Show All Answers

1. Why do we have a stormwater service?
2. Where does the money go?
3. Which department provides the stormwater service?
4. How can a property owner find out more information about their bill?
5. How often will a citizen get billed for stormwater service?
6. Where is the stormwater fee located the customer's bill?
7. What happens if the stormwater fee is not paid?
8. Why has the stormwater fee changed?
9. Why did the residential fee change from a flat rate to a tiered rate?
10. What if a property owner thinks the impervious area of their property is incorrect?
11. Can a property owner reduce their stormwater fee?
12. How does the City determine the impervious surface area of a property?
13. Where can the impervious surface area value be found?
14. How is the billing tier for a location determined?
15. How is the stormwater fee determined?
16. What is impervious surface area?