WAC 173-224-050   Permit fee computation and payments.  (1) The department shall charge permit fees based on the permit fee schedule contained in WAC 173-224-040. The department may charge fees at the beginning of the year to which they apply. The department shall notify permit holders of fee charges by mailing billing statements. Permit fees must be received by the department within forty-five days after the department mails a billing statement. The department may elect to bill permit holders a prorated portion of the annual fee on a monthly, quarterly, or other periodic basis.

     (2) Permit fee computation for individual permits. Computation of permit fees shall begin on the first day of each fiscal year. In the case of facilities or activities not previously covered by permits, fee computation begins on the issuance date of the permit. In the case of applicants for state waste discharge permits who are deemed to have a temporary permit under RCW 90.48.200, computation shall begin on the sixty-first day after the department accepts a completed application. In the case of NPDES permit holders who submit a new, updated permit application containing information that could change their assigned permit fee, computation and permit fee category reassignment begins upon acceptance of the application by the department. Any facility that obtains permit coverage but fails to operate will still be obligated to pay the annual permit fee assessment until the permit has been terminated by the department. Permits terminated during the fiscal year will pay the annual fee assessment regardless of the permit termination date.

     (3) Permit fees for sand and gravel (aggregate) general permit holders will be assessed as in subsection (3) of this section and:

     (a) Nonoperating aggregate sites. A facility conducting mining, screening, washing and/or crushing activities excluding portable rock crushing operations is considered nonoperating for fee purposes if they are conducting these activities for less than ninety cumulative days during a calendar year. A facility producing no asphalt and/or concrete during the calendar year is also considered nonoperating for fee purposes.

     (b) Nonoperating sites that become active for only concrete and/or asphalt production will be assessed a prorated fee for the actual time inactive. For the actual time a concrete and/or asphalt facility is active excluding asphalt portable batch plants and concrete portable batch plants, fees will be based on total production of concrete and/or asphalt.

     (c) Fees for continuously active sites that produce concrete and/or asphalt excluding asphalt portable batch plants and concrete portable batch plants, will be based on the average of the three previous calendar years production totals. Existing facilities must provide the department with the production totals for concrete and/or asphalt produced during the previous three calendar years or for the number of full calendar years of operation if less than three. New facilities with no historical asphalt and/or concrete production data will have their first year fee based on the production levels reported on the application for coverage under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System and State Waste Discharge Permit for Process Water, Storm Water, and Mine Dewatering Water Discharges Associated with Sand and Gravel Operations, Rock Quarries and Similar Mining Facilities including Stockpiles of Mined Materials, Concrete Batch Operations and Asphalt Batch Operations general permit. The second year fee will be determined based on the actual production during the first year and estimated production for the second year. The third year fee will be determined based on the average of actual production for the first two years and estimated for the third year. Fee calculation for subsequent years will be based on the average production values of previous years.

     (d) Asphalt portable batch plants, concrete portable batch plants and portable rock crushing operations will be assessed fees as in subsection (3) of this section. Each permitted operation must commit to being shut down for a minimum of twelve calendar months before the status can be changed to nonoperating.

     (4) Fees for crop preparation general permit holders will be assessed as in subsection (3) of this section and will be computed on the three previous calendar years production totals. Existing facilities must provide the department with the production totals in the manner described in WAC 173-224-040 (2)(d). New facilities with no historical production data will have their first year fee based on the estimated production level for that year. The second year fee will be determined based on the actual production during the first year and estimated production for the second year. The third year fee will be determined based on the average of actual production for the first two years and estimated for the third year. Fee calculation for subsequent years will be based on the average production values of previous years.

     (5) Facilities with construction and industrial storm water general permit coverage will have their annual permit fees begin on the permit issuance date. Permit fee accrual will continue until the permit has been terminated by the department regardless if the activity covered under the permit has already ceased.

     (6) Facilities with an existing NPDES and/or state wastewater discharge permit who also have obtained industrial and/or construction storm water general permit coverage shall only pay an annual fee based on the permit with the highest permit fee category assessment.

     (7) Computation of fees shall end on June 30th, the last day of the state's fiscal year regardless of the permit termination date.

     (8) The applicable permit fee shall be paid by check or money order payable to the "Department of Ecology" and mailed to the Wastewater Discharge Permit Fee Program, P.O. Box 47611, Olympia, Washington 98504-7611.

     (9) In the event a check is returned due to insufficient funds, the department shall consider the permit fee to be unpaid.

     (10) Delinquent accounts. Permit holders are considered delinquent in the payment of fees if the fees are not received by the first invoice billing due date. Delinquent accounts will be processed in the following manner:

     (a) Municipal and government entities shall be notified by regular mail that they have forty-five days to bring the delinquent account up-to-date. Accounts that remain delinquent after forty-five days may receive a permit revocation letter for nonpayment of fees.

     (b) Nonmunicipal or nongovernment permit holders shall be notified by the department by regular mail that they have forty-five days to bring the delinquent account up-to-date. Accounts that remain delinquent after forty-five days will be turned over for collection. In addition, a surcharge totaling twenty percent of the delinquent amount owed will also be added. The surcharge is to recover the costs for collection. If the collection agency fails to recover the delinquent fees after twelve months, the permit holder may receive a permit revocation letter for nonpayment of fees.



[Statutory Authority: RCW 90.48.465. 09-20-020 (Order 09-06), § 173-224-050, filed 9/28/09, effective 10/29/09. Statutory Authority: Chapter 90.48 RCW. 08-16-109 (Order 08-05), § 173-224-050, filed 8/5/08, effective 9/5/08. Statutory Authority: RCW 90.48.465. 04-15-046, § 173-224-050, filed 7/13/04, effective 8/13/04. Statutory Authority: Chapter 90.48 RCW. 02-12-059, § 173-224-050, filed 5/30/02, effective 6/30/02; 00-02-031 (Order 99-03), § 173-224-050, filed 12/28/99, effective 1/28/00; 98-03-046 (Order 97-27), § 173-224-050, filed 1/15/98, effective 2/15/98; 96-03-041 (Order 94-21), § 173-224-050, filed 1/10/96, effective 2/10/96; 94-10-027 (Order 93-08), § 173-224-050, filed 4/28/94, effective 5/29/94; 92-03-131 (Order 91-45), § 173-224-050, filed 1/21/92, effective 2/21/92. Statutory Authority: Chapter 43.21A RCW. 89-12-027 and 90-07-015 (Order 89-8 and 89-8A), § 173-224-050, filed 5/31/89 and 3/13/90, effective 4/13/90.]