WPRF Credit Program

• Multi-Family, Non-Residential, and/or Residential Property
• Non-Residential Property with NPDES Permit and/or DNR Clean Marina

Along with the application, the applicant will need to submit photographs of the practices and their drainage areas, a site plan/sketch that shows the layout of the property and the location of the practices, and copies of the grading permit plans, stormwater management report, and installation documentation (if applicable/available).

In addition, the practice(s) must be covered under one of the following agreements:

Inspection and Maintenance Agreement for Private Stormwater Management:

• Practices installed under a Grading Permit will have this type of agreement, as it is executed between the property owner and the County prior to the issuance of the Grading Permit. The Agreement stays with the property even if ownership changes. 
• You can find a copy of these agreements on the Maryland Land Records website. If you are unsure whether your practice is covered by this type of agreement and would like assistance, contact us at 410-222-7536 or wprf@aacounty.org.

Stormwater Remediation Fee Credit Agreement:

• If your practice is not currently covered under an Inspection and Maintenance Agreement, you can enter into a Stormwater Remediation Fee Credit Agreement during the fee credit application process.

Disclaimer: It is recommended that you submit as much documentation as possible with your application. Applications without complete documentation can still be submitted and County staff will attempt to obtain the needed information about the stormwater management practices and the water quality treatment they provide from available records and resources. However, as the applicant is ultimately responsible for providing documentation, if County staff is unable to locate the necessary information then the lack of documentation from the applicant would be grounds for denial of the credit.

To be eligible, the property must be regulated through a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit with stormwater management controls and/or be certified by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources as a Clean Marina. To support this, the following information should be submitted with your application:

NPDES Permit Information (if applicable), including:

• State Number
• MDE’s NPDES Permit Acceptance Letter with Registration Number
• Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan
• Site Plan Showing Location of BMPs

DNR Certification of Clean Marina Initiative (if applicable)

To be eligible for the WPRF Credit program, the stormwater management practices must be:

• Privately owned and maintained
• Located on land with the same owner as the parcel seeking credit
• Passed a recent inspection by County staff to verify that they have been properly designed, constructed, and maintained (prior to WPRF credit approval)
• Providing water quality treatment (minimum of 1” of rainfall treated for full credit, partial credit available for less treatment)
• Designed, approved, constructed, and maintained in accordance with the County Standards, Stormwater Management Practices and Procedures Manual, and/or the 2000 Maryland Stormwater Design Manual, Volumes I and II, and Supplements.

By law, the maximum credit for any property is 50% of the WPRF.

Multi-Family, Non-Residential, and/or Residential Property - To receive the full 50% credit, the following conditions must be met using eligible practices:

• The entire impervious surface area of the property treated (or equivalent area treated beyond the property boundaries)
• At least one inch of rainfall treated

If only a portion of the property’s impervious area is treated or if the practices treat less than one inch of rainfall, partial credit can be awarded.

Credit Formula: Credit % = (Treated Impervious ÷ Site’s Total Impervious) x Treatment Value x Maximum Allowable Credit
 

Where the Maximum Allowable Credit is 50% and the Treatment Value equals 100% if at least 1” of rainfall is treated by the eligible practices. If less than 1”, use the percentage of 1” treated for the Treatment Value.

Examples:

Non-Residential Property with NPDES Permit - Non-marina properties that are regulated through a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit with stormwater management controls:

• Eligible for a credit of 50% if the entire property is covered under the NPDES permit. If only a portion of the property is covered under the NPDES permit partial credit will be awarded.

Marina properties that are regulated through a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit with stormwater management controls and/or that are in good standing with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Clean Marina Initiative:

• Eligible for a 25% credit as a result of the stormwater management controls in the NPDES permit if the entire property is covered by the NPDES permit. If only a portion of the property is covered partial credit will be awarded.
• Eligible for a 25% credit as a result of being in good standing with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Clean Marina Initiative if this applies to the entire property. If it only applies to a portion of the property partial credit will be awarded.
• If the marina fits both of these criteria they are eligible for up to a 50% credit.
   

It is an owner's responsibility to properly operate and maintain their practices to ensure that they are functioning as designed and detailed in the approved credit application.

In addition, the County reserves the right to inspect, at any time, stormwater management practices associated with a credit. Those inspections will be in accordance with an executed Inspection and Maintenance Agreement for Private Stormwater Management or Stormwater Remediation Fee Credit Agreement and will occur at a minimum of once every three years.

The property owner does not need to contact the County to schedule an inspection for Credit compliance. 

Failure to maintain and operate the stormwater management practice in strict compliance with County Approved Plans, Maintenance Agreements, Stormwater Remediation Fee Credit Agreement, County Standards, Stormwater Management Practices and Procedures Manual, and/or the 2000 Maryland Stormwater Design Manual, Volumes I and II, and Supplements will result in the loss of the credit. If it is determined that a practice is no longer in compliance, the property owner will be notified and provided the opportunity for corrective action. If corrective action is not taken in the specified time frame, the credit will then be revoked. Loss of credit in this manner does not prevent the property owner from re-applying in the future if the practice(s) is later brought into compliance.

Property owners with stormwater management practices that have recently been installed may also be eligible for a credit on their property taxes.

To qualify for this program, the application must be filed within 45 days of installation and the practice(s) must not have been installed as a requirement in any State or local law. As a result, practices that were installed to meet stormwater management requirements in a Grading Permit for new development or redevelopment projects are not eligible.

For additional information, see the Stormwater Management Property Tax Credit Program.