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Bedford County adopts ordinance to align stormwater permit fees with state DEQ schedule
Summary
The Bedford County Board of Supervisors voted 5–2 on June 23 to adopt ordinance O 062326-01 to remove fixed state fee amounts from county code and adopt DEQ's Virginia Erosion and Stormwater Management Regulation fee references, allowing annual CPI-based state adjustments to take effect without new local ordinance changes.
Abigail Carrington, a Natural Resources/Environmental Division staff member with Bedford County Community Development, told the Board the proposed ordinance would remove fixed state permit fee amounts from county code and refer fee levels to the Virginia Erosion and Stormwater Management Regulation so DEQ can implement annual, CPI-based adjustments automatically.
"DEQ has adjusted construction general permit fees effective July 1st, 2026," Carrington said, explaining that the state now requires periodic fee updates and that the county’s current ordinance contains fixed amounts that would become inconsistent with those updates. She said the construction general permit fees primarily affect commercial developments, subdivision road plans, apartment and townhome projects, and other nonresidential projects that disturb more than one acre; single‑family detached houses are not subject to the fee changes.
Carrington presented two options for the board: adopt the full DEQ-adjusted amounts (option one), or retain the county’s portion and allow only the state portion to increase (option two). The board asked questions about which projects the fees would affect and where the fee schedule would be posted; Carrington said an up-to-date schedule would be maintained on the county website.
Mr. Tuck moved to adopt ordinance O 062326-01 selecting option one (the full DEQ amounts). After discussion the board held a roll-call vote; the motion passed 5–2.
Why this matters: County officials said the change ensures consistency between local code and state regulation and avoids needing repeated county ordinance amendments each time DEQ adjusts fees. Carrington estimated that the DEQ share of fees is collected by the county on behalf of the state (30%), while the county retains the remaining portion (70%), and noted the fee update stems from a 2024 General Assembly direction to DEQ.
Next steps: The ordinance was adopted and will be implemented in line with DEQ’s effective dates for the revised fee schedule.
