Frequently Asked Questions

The primary purpose of the Surface Water Drainage fund is to make sure all residents and businesses of Laramie have a safe and healthy environment.  Our goals are to make sure the City’s streams and river are clean and healthy, and during rain events, properties do not flood.  To achieve these goals, the City must proactively inspect, repair, and replace stormwater pipes, culverts, detention ponds, drainage swales, and ditches.  If the City waits until something fails, the damage is much more severe and the cost to fix the failure is much higher. 

The money currently comes from the City’s general fund budget. The general fund budget is made up of revenues derived from property and sales taxes that are collected by the City. Surface Water Drainage improvements compete for general fund revenue alongside police, fire, streets, parks & recreation, etc. Surface Water Drainage must develop a dedicated revenue stream, and the Surface Water Drainage Fee provides a reliable and fair method for collecting monies in order to allow the City to provide increased and improved surface water drainage management services. 

The City has been doing the work at a level of service that is unsustainable.. For years, storm sewer repairs have been performed only when an emergency presented itself, cleaning has been limited to funding available and the City has not been able to be proactive in maintaining the storm sewer system adequately.  The Surface Water Drainage Fee allows the City to make repairs on known problems as well as clean pipes, inlets and ditches before flooding, backups or other emergency conditions arise. 

No. Surface water drainage fees are not a "tax" on the rain. Property owners are not charged for how much rain or snow falls; they are charged based on the area of their property that can't soak up water. In other words, properties with more hard surfaces pay more in fees because they contribute to more of the problem. Properties with fewer hard surfaces pay less, because they contribute less to the problem. 

Yes, because it is a fee, based upon the cost of services provided. This is similar to solid waste and sewer fees. The Surface Water Drainage Fee is based on the amount of impervious surface area on each property that contributes to stormwater runoff. Because this is not a tax, it is collected from all customers who receive service. Tax exempt properties contribute a significant amount of runoff to the City because of their size and amount of hard surface. They will be treated like all other customers under the rate structure. 

The fee's revenue is used to implement the City's Surface Water Drainage Program. The program includes stormwater or drainage capital projects; operational costs, such as maintenance of storm sewers, detention ponds, and channels; and support for environmental compliance programs. The fees stay local; they are used to fund surface water drainage maintenance and projects that reduce pollution and decrease local flooding in Laramie. The fees are a dedicated funding source to help Laramie meet its surface water drainage obligations. They may not be used for other purposes. 

Stormwater and sewer systems are not the same thing. Sewer systems carry waste that is treated before it re-enters the environment whereas stormwater runoff is not treated and drains directly into the local waterways. 

Applying a fee to all customers based on their impervious area is the most equitable means of funding the Surface Water Drainage Program – a service that benefits everyone in the community. A better functioning stormwater handling system reduces damage to buildings and facilities that benefit everyone and maintains access for fire and emergency medical services. If the City were to fund the program through property taxes instead, many tax-exempt entities with large impervious areas (schools, churches, the University, etc.) would benefit from an improved stormwater system without contributing to its cost. Assessing a fee on all properties based on their amount of runoff does not create a system where the taxable properties subsidize the non-taxable properties. 

The impervious area was calculated based on aerial LiDAR scan data. To the processing software, your deck looked the same as any other hard surface attached to your structure. If you feel that there is an error in the calculation, please submit an appeal form through the Impervious Area Drainage Map. A Surface Water Drainage staff member will make an individual determination for each case. 

Under most conditions, the bill will go to whoever pays the City of Laramie municipal services bill for the property. 

Please call the Surface Water Drainage office at (307) 721-5350 or email surfacewater@cityoflaramie.org. Provide your name, address, phone number and a brief description of the drainage problem so that the City can further investigate the problem.