Permit and Request Fees
Permit and request fees are cost-recovery fees for administering the Industrial Pretreatment Program. Permit fees are based on four parameters: permit type, Significant Industrial User (SIU) status, reporting frequency, and annual volume of wastewater. Permit fees are paid annually. The initial Liquid Waste Hauler and Special Discharge permit fee are required at the time of permit application.
Industrial Discharge Permits
| Industrial User Type |
Discharge Volume (gallon/year) |
2023 Permit Fee |
| Quarterly Reporter |
|
|
| SIU (Significant Industrial User) |
>50 million |
$11,575 |
| SIU |
<50 million |
$9,675 |
| Semi-Annual Reporter |
|
|
| SIU |
>10 million |
$7,700 |
| SIU |
5-10 million |
$5,800 |
| SIU |
2-5 million |
$3,800 |
| SIU |
<2 million |
$1,925 |
| Non-SIU |
NA |
$1,925 |
| Annual Reporter |
|
|
| Non-SIU |
>1 million |
$1,925 |
| Non-SIU |
<1 million |
$1,175 |
| NSCIU (Non-SIU Categorical) |
NA |
$1,175 |
| Low Impact |
NA |
$850 |
| General |
NA |
$475 |
Liquid Waste Hauler Permits
| Hauler Permit Type |
Volume (gallon/year) |
2023 Permit Fee |
| Liquid Waste Hauler |
>1 million |
$1,925 |
| Liquid Waste Hauler |
<1 million |
$1,175 |
| Liquid Waste Hauler |
<50,000 |
$650 |
| Sewer Cleaning Waste Hauler |
NA |
$425 |
Special Discharge Permit
| Permit Category |
2023 Permit Fee |
| Quarterly Reporter |
$1,925 |
| Contingency/Low Impact |
$1,175 |
Special Short-Term Request Fees
| Request Type |
Fee |
Notes |
| In Service Area* |
$150 |
For non-permitted facilities only; applies to requested volumes greater than 500 gallons; fee invoiced with approval letter |
| Out of Service Area* |
$300 |
For non-permitted facilities only; no minimum volume; fee payment required with request |
*Service Area means “Metropolitan Area” as defined in the Waste Discharge Rules. It is the area over which the Metropolitan Council has jurisdiction and includes Anoka, Carver, Dakota (excluding Northfield), Hennepin (excluding Hanover), Ramsey, Scott (excluding New Prague) and Washington counties.
Note: In addition to the cost recovery fees above, approved discharges are subject to applicable strength, volume, and load charges.
Strength Charge
Strength Charges are assessed by MCES to industrial users and liquid waste haulers based on waste volume, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and/or total suspended solids (TSS) levels exceeding base concentrations, to recover the added costs for treating these high strength wastes. Base concentrations are COD and TSS concentrations of normal residential wastewater.
| Formula |
Strength Charge=[Vx(TSS-250)x(8.34)x(TSS Rate)+Vx(COD-500)x(8.34)x(COD Rate)] |
| Component |
Definition |
| Strength Charge |
= Strength Charge, in dollars |
| V |
= Volume, in million gallons per reporting period |
| TSS |
= Total Suspended Solids in mg/L (TSS>250)
If TSS is less than 250 mg/L, use 250 mg/L |
| COD |
= Chemical Oxygen Demand in mg/L (COD>500)
If COD is less than 500 mg/L, use 500 mg/L |
| 250 |
= TSS threshold value, in mg/L |
| 500 |
= COD threshold value, in mg/L |
| 8.34 |
= Conversion factor, converts mg/L and gallons to pounds |
| TSS Rate - 2023 |
= Via onsite connection: $0.292/lb of excess TSS
= Via permitted waste hauler: $0.413/lb of excess TSS |
| COD Rate - 2023 |
= Via onsite connection: $0.146/lb of excess COD
= Via permitted waste hauler: $0.2065/lb of excess COD |
Production-based Strength Charge
Microbreweries on General Permit pay a production-based charge using typical COD and TSS concentrations for producing beer. Any microbrewery can instead opt to sample its wastewater and pay the associated strength charge.
| Permit Type |
2023 Rate |
| Microbrewery and Brewpub General Permits |
$0.916 per barrel of beer produced |
Load Charges
Load Charges for hauled waste combine a strength charge, facilities, and volume component. The volume component is based on the MCES municipal wastewater rate that connected users pay through their communities.
| Load Type |
2023 Rates |
| Domestic Holding Tank |
$11.69/1,000 gallons |
| Domestic Septage and Commercial (excluding PTW) |
$60.24/1,000 gallons |
| Portable Toilet Waste (PTW) |
$77.46/1,000 gallons |
| Industrial Waste* |
Strength Charge (TSS rate $0.413/excess lb. and COD Rate $0.2065/excess lb.) + Domestic Holding Tank rate ($11.69/1,000 gallons) + Out-of-Service Area fee for loads generated outside of the metropolitan region* ($15.00/1,000 gallons) |
| Out-of-Service Area* |
$75.24/1,000 gallons |
*Hauled Industrial Waste and Out-of-Service Area flammable and sand trap waste loads must be approved by the MCES Industrial Waste and Pollution Prevention section prior to discharge and transported to the Metropolitan Liquid Waste Receiving facility located in St. Paul.
Sewer Availability Charge (SAC)
SAC is a charge to customer communities served by the Metropolitan Disposal System for each new connection or increase in capacity demand to the system. All about SAC.
| Location |
SAC |
2023 Rate |
| Metro Area |
SAC per unit (1 SAC unit: 274 gallons per day) |
$2,485 |
| Rural Center - East Bethel |
SAC per unit |
$3,185 |
| Rural Center - Elko New Market |
SAC per unit |
$4,685 |
Industrial Capacity Charge (ICC)
ICC is a fee charged directly to permitted industrial users for discharge volumes exceeding their facility's SAC baseline threshold during a reporting period. Paying ICC does not increase a facility's SAC baseline. Industries have the option of paying SAC in lieu of ICC, which will increase their baseline.
See the ICC Assessment and Payment Options fact sheet for more information.
| Location |
ICC |
2023 Rate |
| Metro Area |
ICC per 1,000 gallons discharged over the SAC baseline |
$2.25 |
| Rural Center - East Bethel |
ICC per 1,000 gallons discharged over the SAC baseline |
$2.88 |
| Rural Center - Elko New Market |
ICC per 1,000 gallons discharged over the SAC baseline |
$4.24 |
Temporary Capacity Charge (TCC)
Permittees discharging contaminated groundwater via an on-site sanitary sewer connection will be assessed a Temporary Capacity Charge in lieu of SAC.
| Location |
TCC |
2023 Rate |
| Metro Area |
TCC per 1,000 gallons |
$1.25 |
| Rural Center - East Bethel |
TCC per 1,000 gallons |
$1.60 |
| Rural Center - Elko New Market |
TCC per 1,000 gallons |
$2.36 |
Enforcement Fees
Enforcement fees are cost-recovery fees assessed for response to violations of the MCES Waste Discharge Rules and Industrial Discharge Permit conditions. In addition to the fees listed below, MCES may also assess and invoice specific cost-recovery fees for sewer cleaning, extensive monitoring, odor control, etc.
Notice of Violation (NOV)
An NOV is a written notification stating that MCES considers a user of the Metropolitan Disposal System to be in noncompliance with the MCES Waste Discharge Rules or conditions in the Industrial Discharge Permit.
Discharge NOV Fee
The cost recovery fee for a discharge NOV is $200.
Administrative NOV Fee
The cost-recovery fee for an administrative NOV is $150.
Self-Monitoring Report (SMR) Late Fees
Submitting an SMR late delays invoicing for strength charges and critical data collection. Additional administrative late fees are charged that increase with the frequency and duration of a calendar year as follows.
| Days Late |
1-30 Days |
31-60 Days |
61-90 Days |
Subtotal |
| 1st Late Report |
$150 |
$150 |
$150 |
$450 |
| 2nd Late Report |
$150 |
$200 |
$250 |
$600 |
| 3rd Late Report |
$150 |
$250 |
$300 |
$700 |
| 4th Late Report |
$150 |
$300 |
$350 |
$800 |
Order to Appear (OTA) Fee
An OTA is a formal order to a specific representative of an industrial user to appear before MCES personnel for purposes of showing cause why MCES should not proceed to modify, suspend, or revoke the industrial user's Industrial Discharge Permit.
OTA Fee
The cost recovery fee for an OTA is $350.