(A) Applicants for and holders of permits, licenses, variances, plan approvals, and certifications issued by the director of environmental protection pursuant to Chapters 3704., 3734., 6109., and 6111. of the Revised Code shall pay a fee to the environmental protection agency for each such issuance and each application for an issuance as provided by this section. No fee shall be charged for any issuance for which no application has been submitted to the director.

Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

(B) Except as otherwise provided in division (C)(2) of this section, beginning July 1, 1994, each person who owns or operates an air contaminant source and who is required to apply for and obtain a Title V permit under section 3704.036 of the Revised Code shall pay the fees set forth in this division. For the purposes of this division, total emissions of air contaminants may be calculated using engineering calculations, emissions factors, material balance calculations, or performance testing procedures, as authorized by the director.

The following fees shall be assessed on the total actual emissions from a source in tons per year of the regulated pollutants particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, organic compounds, and lead:

(1) Fifteen dollars per ton on the total actual emissions of each such regulated pollutant during the period July through December 1993, to be collected no sooner than July 1, 1994;

(2) Twenty dollars per ton on the total actual emissions of each such regulated pollutant during calendar year 1994, to be collected no sooner than April 15, 1995;

(3) Twenty-five dollars per ton on the total actual emissions of each such regulated pollutant in calendar year 1995, and each subsequent calendar year, to be collected no sooner than the fifteenth day of April of the year next succeeding the calendar year in which the emissions occurred.

The fees levied under this division do not apply to that portion of the emissions of a regulated pollutant at a facility that exceed four thousand tons during a calendar year.

(C)(1) The fees assessed under division (B) of this section are for the purpose of providing funding for the Title V permit program.

(2) The fees assessed under division (B) of this section do not apply to emissions from any electric generating unit designated as a Phase I unit under Title IV of the federal Clean Air Act prior to calendar year 2000. Those fees shall be assessed on the emissions from such a generating unit commencing in calendar year 2001 based upon the total actual emissions from the generating unit during calendar year 2000 and shall continue to be assessed each subsequent calendar year based on the total actual emissions from the generating unit during the preceding calendar year.

(3) The director shall issue invoices to owners or operators of air contaminant sources who are required to pay a fee assessed under division (B) or (D) of this section. Any such invoice shall be issued no sooner than the applicable date when the fee first may be collected in a year under the applicable division, shall identify the nature and amount of the fee assessed, and shall indicate that the fee is required to be paid within thirty days after the issuance of the invoice.

(D)(1) Except as provided in division (D)(2) of this section, beginning January 1, 2004, each person who owns or operates an air contaminant source; who is required to apply for a permit to operate pursuant to rules adopted under division (G), or a variance pursuant to division (H), of section 3704.03 of the Revised Code; and who is not required to apply for and obtain a Title V permit under section 3704.03 of the Revised Code shall pay a single fee based upon the sum of the actual annual emissions from the facility of the regulated pollutants particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, organic compounds, and lead in accordance with the following schedule:

(2)(a) As used in division (D) of this section, “synthetic minor facility” means a facility for which one or more permits to install or permits to operate have been issued for the air contaminant sources at the facility that include terms and conditions that lower the facility’s potential to emit air contaminants below the major source thresholds established in rules adopted under section 3704.036 of the Revised Code.

(b) Beginning January 1, 2000, through June 30, 2026, each person who owns or operates a synthetic minor facility shall pay an annual fee based on the sum of the actual annual emissions from the facility of particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, organic compounds, and lead in accordance with the following schedule:

(3) The fees assessed under division (D)(1) of this section shall be collected annually no sooner than the fifteenth day of April, commencing in 2005. The fees assessed under division (D)(2) of this section shall be collected no sooner than the fifteenth day of April, commencing in 2000. The fees assessed under division (D) of this section in a calendar year shall be based upon the sum of the actual emissions of those regulated pollutants during the preceding calendar year. For the purpose of division (D) of this section, emissions of air contaminants may be calculated using engineering calculations, emission factors, material balance calculations, or performance testing procedures, as authorized by the director. The director, by rule, may require persons who are required to pay the fees assessed under division (D) of this section to pay those fees biennially rather than annually.

(E)(1) Consistent with the need to cover the reasonable costs of the Title V permit program, the director annually shall increase the fees prescribed in division (B) of this section by the percentage, if any, by which the consumer price index for the most recent calendar year ending before the beginning of a year exceeds the consumer price index for calendar year 1989. Upon calculating an increase in fees authorized by division (E)(1) of this section, the director shall compile revised fee schedules for the purposes of division (B) of this section and shall make the revised schedules available to persons required to pay the fees assessed under that division and to the public.

(2) For the purposes of division (E)(1) of this section:

(a) The consumer price index for any year is the average of the consumer price index for all urban consumers published by the United States department of labor as of the close of the twelve-month period ending on the thirty-first day of August of that year.

(b) If the 1989 consumer price index is revised, the director shall use the revision of the consumer price index that is most consistent with that for calendar year 1989.

(F) Each person who is issued a permit to install pursuant to rules adopted under division (F) of section 3704.03 of the Revised Code on or after July 1, 2003, shall pay the fees specified in the following schedules:

(1) Fuel-burning equipment (boilers, furnaces, or process heaters used in the process of burning fuel for the primary purpose of producing heat or power by indirect heat transfer)

Units burning exclusively natural gas, number two fuel oil, or both shall be assessed a fee that is one-half the applicable amount shown in division (F)(1) of this section.

(2) Combustion turbines and stationary internal combustion engines designed to generate electricity

(3) Incinerators

(4)(a) Process

In any process where process weight rate cannot be ascertained, the minimum fee shall be assessed. A boiler, furnace, combustion turbine, stationary internal combustion engine, or process heater designed to provide direct heat or power to a process not designed to generate electricity shall be assessed a fee established in division (F)(4)(a) of this section. A combustion turbine or stationary internal combustion engine designed to generate electricity shall be assessed a fee established in division (F)(2) of this section.

(b) Notwithstanding division (F)(4)(a) of this section, any person issued a permit to install pursuant to rules adopted under division (F) of section 3704.03 of the Revised Code shall pay the fees set forth in division (F)(4)(c) of this section for a process used in any of the following industries, as identified by the applicable two-digit, three-digit, or four-digit standard industrial classification code according to the Standard Industrial Classification Manual published by the United States office of management and budget in the executive office of the president, 1987, as revised:

Major group 10, metal mining;

Major group 12, coal mining;

Major group 14, mining and quarrying of nonmetallic minerals;

Industry group 204, grain mill products;

2873 Nitrogen fertilizers;

2874 Phosphatic fertilizers;

3281 Cut stone and stone products;

3295 Minerals and earth, ground or otherwise treated;

4221 Grain elevators (storage only);

5159 Farm related raw materials;

5261 Retail nurseries and lawn and garden supply stores.

(c) The fees set forth in the following schedule apply to the issuance of a permit to install pursuant to rules adopted under division (F) of section 3704.03 of the Revised Code for a process identified in division (F)(4)(b) of this section:

(5) Storage tanks

(6) Gasoline/fuel dispensing facilities

(7) Dry cleaning facilities

(8) Registration status

(G) An owner or operator who is responsible for an asbestos demolition or renovation project pursuant to rules adopted under section 3704.03 of the Revised Code shall pay, upon submitting a notification pursuant to rules adopted under that section, the fees set forth in the following schedule:

For purposes of this division, “unit” means any combination of linear feet or square feet equal to fifty.

(H) A person who is issued an extension of time for a permit to install an air contaminant source pursuant to rules adopted under division (F) of section 3704.03 of the Revised Code shall pay a fee equal to one-half the fee originally assessed for the permit to install under this section, except that the fee for such an extension shall not exceed two hundred dollars.

(I) A person who is issued a modification to a permit to install an air contaminant source pursuant to rules adopted under section 3704.03 of the Revised Code shall pay a fee equal to one-half of the fee that would be assessed under this section to obtain a permit to install the source. The fee assessed by this division only applies to modifications that are initiated by the owner or operator of the source and shall not exceed two thousand dollars.

(J) Notwithstanding division (F) of this section, a person who applies for or obtains a permit to install pursuant to rules adopted under division (F) of section 3704.03 of the Revised Code after the date actual construction of the source began shall pay a fee for the permit to install that is equal to twice the fee that otherwise would be assessed under the applicable division unless the applicant received authorization to begin construction under division (W) of section 3704.03 of the Revised Code. This division only applies to sources for which actual construction of the source begins on or after July 1, 1993. The imposition or payment of the fee established in this division does not preclude the director from taking any administrative or judicial enforcement action under this chapter, Chapter 3704., 3714., 3734., or 6111. of the Revised Code, or a rule adopted under any of them, in connection with a violation of rules adopted under division (F) of section 3704.03 of the Revised Code.

As used in this division, “actual construction of the source” means the initiation of physical on-site construction activities in connection with improvements to the source that are permanent in nature, including, without limitation, the installation of building supports and foundations and the laying of underground pipework.

(K)(1) Money received under division (B) of this section shall be deposited in the state treasury to the credit of the Title V clean air fund created in section 3704.035 of the Revised Code. Annually, not more than fifty cents per ton of each fee assessed under division (B) of this section on actual emissions from a source and received by the environmental protection agency pursuant to that division may be transferred by the director using an interstate transfer voucher to the state treasury to the credit of the small business assistance fund created in section 3706.19 of the Revised Code. In addition, annually, the amount of money necessary for the operation of the office of ombudsperson as determined under division (B) of that section shall be transferred to the state treasury to the credit of the small business ombudsperson fund created by that section.

(2) Money received by the agency pursuant to divisions (D), (F), (G), (H), (I), and (J) of this section shall be deposited in the state treasury to the credit of the non-Title V clean air fund created in section 3704.035 of the Revised Code.

(L)(1) A person applying for a plan approval for a wastewater treatment works pursuant to section 6111.44, 6111.45, or 6111.46 of the Revised Code shall pay a nonrefundable fee of one hundred dollars plus sixty-five one-hundredths of one per cent of the estimated project cost through June 30, 2026, and a nonrefundable application fee of one hundred dollars plus two-tenths of one per cent of the estimated project cost on and after July 1, 2026, except that the total fee shall not exceed fifteen thousand dollars through June 30, 2026, and five thousand dollars on and after July 1, 2026. The fee shall be paid at the time the application is submitted.

(2) A person who has entered into an agreement with the director under section 6111.14 of the Revised Code shall pay an administrative service fee for each plan submitted under that section for approval that shall not exceed the minimum amount necessary to pay administrative costs directly attributable to processing plan approvals. The director annually shall calculate the fee and shall notify all persons who have entered into agreements under that section, or who have applied for agreements, of the amount of the fee.

(3)(a)(i) Not later than January 30, 2024, and January 30, 2025, a person holding an NPDES discharge permit issued pursuant to Chapter 6111 of the Revised Code with an average daily discharge flow of five thousand gallons or more shall pay a nonrefundable annual discharge fee. Any person who fails to pay the fee at that time shall pay an additional amount that equals ten per cent of the required annual discharge fee.

(ii) The billing year for the annual discharge fee established in division (L)(3)(a)(i) of this section shall consist of a twelve-month period beginning on the first day of January of the year preceding the date when the annual discharge fee is due. In the case of an existing source that permanently ceases to discharge during a billing year, the director shall reduce the annual discharge fee, including the surcharge applicable to certain industrial facilities pursuant to division (L)(3)(c) of this section, by one-twelfth for each full month during the billing year that the source was not discharging, but only if the person holding the NPDES discharge permit for the source notifies the director in writing, not later than the first day of October of the billing year, of the circumstances causing the cessation of discharge.

(iii) The annual discharge fee established in division (L)(3)(a)(i) of this section, except for the surcharge applicable to certain industrial facilities pursuant to division (L)(3)(c) of this section, shall be based upon the average daily discharge flow in gallons per day calculated using first day of May through thirty-first day of October flow data for the period two years prior to the date on which the fee is due. In the case of NPDES discharge permits for new sources, the fee shall be calculated using the average daily design flow of the facility until actual average daily discharge flow values are available for the time period specified in division (L)(3)(a)(iii) of this section. The annual discharge fee may be prorated for a new source as described in division (L)(3)(a)(ii) of this section.

(b)(i) An NPDES permit holder that is a public discharger shall pay the fee specified in the following schedule:

(ii) Public dischargers owning or operating two or more publicly owned treatment works serving the same political subdivision, as “treatment works” is defined in section 6111.01 of the Revised Code, and that serve exclusively political subdivisions having a population of fewer than one hundred thousand persons shall pay an annual discharge fee under division (L)(3)(b)(i) of this section that is based on the combined average daily discharge flow of the treatment works.

(c)(i) An NPDES permit holder that is an industrial discharger, other than a coal mining operator identified by P in the third character of the permittee’s NPDES permit number, shall pay the fee specified in the following schedule:

(ii) In addition to the fee specified in the above schedule, an NPDES permit holder that is an industrial discharger classified as a major discharger during all or part of the annual discharge fee billing year specified in division (L)(3)(a)(ii) of this section shall pay a nonrefundable annual surcharge of seven thousand five hundred dollars not later than January 30, 2024, and not later than January 30, 2025. Any person who fails to pay the surcharge at that time shall pay an additional amount that equals ten per cent of the amount of the surcharge.

(d) Notwithstanding divisions (L)(3)(b) and (c) of this section, a public discharger, that is not a separate municipal storm sewer system, identified by I in the third character of the permittee’s NPDES permit number and an industrial discharger identified by I, J, L, V, W, X, Y, or Z in the third character of the permittee’s NPDES permit number shall pay a nonrefundable annual discharge fee of one hundred eighty dollars not later than January 30, 2024, and not later than January 30, 2025. Any person who fails to pay the fee at that time shall pay an additional amount that equals ten per cent of the required fee.

(4) Each person obtaining an NPDES permit for municipal storm water discharge shall pay a nonrefundable storm water annual discharge fee of ten dollars per one-tenth of a square mile of area permitted. The fee shall not exceed ten thousand dollars and shall be payable on or before January 30, 2004, and the thirtieth day of January of each year thereafter. Any person who fails to pay the fee on the date specified in division (L)(4) of this section shall pay an additional amount per year equal to ten per cent of the annual fee that is unpaid.

(5) The director shall transmit all moneys collected under division (L) of this section to the treasurer of state for deposit into the state treasury to the credit of the surface water protection fund created in section 6111.038 of the Revised Code.

(6) As used in this section:

(a) “NPDES” means the federally approved national pollutant discharge elimination system individual and general program for issuing, modifying, revoking, reissuing, terminating, monitoring, and enforcing permits and imposing and enforcing pretreatment requirements under Chapter 6111 of the Revised Code and rules adopted under it.

(b) “Public discharger” means any holder of an NPDES permit identified by P in the second character of the NPDES permit number assigned by the director.

(c) “Industrial discharger” means any holder of an NPDES permit identified by I in the second character of the NPDES permit number assigned by the director.

(d) “Major discharger” means any holder of an NPDES permit classified as major by the regional administrator of the United States environmental protection agency in conjunction with the director.

(M) Through June 30, 2026, a person applying for a license or license renewal to operate a public water system under section 6109.21 of the Revised Code shall pay the appropriate fee established under this division at the time of application to the director. Any person who fails to pay the fee at that time shall pay an additional amount that equals ten per cent of the required fee. The director shall transmit all moneys collected under this division to the treasurer of state for deposit into the drinking water protection fund created in section 6109.30 of the Revised Code.

Except as provided in divisions (M)(4) and (5) of this section, fees required under this division shall be calculated and paid in accordance with the following schedule:

(1) For the initial license required under section 6109.21 of the Revised Code for any public water system that is a community water system as defined in section 6109.01 of the Revised Code, and for each license renewal required for such a system prior to January 31, 2026, the fee is:

A public water system may determine how it will pay the total amount of the fee calculated under division (M)(1) of this section, including the assessment of additional user fees that may be assessed on a volumetric basis.

As used in division (M)(1) of this section, “service connection” means the number of active or inactive pipes, goosenecks, pigtails, and any other fittings connecting a water main to any building outlet.

(2) For the initial license required under section 6109.21 of the Revised Code for any public water system that is not a community water system and serves a nontransient population, and for each license renewal required for such a system prior to January 31, 2026, the fee is:

As used in division (M)(2) of this section, “population served” means the total number of individuals having access to the water supply during a twenty-four-hour period for at least sixty days during any calendar year. In the absence of a specific population count, that number shall be calculated at the rate of three individuals per service connection.

(3) For the initial license required under section 6109.21 of the Revised Code for any public water system that is not a community water system and serves a transient population, and for each license renewal required for such a system prior to January 31, 2026, the fee is:

As used in division (M)(3) of this section, “number of wells or sources, other than surface water, supplying system” means those wells or sources that are physically connected to the plumbing system serving the public water system.

(4) A public water system designated as using a surface water source shall pay a fee of seven hundred ninety-two dollars or the amount calculated under division (M)(1) or (2) of this section, whichever is greater.

(5) An applicant for an initial license who is proposing to operate a new public water supply system shall submit a fee that equals a prorated amount of the appropriate fee for the remainder of the licensing year.

(N)(1) A person applying for a plan approval for a public water supply system under section 6109.07 of the Revised Code shall pay a fee of one hundred fifty dollars plus thirty-five hundredths of one per cent of the estimated project cost, except that the total fee shall not exceed twenty thousand dollars through June 30, 2026, and fifteen thousand dollars on and after July 1, 2026. The fee shall be paid at the time the application is submitted.

(2) A person who has entered into an agreement with the director under division (A)(2) of section 6109.07 of the Revised Code shall pay an administrative service fee for each plan submitted under that section for approval that shall not exceed the minimum amount necessary to pay administrative costs directly attributable to processing plan approvals. The director annually shall calculate the fee and shall notify all persons that have entered into agreements under that division, or who have applied for agreements, of the amount of the fee.

(3) Through June 30, 2026, the following fee, on a per survey basis, shall be charged any person for services rendered by the state in the evaluation of laboratories and laboratory personnel for compliance with accepted analytical techniques and procedures established pursuant to Chapter 6109 of the Revised Code for determining the qualitative characteristics of water:

On and after July 1, 2026, the following fee, on a per survey basis, shall be charged any such person:

The fee for those services shall be paid at the time the request for the survey is made. Through June 30, 2026, an individual laboratory shall not be assessed a fee under this division more than once in any three-year period unless the person requests the addition of analytical methods or analysts, in which case the person shall pay five hundred dollars for each additional survey requested.

As used in division (N)(3) of this section:

(a) “MF” means membrane filtration.

(b) “MMO” means minimal medium ONPG.

(c) “MUG” means 4-methylumbelliferyl-beta-D-glucuronide.

(d) “ONPG” means o-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside.

The director shall transmit all moneys collected under this division to the treasurer of state for deposit into the drinking water protection fund created in section 6109.30 of the Revised Code.

(O) Any person applying to the director to take an examination for certification as an operator of a water supply system or wastewater system under Chapter 6109. or 6111. of the Revised Code that is administered by the director, at the time the application is submitted, shall pay a fee in accordance with the following schedule through November 30, 2026:

On and after December 1, 2026, the applicant shall pay a fee in accordance with the following schedule:

Any person applying to the director for certification as an operator of a water supply system or wastewater system who has passed an examination administered by an examination provider approved by the director shall pay a certification fee of forty-five dollars.

A person shall pay a biennial certification renewal fee for each applicable class of certification in accordance with the following schedule:

If a certification renewal fee is received by the director more than thirty days, but not more than one year, after the expiration date of the certification, the person shall pay a certification renewal fee in accordance with the following schedule:

A person who requests a replacement certificate shall pay a fee of twenty-five dollars at the time the request is made.

Any person applying to be a water supply system or wastewater treatment system examination provider shall pay an application fee of five hundred dollars. Any person approved by the director as a water supply system or wastewater treatment system examination provider shall pay an annual fee that is equal to ten per cent of the fees that the provider assesses and collects for administering water supply system or wastewater treatment system certification examinations in this state for the calendar year. The fee shall be paid not later than forty-five days after the end of a calendar year.

The director shall transmit all moneys collected under this division to the treasurer of state for deposit into the drinking water protection fund created in section 6109.30 of the Revised Code.

(P) Any person submitting an application for an industrial water pollution control certificate under section 6111.31 of the Revised Code, as that section existed before its repeal by H.B. 95 of the 125th general assembly, shall pay a nonrefundable fee of five hundred dollars at the time the application is submitted. The director shall transmit all moneys collected under this division to the treasurer of state for deposit into the surface water protection fund created in section 6111.038 of the Revised Code. A person paying a certificate fee under this division shall not pay an application fee under division (S)(1) of this section. On and after June 26, 2003, persons shall file such applications and pay the fee as required under sections 5709.20 to 5709.27 of the Revised Code, and proceeds from the fee shall be credited as provided in section 5709.212 of the Revised Code.

(Q) Except as otherwise provided in division (R) of this section, a person issued a permit by the director for a new solid waste disposal facility other than an incineration or composting facility, a new infectious waste treatment facility other than an incineration facility, or a modification of such an existing facility that includes an increase in the total disposal or treatment capacity of the facility pursuant to Chapter 3734 of the Revised Code shall pay a fee of ten dollars per thousand cubic yards of disposal or treatment capacity, or one thousand dollars, whichever is greater, except that the total fee for any such permit shall not exceed eighty thousand dollars. A person issued a modification of a permit for a solid waste disposal facility or an infectious waste treatment facility that does not involve an increase in the total disposal or treatment capacity of the facility shall pay a fee of one thousand dollars. A person issued a permit to install a new, or modify an existing, solid waste transfer facility under that chapter shall pay a fee of two thousand five hundred dollars. A person issued a permit to install a new or to modify an existing solid waste incineration or composting facility, or an existing infectious waste treatment facility using incineration as its principal method of treatment, under that chapter shall pay a fee of one thousand dollars. The increases in the permit fees under this division resulting from the amendments made by Amended Substitute House Bill 592 of the 117th general assembly do not apply to any person who submitted an application for a permit to install a new, or modify an existing, solid waste disposal facility under that chapter prior to September 1, 1987; any such person shall pay the permit fee established in this division as it existed prior to June 24, 1988. In addition to the applicable permit fee under this division, a person issued a permit to install or modify a solid waste facility or an infectious waste treatment facility under that chapter who fails to pay the permit fee to the director in compliance with division (V) of this section shall pay an additional ten per cent of the amount of the fee for each week that the permit fee is late.

Permit and late payment fees paid to the director under this division shall be credited to the general revenue fund.

(R)(1) A person issued a registration certificate for a scrap tire collection facility under section 3734.75 of the Revised Code shall pay a fee of two hundred dollars, except that if the facility is owned or operated by a motor vehicle salvage dealer licensed under Chapter 4738 of the Revised Code, the person shall pay a fee of twenty-five dollars.

(2) A person issued a registration certificate for a new scrap tire storage facility under section 3734.76 of the Revised Code shall pay a fee of three hundred dollars, except that if the facility is owned or operated by a motor vehicle salvage dealer licensed under Chapter 4738 of the Revised Code, the person shall pay a fee of twenty-five dollars.

(3) A person issued a permit for a scrap tire storage facility under section 3734.76 of the Revised Code shall pay a fee of one thousand dollars, except that if the facility is owned or operated by a motor vehicle salvage dealer licensed under Chapter 4738 of the Revised Code, the person shall pay a fee of fifty dollars.

(4) A person issued a permit for a scrap tire monocell or monofill facility under section 3734.77 of the Revised Code shall pay a fee of ten dollars per thousand cubic yards of disposal capacity or one thousand dollars, whichever is greater, except that the total fee for any such permit shall not exceed eighty thousand dollars.

(5) A person issued a registration certificate for a scrap tire recovery facility under section 3734.78 of the Revised Code shall pay a fee of one hundred dollars.

(6) A person issued a permit for a scrap tire recovery facility under section 3734.78 of the Revised Code shall pay a fee of one thousand dollars.

(7) In addition to the applicable registration certificate or permit fee under divisions (R)(1) to (6) of this section, a person issued a registration certificate or permit for any such scrap tire facility who fails to pay the registration certificate or permit fee to the director in compliance with division (V) of this section shall pay an additional ten per cent of the amount of the fee for each week that the fee is late.

(8) The registration certificate, permit, and late payment fees paid to the director under divisions (R)(1) to (7) of this section shall be credited to the scrap tire management fund created in section 3734.82 of the Revised Code.

(S)(1)(a) Except as otherwise provided, any person applying for a permit, variance, or plan approval under Chapter 6109. or 6111. of the Revised Code shall pay a nonrefundable application fee of one hundred dollars at the time the application is submitted through June 30, 2026, and a nonrefundable application fee of fifteen dollars at the time the application is submitted on and after July 1, 2026.

(b)(i) Except as otherwise provided in divisions (S)(1)(b)(iii) and (iv) of this section, through June 30, 2026, any person applying for an NPDES permit under Chapter 6111 of the Revised Code shall pay a nonrefundable application fee of two hundred dollars at the time of application for the permit. On and after July 1, 2026, such a person shall pay a nonrefundable application fee of fifteen dollars at the time of application.

(ii) In addition to the nonrefundable application fee, any person applying for an NPDES permit under Chapter 6111 of the Revised Code shall pay a design flow discharge fee based on each point source to which the issuance is applicable in accordance with the following schedule:

(iii) Notwithstanding divisions (S)(1)(b)(i) and (ii) of this section, the application and design flow discharge fee for an NPDES permit for a public discharger identified by the letter I in the third character of the NPDES permit number shall not exceed nine hundred fifty dollars.

(iv) Notwithstanding divisions (S)(1)(b)(i) and (ii) of this section, the application and design flow discharge fee for an NPDES permit for a coal mining operation regulated under Chapter 1513 of the Revised Code shall not exceed four hundred fifty dollars per mine.

(v) A person issued a modification of an NPDES permit shall pay a nonrefundable modification fee equal to the application fee and one-half the design flow discharge fee based on each point source, if applicable, that would be charged for an NPDES permit, except that the modification fee shall not exceed six hundred dollars.

(c) In addition to the application fee established under division (S)(1)(b)(i) of this section, any person applying for an NPDES general storm water construction permit shall pay a nonrefundable fee of twenty dollars per acre for each acre that is permitted above five acres at the time the application is submitted. However, the per acreage fee shall not exceed three hundred dollars. In addition to the application fee established under division (S)(1)(b)(i) of this section, any person applying for an NPDES general storm water industrial permit shall pay a nonrefundable fee of one hundred fifty dollars at the time the application is submitted.

(d) The director shall transmit all moneys collected under division (S)(1) of this section pursuant to Chapter 6109 of the Revised Code to the treasurer of state for deposit into the drinking water protection fund created in section 6109.30 of the Revised Code.

(e) The director shall transmit all moneys collected under division (S)(1) of this section pursuant to Chapter 6111 of the Revised Code and under division (S)(2) of this section to the treasurer of state for deposit into the surface water protection fund created in section 6111.038 of the Revised Code.

(f) If a person submits an electronic application for a registration certificate, permit, variance, or plan approval for which an application fee is established under division (S)(1) of this section, the person shall pay all applicable fees as expeditiously as possible after the submission of the electronic application. An application for a registration certificate, permit, variance, or plan approval for which an application fee is established under division (S)(1) of this section shall not be reviewed or processed until the applicable application fee, and any other fees established under this division, are paid.

(2) A person applying for coverage under an NPDES general discharge permit for household sewage treatment systems shall pay a nonrefundable fee of two hundred dollars at the time of application for initial permit coverage. No fee is required for an application for permit coverage renewal.

(T) The director may adopt, amend, and rescind rules in accordance with Chapter 119 of the Revised Code that do all of the following:

(1) Prescribe fees to be paid by applicants for and holders of any license, permit, variance, plan approval, or certification required or authorized by Chapter 3704., 3734., 6109., or 6111. of the Revised Code that are not specifically established in this section. The fees shall be designed to defray the cost of processing, issuing, revoking, modifying, denying, and enforcing the licenses, permits, variances, plan approvals, and certifications.

The director shall transmit all moneys collected under rules adopted under division (T)(1) of this section pursuant to Chapter 6109 of the Revised Code to the treasurer of state for deposit into the drinking water protection fund created in section 6109.30 of the Revised Code.

The director shall transmit all moneys collected under rules adopted under division (T)(1) of this section pursuant to Chapter 6111 of the Revised Code to the treasurer of state for deposit into the surface water protection fund created in section 6111.038 of the Revised Code.

(2) Exempt the state and political subdivisions thereof, including education facilities or medical facilities owned by the state or a political subdivision, or any person exempted from taxation by section 5709.07 or 5709.12 of the Revised Code, from any fee required by this section;

(3) Provide for the waiver of any fee, or any part thereof, otherwise required by this section whenever the director determines that the imposition of the fee would constitute an unreasonable cost of doing business for any applicant, class of applicants, or other person subject to the fee;

(4) Prescribe measures that the director considers necessary to carry out this section.

(U) When the director reasonably demonstrates that the direct cost to the state associated with the issuance of a permit, license, variance, plan approval, or certification exceeds the fee for the issuance or review specified by this section, the director may condition the issuance or review on the payment by the person receiving the issuance or review of, in addition to the fee specified by this section, the amount, or any portion thereof, in excess of the fee specified under this section. The director shall not so condition issuances for which a fee is prescribed in division (S)(1)(b)(iii) of this section.

(V) Except as provided in divisions (L), (M), (P), and (S) of this section or unless otherwise prescribed by a rule of the director adopted pursuant to Chapter 119 of the Revised Code, all fees required by this section are payable within thirty days after the issuance of an invoice for the fee by the director or the effective date of the issuance of the license, permit, variance, plan approval, or certification. If payment is late, the person responsible for payment of the fee shall pay an additional ten per cent of the amount due for each month that it is late.

(W) As used in this section, “fuel-burning equipment,” “fuel-burning equipment input capacity,” “incinerator,” “incinerator input capacity,” “process,” “process weight rate,” “storage tank,” “gasoline dispensing facility,” “dry cleaning facility,” “design flow discharge,” and “new source treatment works” have the meanings ascribed to those terms by applicable rules or standards adopted by the director under Chapter 3704. or 6111. of the Revised Code.

(X) As used in divisions (B), (D), (E), (F), (H), (I), and (J) of this section, and in any other provision of this section pertaining to fees paid pursuant to Chapter 3704 of the Revised Code:

(1) “Facility,” “federal Clean Air Act,” “person,” and “Title V permit” have the same meanings as in section 3704.01 of the Revised Code.

(2) “Title V permit program” means the following activities as necessary to meet the requirements of Title V of the federal Clean Air Act and 40 C.F.R. part 70, including at least:

(a) Preparing and adopting, if applicable, generally applicable rules or guidance regarding the permit program or its implementation or enforcement;

(b) Reviewing and acting on any application for a Title V permit, permit revision, or permit renewal, including the development of an applicable requirement as part of the processing of a permit, permit revision, or permit renewal;

(c) Administering the permit program, including the supporting and tracking of permit applications, compliance certification, and related data entry;

(d) Determining which sources are subject to the program and implementing and enforcing the terms of any Title V permit, not including any court actions or other formal enforcement actions;

(e) Emission and ambient monitoring;

(f) Modeling, analyses, or demonstrations;

(g) Preparing inventories and tracking emissions;

(h) Providing direct and indirect support to small business stationary sources to determine and meet their obligations under the federal Clean Air Act pursuant to the small business stationary source technical and environmental compliance assistance program required by section 507 of that act and established in sections 3704.18, 3704.19, and 3706.19 of the Revised Code.

(3) “Organic compound” means any chemical compound of carbon, excluding carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, carbonic acid, metallic carbides or carbonates, and ammonium carbonate.

(Y)(1) Except as provided in divisions (Y)(2), (3), and (4) of this section, each sewage sludge facility shall pay a nonrefundable annual sludge fee equal to three dollars and fifty cents per dry ton of sewage sludge, including the dry tons of sewage sludge in materials derived from sewage sludge, that the sewage sludge facility treats or disposes of in this state. The annual volume of sewage sludge treated or disposed of by a sewage sludge facility shall be calculated using the first day of January through the thirty-first day of December of the calendar year preceding the date on which payment of the fee is due.

(2)(a) Except as provided in division (Y)(2)(d) of this section, each sewage sludge facility shall pay a minimum annual sewage sludge fee of one hundred dollars.

(b) The annual sludge fee required to be paid by a sewage sludge facility that treats or disposes of exceptional quality sludge in this state shall be thirty-five per cent less per dry ton of exceptional quality sludge than the fee assessed under division (Y)(1) of this section, subject to the following exceptions:

(i) Except as provided in division (Y)(2)(d) of this section, a sewage sludge facility that treats or disposes of exceptional quality sludge shall pay a minimum annual sewage sludge fee of one hundred dollars.

(ii) A sewage sludge facility that treats or disposes of exceptional quality sludge shall not be required to pay the annual sludge fee for treatment or disposal in this state of exceptional quality sludge generated outside of this state and contained in bags or other containers not greater than one hundred pounds in capacity.

A thirty-five per cent reduction for exceptional quality sludge applies to the maximum annual fees established under division (Y)(3) of this section.

(c) A sewage sludge facility that transfers sewage sludge to another sewage sludge facility in this state for further treatment prior to disposal in this state shall not be required to pay the annual sludge fee for the tons of sewage sludge that have been transferred. In such a case, the sewage sludge facility that disposes of the sewage sludge shall pay the annual sludge fee. However, the facility transferring the sewage sludge shall pay the one-hundred-dollar minimum fee required under division (Y)(2)(a) of this section.

In the case of a sewage sludge facility that treats sewage sludge in this state and transfers it out of this state to another entity for disposal, the sewage sludge facility in this state shall be required to pay the annual sludge fee for the tons of sewage sludge that have been transferred.

(d) A sewage sludge facility that generates sewage sludge resulting from an average daily discharge flow of less than five thousand gallons per day is not subject to the fees assessed under division (Y) of this section.

(3) No sewage sludge facility required to pay the annual sludge fee shall be required to pay more than the maximum annual fee for each disposal method that the sewage sludge facility uses. The maximum annual fee does not include the additional amount that may be charged under division (Y)(5) of this section for late payment of the annual sludge fee. The maximum annual fee for the following methods of disposal of sewage sludge is as follows:

(a) Incineration: five thousand dollars;

(b) Preexisting land reclamation project or disposal in a landfill: five thousand dollars;

(c) Land application, land reclamation, surface disposal, or any other disposal method not specified in division (Y)(3)(a) or (b) of this section: twenty thousand dollars.

(4)(a) In the case of an entity that generates sewage sludge or a sewage sludge facility that treats sewage sludge and transfers the sewage sludge to an incineration facility for disposal, the incineration facility, and not the entity generating the sewage sludge or the sewage sludge facility treating the sewage sludge, shall pay the annual sludge fee for the tons of sewage sludge that are transferred. However, the entity or facility generating or treating the sewage sludge shall pay the one-hundred-dollar minimum fee required under division (Y)(2)(a) of this section.

(b) In the case of an entity that generates sewage sludge and transfers the sewage sludge to a landfill for disposal or to a sewage sludge facility for land reclamation or surface disposal, the entity generating the sewage sludge, and not the landfill or sewage sludge facility, shall pay the annual sludge fee for the tons of sewage sludge that are transferred.

(5) Not later than the first day of April of the calendar year following March 17, 2000, and each first day of April thereafter, the director shall issue invoices to persons who are required to pay the annual sludge fee. The invoice shall identify the nature and amount of the annual sludge fee assessed and state the first day of May as the deadline for receipt by the director of objections regarding the amount of the fee and the first day of July as the deadline for payment of the fee.

Not later than the first day of May following receipt of an invoice, a person required to pay the annual sludge fee may submit objections to the director concerning the accuracy of information regarding the number of dry tons of sewage sludge used to calculate the amount of the annual sludge fee or regarding whether the sewage sludge qualifies for the exceptional quality sludge discount established in division (Y)(2)(b) of this section. The director may consider the objections and adjust the amount of the fee to ensure that it is accurate.

If the director does not adjust the amount of the annual sludge fee in response to a person’s objections, the person may appeal the director’s determination in accordance with Chapter 119 of the Revised Code.

Not later than the first day of June, the director shall notify the objecting person regarding whether the director has found the objections to be valid and the reasons for the finding. If the director finds the objections to be valid and adjusts the amount of the annual sludge fee accordingly, the director shall issue with the notification a new invoice to the person identifying the amount of the annual sludge fee assessed and stating the first day of July as the deadline for payment.

Not later than the first day of July, any person who is required to do so shall pay the annual sludge fee. Any person who is required to pay the fee, but who fails to do so on or before that date shall pay an additional amount that equals ten per cent of the required annual sludge fee.

(6) The director shall transmit all moneys collected under division (Y) of this section to the treasurer of state for deposit into the surface water protection fund created in section 6111.038 of the Revised Code. The moneys shall be used to defray the costs of administering and enforcing provisions in Chapter 6111 of the Revised Code and rules adopted under it that govern the use, storage, treatment, or disposal of sewage sludge.

(7) Beginning in fiscal year 2001, and every two years thereafter, the director shall review the total amount of moneys generated by the annual sludge fees to determine if that amount exceeded six hundred thousand dollars in either of the two preceding fiscal years. If the total amount of moneys in the fund exceeded six hundred thousand dollars in either fiscal year, the director, after review of the fee structure and consultation with affected persons, shall issue an order reducing the amount of the fees levied under division (Y) of this section so that the estimated amount of moneys resulting from the fees will not exceed six hundred thousand dollars in any fiscal year.

If, upon review of the fees under division (Y)(7) of this section and after the fees have been reduced, the director determines that the total amount of moneys collected and accumulated is less than six hundred thousand dollars, the director, after review of the fee structure and consultation with affected persons, may issue an order increasing the amount of the fees levied under division (Y) of this section so that the estimated amount of moneys resulting from the fees will be approximately six hundred thousand dollars. Fees shall never be increased to an amount exceeding the amount specified in division (Y)(7) of this section.

Notwithstanding section 119.06 of the Revised Code, the director may issue an order under division (Y)(7) of this section without the necessity to hold an adjudicatory hearing in connection with the order. The issuance of an order under this division is not an act or action for purposes of section 3745.04 of the Revised Code.

(8) As used in division (Y) of this section:

(a) “Sewage sludge facility” means an entity that performs treatment on or is responsible for the disposal of sewage sludge.

(b) “Sewage sludge” means a solid, semi-solid, or liquid residue generated during the treatment of domestic sewage in a treatment works as defined in section 6111.01 of the Revised Code. “Sewage sludge” includes, but is not limited to, scum or solids removed in primary, secondary, or advanced wastewater treatment processes. “Sewage sludge” does not include ash generated during the firing of sewage sludge in a sewage sludge incinerator, grit and screenings generated during preliminary treatment of domestic sewage in a treatment works, animal manure, residue generated during treatment of animal manure, or domestic septage.

(c) “Exceptional quality sludge” means sewage sludge that meets all of the following qualifications:

(i) Satisfies the class A pathogen standards in 40 C.F.R. § 503.32(a);

(ii) Satisfies one of the vector attraction reduction requirements in 40 C.F.R. § 503.33(b)(1) to (b)(8);

(iii) Does not exceed the ceiling concentration limitations for metals listed in table one of 40 C.F.R. § 503.13;

(iv) Does not exceed the concentration limitations for metals listed in table three of 40 C.F.R. § 503.13.

(d) “Treatment” means the preparation of sewage sludge for final use or disposal and includes, but is not limited to, thickening, stabilization, and dewatering of sewage sludge.

(e) “Disposal” means the final use of sewage sludge, including, but not limited to, land application, land reclamation, surface disposal, or disposal in a landfill or an incinerator.

(f) “Land application” means the spraying or spreading of sewage sludge onto the land surface, the injection of sewage sludge below the land surface, or the incorporation of sewage sludge into the soil for the purposes of conditioning the soil or fertilizing crops or vegetation grown in the soil.

(g) “Land reclamation” means the returning of disturbed land to productive use.

(h) “Surface disposal” means the placement of sludge on an area of land for disposal, including, but not limited to, monofills, surface impoundments, lagoons, waste piles, or dedicated disposal sites.

(i) “Incinerator” means an entity that disposes of sewage sludge through the combustion of organic matter and inorganic matter in sewage sludge by high temperatures in an enclosed device.

(j) “Incineration facility” includes all incinerators owned or operated by the same entity and located on a contiguous tract of land. Areas of land are considered to be contiguous even if they are separated by a public road or highway.

(k) “Annual sludge fee” means the fee assessed under division (Y)(1) of this section.

(l) “Landfill” means a sanitary landfill facility, as defined in rules adopted under section 3734.02 of the Revised Code, that is licensed under section 3734.05 of the Revised Code.

(m) “Preexisting land reclamation project” means a property-specific land reclamation project that has been in continuous operation for not less than five years pursuant to approval of the activity by the director and includes the implementation of a community outreach program concerning the activity.