Alexandria’s October Stormwater Bill: Check the Fee and Prepare for December Credits
Direct answer
Alexandria’s October 2026 stormwater bill charges $178.70 per billing unit, half the $357.40 annual rate. One unit represents 2,062 square feet of impervious area. The payment deadline is November 16. Commercial owners should verify their assessment and prepare eligible credit documentation for the annual December 1–February 15 application window.
Alexandria’s October stormwater charge is $178.70 per billing unit. Check impervious area, the November 16 due date, and December–February credit requirements.
$178.70
October charge per billing unit
Half of the $357.40 annual rate, before credits.
2,062
Impervious area per billing unit
Square feet of exterior hard surfaces; verify the City’s assessed units.
Dec. 1
Credit applications open
Annual window ends February 15; October is the billing month.
Adopted rate and payment date
The higher rate reaches the October statement
Alexandria’s signed Ordinance 5631, passed April 29, 2026, sets the annual stormwater rate at $357.40 per billing unit for the second-half bill and subsequent bills. The City’s September 21 nonresidential page confirms an October charge of $178.70 per unit, compared with $170.15 in May. This is an adopted rate reaching a billing checkpoint.
The fee appears separately on the City real estate tax statement; tax-exempt properties receive a stormwater-only bill. The City’s 2026 stormwater insert gives November 16 as the second-half payment deadline. October issuance, November payment and December credit applications are three separate calendar entries for the property team.
Check the assessment
Start with the parcel and exterior hard surfaces
Commercial and industrial sites, apartment buildings and nonprofit properties fall under the City’s nonresidential guidance. The calculated fee uses impervious area divided by 2,062 square feet per equivalent residential unit, or ERU. Roof footprints and parking areas matter; adding the floor area of every story would measure something different.
Compare the service property, mapped surfaces and assessed billing units with the statement. Look up approved credits in the City’s property search: the stormwater map viewer does not display them. Commercial condominiums and mixed-use buildings have allocation rules, so a unit owner should confirm the assigned share before applying a whole-property calculation.
Credit eligibility
A listed maximum is not the property’s approved percentage
Section 8 of the credit manual limits combined credits to 50%. For a stormwater practice with a 20% maximum, its worked example multiplies that maximum by the share of impervious area treated: 60% coverage produces a 12% credit. Dry floodproofing instead uses the protected building footprint. Neither method supports applying every menu percentage to the entire parcel automatically.
Existing facilities required by development approval may qualify. Identify the practice, drainage area and maintenance record before commissioning new work. This article does not estimate a credit project’s payback: installation, inspection and continuing maintenance costs are site-specific.
Application preparation
Gather proof before the December window opens
The annual application window runs December 1–February 15. Most approved credits last two years; volunteer credits require annual renewal. The nonresidential application asks for the property account, selected practices and supporting documentation, including pictures. Development-required facilities need a qualified professional’s certification each application cycle. The City also describes annual certification of proper functioning and checks for the required maintenance agreement.
Assign someone to collect dated photographs, locate design and inspection records, and resolve missing documentation with stormwater staff. Volunteer activities require prior registration, so an unregistered cleanup is not automatically creditable. Submit through the City’s property search or its paper application, and keep the approval with the property’s bill records.
Smart Valve arithmetic — gross stormwater fee only
A property assessed at 10 billing units pays $85.50 more
Assume the City assesses the same nonresidential property at exactly 10 ERUs in both periods—equivalent to 20,620 square feet—and no credits or adjustments. This avoids assuming how fractional units are rounded.
| Selected stormwater line | May 2026 | October 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 ERUs, before credits | $1,701.50 | $1,787.00 | +$85.50 |
10 × ($178.70 − $170.15) = $85.50. These are half-year charges, not monthly amounts. The $357.40 annual rate should not be applied to both 2026 installments retroactively. Property taxes, drinking water, sanitary sewer, approved credits and adjustments are excluded.
Decision checklist
Three decisions for the property team
- 1Reconcile the City’s assessed billing units and existing credits against the October statement before changing the stormwater budget.
- 2Choose which eligible practices warrant an application using their actual treatment area, required documentation and ongoing costs.
- 3Assign responsibility for the November payment and December–February application, then record the renewal date after City approval.
Scope boundary
Where Smart Valve realistically fits
The City stormwater fee is separate from Virginia American Water drinking-water charges and AlexRenew sanitary-sewer charges. Smart Valve does not reduce mapped impervious area or create a stormwater credit. Any assessment of metered-water savings belongs on the separate water and sewer bills and requires verified site conditions.
Related commercial water decisions
Follow Mid-Atlantic commercial utility decisions
Track local billing rules and adopted changes by provider.
Separate water, sewer and other property charges
Identify which charges respond to consumption and which use another basis.
Organize a commercial bill audit
Gather statements, classifications and supporting records before estimating savings.
Primary source trail
Sources and retrieval details
Status checked: September 21, 2026 page update; Retrieved: September 30, 2026
Current nonresidential rates, October half-year billing, assessed-area basis, credit window and development-facility requirements.
Effective: Final passage April 29, 2026; second-half 2026 rate provision; Retrieved: September 30, 2026
Signed adopted ordinance; confirms $340.30 and $357.40 annual rates. Its November 15 statutory wording is reconciled with the City’s November 16 payment date for 2026.
Retrieved: September 30, 2026
Explicitly identifies June 15 and November 16, 2026 payment dates, with the second-half fee reflecting adopted FY2027 rates.
Source URL: https://alexandriava.gov/sites/default/files/2026-02/Insert%202%20-%20SWU.pdf (opens in a new tab)
Retrieved: September 30, 2026
Sections 8 and 9 govern nonresidential credit calculations, documentation and renewal. Older illustrative dollar rates are not used as current rates.
Retrieved: September 30, 2026
Official form revised December 2022; identifies applicant information, practice selection, documentation and prior volunteer registration.
Retrieved: September 30, 2026
Explains the separate City, Virginia American Water and AlexRenew billing responsibilities and the annual credit application process.
Source URL: https://www.alexandriava.gov/StormwaterUtility (opens in a new tab)
Editorial contact
Media & product inquiries
Send relevant corrections, launch information, approved assets, or testing opportunities to thesmartwatervalve@gmail.com. Contact does not guarantee coverage, favorable treatment, commercial placement, or a review.
Keep the stormwater review with the property records
Use the City’s sources above for credit eligibility and applications. A broader bill audit can organize the separate metered-water and sewer charges without counting stormwater fees as water-use savings.