Savannah 2026 Commercial Stormwater Fee: September Bills, ERUs, and Credits
Savannah’s stormwater fee accrues July 1; first commercial bills are scheduled for September. Model ERUs, impervious area, credits, and the $0 water-use effect.
Direct answer
Savannah records say non-single-family stormwater charges accrue from July 1, 2026, with first bills scheduled to mail beginning September 1. One ERU equals 2,500 square feet of impervious area and costs $9.50 per bi-monthly bill. A 25,000-square-foot parcel models at $570 annually before approved credits; a 20% reduction in metered potable-water use changes this modeled stormwater line by $0.
July 1
Charges accrue
2026 ordinance timing
Sept. 1
First bill mail
Scheduled mailing start
$9.50
Bi-monthly rate
Per ERU before credits
2,500 sf
One ERU
Measured impervious area
Official timing
Charges accrue in July; first bills are scheduled to mail in September
Savannah’s adopted revenue ordinance says stormwater user fee charges accrue beginning July 1, 2026. The City’s current Stormwater Utility page separately says the first bills are scheduled to mail to customers beginning September 1.
Those dates describe different events. September 1 is not the effective date, and the reviewed records do not establish the exact service period or amount that will appear on every first bill. Preserve the bill’s service dates and mailing date when it arrives.
Affected properties
Non-single-family parcels include a broad commercial class
The ordinance defines non-single-family parcels to include multifamily; commercial and mixed-use; office and institutional; public; transportation; industrial, manufacturing, and storage facilities; parking lots; parks; schools; universities; hospitals; streets; and treatment plants.
Developed property generally means more than 400 square feet of impervious area. Undeveloped parcels below that threshold are assigned zero ERUs. Certain public road and linear right-of-way areas are exempt, but tax-exempt status alone does not remove a developed property from the charge.
Impervious-area formula
The bill follows mapped surface area, not metered gallons
One Equivalent Residential Unit, or ERU, equals 2,500 square feet of impervious area. For non-single-family parcels, Savannah measures impervious area, rounds it down to the nearest 100 square feet, divides by 2,500, and multiplies the resulting ERUs by $9.50 for a bi-monthly bill.
The published monthly equivalent is $4.75 per ERU, but the adopted commercial billing formula uses $9.50 per ERU on a bi-monthly bill. Roofs, parking areas, compacted gravel, and other surfaces that impede rainfall absorption may be included in the mapped area.
Credit path
Credits require an application, approval, and continuing compliance
Savannah’s current credit manual lists nonresidential paths such as low-impact parcels, no direct discharge, nonresidential green infrastructure, industrial stormwater permit compliance, reduced impervious area, and qualifying detention or retention facilities. Each path has its own documentation, term, and maintenance requirements.
The manual says the general maximum customer-account credit is 50%, except for a qualifying partnership credit that can reach 75%. Neither percentage is automatic. Existing-facility credits may be submitted at any time and, when approved, apply to the next stormwater bill after approval.
Local bill implication
Stormwater remains separate from water and wastewater exposure
Savannah plans to collect the stormwater line through its utility-billing system, alongside other services. A combined statement does not make every line usage based: stormwater follows impervious area, while water and wastewater require their own meter, class, and rate checks.
For hotels, restaurants, multifamily sites, institutions, warehouses, and parking-intensive properties, the first stormwater review should focus on the billed parcel, mapped impervious area, ERUs, bill cadence, and eligible credit practices before any broader water-savings calculation.
Infrastructure and funding
The new line creates dedicated drainage funding
The City says stormwater revenue is restricted to stormwater operations, maintenance, debt, and capital investment. Official project records cite aging drainage assets, flooding, coastal conditions, maintenance needs, and unfunded capital work as program drivers.
Those system needs explain the new dedicated charge but do not determine one property’s bill. The parcel-level amount still follows the adopted impervious-area formula and any credit that Savannah approves for that account.
Smart Valve analysis
The example annualizes one declared parcel before credits
The model declares 25,000 square feet of measured impervious area, divides by the official 2,500-square-foot ERU, and applies the adopted $9.50 bi-monthly rate. It annualizes six bi-monthly bills at the same area and rate.
This is reproducible arithmetic, not a Savannah bill quote, first-bill forecast, credit decision, or citywide average. The model does not reduce impervious area, the ERU rate, or the stormwater fee when metered potable-water use falls.
Smart Valve analysis — before approved credits
One declared 25,000-square-foot impervious-area example
The example uses the adopted 2,500-square-foot ERU and $9.50 bi-monthly rate. Critical credit and timing caveats remain outside the table.
Scroll the table horizontally to compare all columns.
| Included step | Calculation | Bi-monthly bill | Annualized |
|---|---|---|---|
| Measured impervious area | Declared at 25,000 square feet | — | — |
| Billable ERUs | 25,000 ÷ 2,500 = 10 | — | — |
| Stormwater fee before credits | 10 × $9.50 per ERU | $95.00 | $570.00 |
| 20% lower potable-water use | Impervious area unchanged | $0.00 change | $0.00 change |
The $570 annualized amount assumes six $95 bi-monthly bills at the same mapped area and rate. It does not predict the first bill or apply a credit; approved percentages and timing are account specific.
20% usage check
$0 stormwater change
What a 20% potable-water reduction does to this line
A 20% reduction in metered potable-water use changes this modeled Savannah stormwater line by $0 because the charge is based on measured impervious area rather than gallons.
Boundary: Keep the stormwater line outside a usage-reducible savings base. Separate water or wastewater savings may exist, but they require their own rates, billed volumes, fixed-charge exclusions, and property-specific feasibility check.
Decision checklist
What to check first on the bill
- 1Confirm the billed parcel, responsible account holder, and whether the site is classified as non-single-family.
- 2Record the impervious square footage and ERUs shown on the first stormwater bill.
- 3Compare mapped roofs, parking, compacted surfaces, and other impervious areas with current site records.
- 4Verify the $9.50-per-ERU bi-monthly rate and preserve the service period and mailing date.
- 5Screen only documented credit paths and record application, approval, term, maintenance, and next-bill timing.
- 6Separate stormwater from metered water, wastewater, sanitation, taxes, penalties, and every other bill line.
Scope boundary
Where Smart Valve realistically fits
Smart Valve does not change impervious area, ERUs, the stormwater rate, credit eligibility, or Savannah’s approval decision. It should not be presented as a way to reduce this property-based line.
Smart Valve may be relevant to separate metered water or usage-linked wastewater lines after a commercial team removes stormwater and other non-reducible charges from the savings base. Start with the actual bill, rate class, operating conditions, and a property-specific assessment.
Related commercial water decisions
Track Southeast commercial utility decisions
Follow official rate, sewer, stormwater, restriction, and growth-cost signals across nearby markets.
Compare Charlotte’s commercial stormwater formula
See another property-based charge where impervious area and approved credits drive the decision.
Separate stormwater from usage-linked lines
Read each commercial bill component before applying a savings assumption.
Review the hotel water decision path
Map metered guest, laundry, kitchen, pool, and irrigation uses separately from stormwater.
Prepare a Savannah stormwater audit
Collect the parcel, area, ERU, bill, and credit records before modeling.
Review source and estimate boundaries
See how official facts, calculations, assumptions, and exclusions are separated.
Frequently asked questions
When does Savannah’s commercial stormwater fee begin?
The adopted ordinance says charges accrue beginning July 1, 2026. The current City page separately says first stormwater bills are scheduled to mail beginning September 1. The exact first-bill service period should be checked on the statement.
How is Savannah’s non-single-family stormwater fee calculated?
Savannah divides measured impervious area, rounded down to the nearest 100 square feet, by 2,500 square feet per ERU and multiplies the result by $9.50 for a bi-monthly bill.
Can lower water use reduce Savannah’s stormwater fee?
No. The modeled stormwater line follows impervious area rather than metered potable-water use. Water and wastewater lines may respond to volume, but they must be modeled separately.
Are Savannah stormwater credits automatic?
No. Credits require an application, supporting documentation, City approval, and continuing compliance. The manual generally caps combined credits at 50%, with a separate qualifying partnership exception up to 75%.
Primary source trail
Sources and retrieval details
Effective: First bills scheduled to mail beginning September 1, 2026Status checked: July 17, 2026Retrieved: July 17, 2026
Current official program page for approval posture, first-bill mailing schedule, impervious-area basis, dedicated-fund purpose, credit eligibility, and application paths.
Source URL: https://savannahga.gov/4083/Stormwater-Utility
Published: Adopted 2026 Revenue Ordinance amendmentEffective: Charges accrue beginning July 1, 2026Retrieved: July 17, 2026
Controlling adopted source for the non-single-family class, 2,500-square-foot ERU, impervious-area rounding, $9.50 bi-monthly rate, exemptions, credit authority, and billing framework.
Source URL: https://www.savannahga.gov/DocumentCenter/View/36838
Published: January 22, 2026Status checked: July 17, 2026Retrieved: July 17, 2026
Current official source for credit types, customer classes, application evidence, general cap, partnership exception, terms, maintenance, inspections, approval, and next-bill treatment.
Published: January 22, 2026Retrieved: July 17, 2026
Official implementation study for infrastructure, service-level, capital, customer-class, and example-bill context. Adopted rate mechanics in this article come from the later controlling revenue ordinance.
Audit the Savannah parcel before modeling any water savings
Start with the first stormwater statement, mapped impervious area, ERUs, bill cadence, and documented credit practices. Keep this property-based line outside a water-usage savings estimate.