Drainage utility charges.
San Antonio City Code § 34-1114
in effectSec. 34-1114. - Drainage utility charges.
(a) The drainage utility charge is hereby imposed upon each benefitted property within the service area. Drainage utility charges shall become effective on January 1, 2016. Thereafter, drainage utility charges shall be billed to benefitted properties on a monthly basis for the duration of the drainage utility.
(b) For purposes of imposing drainage utility charges, all benefitted properties within the service area are classified into the following customer categories:
(1) Residential properties, and
(2) Non-residential properties.
(c) The impervious area value shall be determined by conducting an inventory of all improved lots in the service area and identifying the impervious area for each improved lot. The impervious area value shall be used in establishing drainage utility charges for residential properties based on the amount of impervious area identified in the rate tiers in subsection (d), and for non-residential properties based on the methodology described in subsection (e). The director or his designee shall be responsible for determining the impervious area of benefitted property based on reliable data, including the appraisal roll, geographic information system technology, aerial photography, or other reliable means for determining impervious area. The director may require additional information from the owner, user, tenant, manager or developer to make the determination. The assessment of impervious area to benefitted properties may be revised by the director based on the addition of structures or improvements to properties identified through the city's building permit process.
(d) Residential properties shall be assigned a rate category and assessed a drainage utility charge based on impervious area as provided in the following table:
Residential Rate Category | Impervious Area in Square Feet | Monthly Fee
Tier 1 | ≤ 2,750 | $3.75
Tier 2 | > 2,750—4,220 | $4.94
Tier 3 | > 4,220 | $10.45
(e) Non-residential properties shall be assigned a rate category and assessed a drainage utility charge determined by a base fee and impervious fee in accordance with the values provided in subsections (e)(1) and (2):
(1) Base fee shall mean a flat monthly fee assessed among all non-residential benefitted properties as determined by Bexar County Appraisal District property records. The FY 2020 amount is calculated at sixty-seven dollars and thirty cents ($67.30).
(2) Impervious fee shall mean a monthly fee assessed on all non-residential benefit- ted properties on a per square foot basis and prorated based on the percentage of impervious area within the benefitted property.
Non-Residential Rate Category | Percent Impervious Area | Monthly Fee per 1,000 Square Feet
Tier 1 | ≤ 20% | $0.31
Tier 2 | > 20%—40% | $0.45
Tier 3 | > 40%—65% | $0.58
Tier 4 | > 65% | $0.73
(f) The city council may adjust the value and rate tiers in subsections (d) and (e) at any time based upon the recommendation of the director that the cost of service for the drainage utility warrants an adjustment in rates.
(g) No drainage utility charge credit shall be given for the installation of drainage facilities required by the City Code or state law. However, a credit of up to thirty (30) percent off the impervious fee portion of the monthly drainage utility charges shall be available to customers of non-residential properties that voluntarily implement low impact development water quality management practices in compliance with technical criteria adopted by the city.
(h) Pervious pavements and other pervious surfaces in compliance with technical criteria adopted by the city shall not be included in the impervious area calculation. Rail ballast areas shall be considered as thirty (30) percent impervious based on industry standard runoff coefficients. Linear railroad track right-of-way systems outside of railroad yards intended to convey storm water throughout the drainage utility area and that provide drainage service to benefitted properties shall not be included in the impervious area calculation.
(Ord. No. 2015-09-10-0761, § 7(Exh. D), 9-10-15; Ord. No. 2016-09-29-0737, § 3, 9-26-16; Ord. No. 2017-09-14-0656, § 2(Att. C), 9-14-17; Ord. No. 2018-09-13-0713, § 1(Att. H.2), 9-13-18; Ord. No. 2019-09-12-0694A, § 1(Att. N), 9-12-19)
Source: City of San Antonio, City Code, City Charter and Unified Development Code (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/tx/san_antonio/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICO_CH34WASE_ARTVIIDRUT_DIV2ADDRUT_S34-1114DRUTCHFetched: 10/27/2026