FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PLEASE REFER TO THE EFFECTIVE DATES
Date: May 28, 2025
Subject: Water and Sewer Capacity Fees and Codified Ordinance Changes
After several months of discussions including Utility Committee meetings and 3 readings of the proposed changes, on May 27, 2025 Bellefontaine City Council passed the following changes (in addition to other changes prescribed in Ordinances 25-24 and 25-25) to Chapters 923 and 925 of the Codified Ordinances for the City of Bellefontaine, Ohio.
“923.11 CAPACITY FEES.”
In addition to any regular fees paid for permits to connect to the City public water system, a capacity fee shall be charged for new connections as herein established:
(a) 5/8” – 1” meter, effective June 1, 2025, $2,000.00 (meter cost included and provided by the City)
(b) 5/8” – 1” meter, effective January 1, 2026, $2,500.00 (meter cost included and provided by the City)
(c) 1.25” meter-$7,500.00 (Customer must purchase meter through the City’s approved vendor)
(d) 1.5” meter-$10,000.00 (Customer must purchase meter through the City’s approved vendor)
(e) 2.0” meter- $20,000.00 (Customer must purchase meter through the City’s approved vendor)
(f) Larger than 2”-Determined case by case by the Service Safety Director (Customer must purchase meter through the City’s approved vendor)”
These are in addition to the $300.00 water service connection fee prescribed in Section 923.01.
“925.04 BUILDING SEWERS AND CONNECTIONS; LICENSES AND FEES.”
(a) License to Tap and Excavate Required. No unauthorized person shall uncover, make any connection with or opening into, use, alter or disturb any public sewer or appurtenance thereof without first obtaining a written permit from the City Engineer. An application for a permit shall be signed by the owner, agent or lessee of the property for which the connection is to be made and by the person, firm or corporation employed to perform the work, and must describe the property and state the fixture to be connected. No building sewer shall be constructed or repaired nor shall any connection be made to a public sewer by any person who has not been authorized and licensed to perform such work. All persons desiring to engage in the business of sewer excavating and sewer tapping shall, before performing such work, procure a license to do so from the City Engineer. Before such license is issued, the person desiring to engage in the business shall file an application in writing with the City Engineer, giving the name of the person, firm or corporation and of each member thereof and the place of business, asking to become a licensed sewer excavator and sewer tapper in the City, or in any area under the jurisdiction of the City and stating his willingness and consent to be governed in all respects by the laws and regulations of the City. The license application shall be signed by the applicant in person. Before receiving a license, the applicant shall execute and deposit in the office of the City Engineer a surety bond, to be approved by the City Engineer, in the sum of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) conditioned that the applicant will indemnify and save harmless the City from all accidents and damage caused by any negligence in protecting his work or by any unfaithful or inadequate work done by virtue of his license. The applicant shall also file insurance certificates showing public liability insurance coverage in an amount of not less than fifty thousand dollars - one hundred thousand dollars ($50,000 - $100,000) and direct and contingent property damage insurance in an amount of not less than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for the life of the license. A Contractor Registration as required in Chapter 1307 shall be used as this license, but with the additional abovementioned requirements.
(b) Permit, Inspection and Records Fees and Capacity Fees. The City Engineer shall accept or reject all applications for connections to public sewers and shall keep records of all permits issued. A permit, inspection and records fee of fifty dollars ($50.00) for each repair shall be paid prior to the issuance of such permit. A permit, inspection and records fee or seventy-five dollars ($75.00) for each new connection shall be paid prior to the issuance of such permit. In addition to the permit fee, a capacity fee shall be charged for new connections as established below:
(1) Single family dwelling unit:
a. Effective June 1, 2025, Capacity fee shall be $2,000.00 per dwelling unit
b. Effective January 1, 2026, Capacity fee shall be $2,500.00 per dwelling unit
c. Based on an average daily flow of 400 gallons per dwelling unit and constitutes 1.0 equivalent residential unit
2) All other uses:
a. Effective, June 1, 2025, capacity fee shall be $2,000.00 per equivalent residential unit multiplied by the number of equivalent residential units (average daily flow/400 gallons=Number of equivalent residential units)
b. Effective, January 1, 2026, capacity fee shall be $2,500.00 per equivalent residential unit multiplied by the number of equivalent residential units (average daily flow/400 gallons=Number of equivalent residential units)
c. In no case shall the capacity fee be less than one equivalent residential unit
James F. Bischoff, P.E.
City Engineer
.