Surface Water Management Utility Service Charge

About the Surface Water Management Utility Service Charge

Since 1988, the Surface Water Management utility has provided services to Pierce County that reduce the threat of flooding to people and property and prevent water pollution. The utility service charge pays for these services.

Utility service charge frequently asked questions

These rates are charged per parcel in unincorporated Pierce County. If you received a property tax statement from the Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer that includes a Surface Water Management fee and you live in a city, that fee is going to your local city. The following rates are effective Jan. 1, 2023, and apply to properties in unincorporated Pierce County:

Parcel Classification	Base Rate	Base plus Water Quality Services	Base plus River Services	Base plus Water Quality and River Services
Residential and Equivalent	$129.61	$144.94	$151.81	$167.14
Duplex and Equivalent	$167.22	$187.00	$195.86	$215.64
Duplex Condo and Equivalent; Mobile Home Park Condo	$83.61	$93.51	$97.93	$107.83
Multifamily: Minimum Charge Impervious (excluding gravel) per square foot Gravel per square foot	$129.61 $0.04910 $0.03683	$144.94 $0.05491 $0.04119	$151.81 $0.05751 $0.04314	$167.14 $0.06332 $0.04750
Mobile Home Park and Equivalent: Minimum Charge Impervious (excluding gravel) per square foot Gravel per square foot	$71.53 $0.04910 $0.03683	$79.99 $0.05491 $0.04119	$83.78 $0.05751 $0.04314	$92.24 $0.06332 $0.04750
Vacant Undeveloped: Minimum Charge per parcel Area Charge per acre	$23.51 $0.47015	$23.51 $0.47015	$23.51 $0.47015	$23.51 $0.47015
State, County, Federal Highways, and Transportation Infrastructure: Impervious rate per square foot (excluding gravel) Gravel per square foot	$0.00737 $0.00553	$0.00824 $0.00618	$0.00863 $0.00648	$0.00950 $0.00713
Agricultural Land Uses	$129.61	$144.94	$151.81	$167.14
All Other Parcels: Minimum Charge per parcel Impervious rate per square foot (excluding gravel) Gravel per square foot	$129.61 $0.04910 $0.03683	$144.94 $0.05491 $0.04119	$151.81 $0.05751 $0.04314	$167.14 $0.06332 $0.04750