Storm Sewer System Charge

The SSSC pays for the operation and maintenance of the city’s storm sewer system and funds programs to improve the quality of storm water runoff as required by the City’s federal storm water permit and local watershed districts.

If you believe your property is incorrectly classified or the charge is incorrectly calculated, contact Real Estate/Assessments at 651-266-8858.

Property owners may seek a review of their storm sewer system charge by filing a written request for review with the Department of Public Works, 25 W. 4th Street, 700 City Hall Annex, Saint Paul, MN 55102.

The request must be filed within thirty (30) days of the mailing of the annual bill and shall explain the grounds for which the review is requested. The payment remains due and payable while the petition is under review. If Public Works determines that a discount is warranted, the storm sewer system charge will be adjusted.

The City will mail invoices to property owners at the end of August.

All payments are due by November 15 each year. If you do not pay by that date, the amount due plus interest will appear on next years property tax statement.

The Street Maintenance Service Program is billed out as a maintenance fee and property owners are given 30 days to pay the fee.  If we do not receive payment in 30 days, we process the fee as an assessment, which includes City Council approval by mid-November.  We are then authorized to send the charge to Ramsey County for collection with property owners’ next year’s property taxes.  Between the September 30th deadline to pay the fee and the November 15th deadline to pay the assessment we continue to accept payments. 

The Storm Sewer System Charge is unique and does not require processing as an assessment in order to collect with property taxes, and we do not need a 30-day payment window.  We can accept payments until November 15, which is the final payment date for all assessments and charges. 

The Storm Sewer System Charge Invoice is first because it is the only invoice property owners receive for that charge.   We do not want owners to miss that invoice, since no other mailings are sent.  The Street Maintenance Service Program has a follow up notice, as a reminder, if a property owner misses the first invoice.

Not every property in Saint Paul is sent two invoices.  Some properties are exempt or land-locked and only receive one invoice.

The notice was for non-payment of the Street Maintenance Service Program fee within 30 days (by Sept 30).  After that date the City processes the fee as an assessment, which has the later November 15 payment deadline, November 15 is the final payment date for all assessments and charges prior to certification to property taxes.

We send both invoices to property owners in the same envelope because it saves approximately $30,000 in mailing costs.  It also gives property owners the opportunity to pay both charges together if they choose.

There are a few possible reasons you didn’t get the mailing including the Storm Sewer System Charge invoice and Street Maintenance Service Program invoice.  First, the Invoices were sent to the address on file with Ramsey County Property Records and Revenue.  If you have a change of address, please call Ramsey County at 651-266-2000 to update your mailing address.  Second, you may have missed seeing one of the invoices in the August mailing.  Please double-check your envelope.  Third, perhaps the issue was with delivery.  We apologize if you’re missing one or both of the invoices.  We can provide replacements upon request.

The Storm Sewer Service Charge is an annual charge for the costs of operating and maintaining the City’s storm sewer system for the fiscal year January 1 - through December 31 of the current billing year.

A few residents have asked if the invoices are real because they wondered about the return envelope address. Yes, they are.

To ensure a safe and quick processing payment system the return envelopes are addressed to the City and mailed to a secure PO Box for our financial institution which has their processing center in Minneapolis.