Solid Waste Charge for Nonresidential Properties

"Commercial" Rate (applies to properties both inside and outside of municipalities)

Disposal Fees

• ZERO - not applicable to non-residential property owners.

• The County charges a Tipping Fee to private refuse collectors (not to the property owner) depositing refuse from nonresidential properties at the Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station. Private refuse collection companies may pass this cost along to their nonresidential customers.

Base Systems Benefit Charge

• Paid by owners of properties with improvements valued over $5,000.

• Covers that portion of the County's costs of providing basic solid waste services to manage nonresidential waste, which costs are not covered by Tipping Fees.

• Base Services are the programs and facilities necessary to fulfill the County's legal obligation to provide for the management of all non-residential solid waste generated within the County. These include:

  • overall solid waste program administration
  • solid waste enforcement activities
  • the "Dickerson Facilities Master Plan" (an obligation to the citizens in the RRF area)
  • general program development
  • Division management personnel
  • general engineering and technical support
  • waste reduction programs
  • operation of the Resource Recovery Facility, and
  • debt service.

   

• Businesses vary quite widely in the amount of waste that they generate. Therefore, the Base System Benefit Charge is assessed on the basis of two relating factors:

  • the pounds of waste estimated to be disposed per-square-foot base on the type of land use, and
  • the actual "enclosed" area on the property.

   

• Waste estimated to be generated for disposal from the different land use types is grouped into the five Generator Categories as follows:

  Generator Category	Definition
  Low	0 to 2 pounds per sq.ft. per year
  Medium Low	> 2 to 4 pounds per sq.ft. per year
  Medium	> 4 to 6 pounds per sq.ft. per year
  Medium High	> 6 to 8 pounds per sq.ft. per year
  High	> 8 pounds per sq.ft. per year

• The County obtains both the land use and the floor area from State records, and charges on the basis of 2,000 square foot units as follows:

  Generator Category	Code on Tax Bill	Base Systems Benefit Charge
  Low	34 or 44	$83.44 per 2,000 sq. ft. unit
  Medium Low	35 or 45	$250.32 per 2,000 sq. ft. unit
  Medium	36 or 46	$417.20 per 2,000 sq. ft. unit
  Medium High	37 or 47	N/A
  High	38 or 48	$750.96 per 2,000 sq. ft. unit

Incremental Systems Benefit Charge

• Paid by all properties via tax bill.

• This charge is calculated to cover the County’s costs for assisting the nonresidential properties to develop more effective recycling efforts, including the review of business recycling plans and program designs, educational materials, technical outreach and enforcement. During Calendar Year 2022, the nonresidential sector was estimated to achieve a recycling rate of 52.09% of its waste stream. County programs funded by this fee are designed to boost that rate.

• The amount of the Incremental Systems Benefit Charge is also based on size of improved floor area and the waste generation characteristics of the property:

  Generator Category	Code on Tax Bill	Incremental Systems Benefit Charge
  Low	34 or 44	$42.82 per 2,000 sq. ft. unit
  Medium Low	35 or 45	$128.47 per 2,000 sq. ft. unit
  Medium	36 or 46	$214.11 per 2,000 sq. ft. unit
  Medium High	37 or 47	N/A
  High	38 or 48	$385.40 per 2,000 sq. ft. unit

  This table relates all of the State of Maryland uses to the five Generator Classifications:
  Nonresidential Land Use Codes and Generation Classes (PDF)
  
  Use the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation Real Property Data Search to get a detailed property description, including your land use code.

Refuse Collection Charge

• Not applicable to non-residential properties.

Leaf Vacuuming Charge

• Not applicable to non-residential properties.

Appeals

There is an appeals process if the owner of a nonresidential property believes that the square footage figure or the generator classification is incorrect.

Specific documentation must be provided, and any appeal must be received, on the form provided by the Department, by September 30.

Download the appeal form (PDF) or contact Ermias Kifle at 240-777-6441 for assistance.

Notice

In accordance with Montgomery County Executive Regulation 9-99 regarding the systems benefit charge for nonresidential properties, a table showing land use types and solid waste generator categories is hereby posted.

* Montgomery County Land Use Coding Manual (PDF)