17.38.248    SERVICE CONNECTION FEES

(1) A public water supplier shall pay to the department an annual fee for each state fiscal year. The annual fee must be postmarked or delivered to the department no later than March 1 of each year.

(2) For purposes of this rule, an active service connection is one that provides water service for human consumption to a customer that is billed directly or otherwise held directly responsible by a public water supply system supplier for payment for that service. Activities that do not qualify as human consumption include water used exclusively by livestock or for fire protection.

(3) The annual fee does not apply to a service connection if:

(a) the service connection has been turned off for the entire fiscal year prior to any March 1 fee payment deadline; and

(b) the public water supply system has not required payment for service for that time period.

(4) Each community public water supply system supplier shall determine the total number of active service connections for each fiscal year based on an assessment that occurs between July 1 and August 1 of that fiscal year.

(5) The total annual service connection fee is determined by multiplying the number of active service connections by the appropriate annual fee per service connection.

(6) Regardless of the number of service connections, the minimum annual fee for any community public water system is $100.

(7) Fees for community public water supply systems are determined as follows:

(a) The annual fee per active service connection is $2.25 for fiscal years 1992 and 1993.

(b) Beginning fiscal year 1994, the annual fee per active service connection is $2.00.

(8) Fees for noncommunity public water supply systems are determined as follows:

(a) The annual fee for a nontransient noncommunity public water supply system is $100.

(b) The annual fee for any other noncommunity public water supply system is $50.

(9) Failure to pay the annual fee, including any outstanding past-due balance, by March 1 of the fiscal year for which the fee is assessed subjects suppliers to an additional charge to be calculated by multiplying the total outstanding balance by 10%.

History: 75-6-104, MCA; IMP, 75-6-104, 75-6-108, MCA; NEW, 1991 MAR p. 2617, Eff. 12/27/91; TRANS, from DHES, 1996 MAR p. 1499; AMD, 2000 MAR p. 3400, Eff. 12/8/00; AMD, 2024 MAR p. 253, Eff. 2/10/24.