City of Lebanon, NH Article III Miscellaneous Fees

[Adopted by Ord. No. 58; effective 7-19-1989; amended in its entirety 9-20-2000 by Ord. No. 70, effective 9-25-2000]

§ 68-11 Declaration of purpose.

In 1989 the City adopted an ordinance establishing fees charged by the City for services, including but not limited to filing fees, costs of notice to abutters and permits. Council has since determined that having all fees in one ordinance did not provide the benefits originally envisioned. Fee for various permits, licenses and reviews are now in the individual ordinances which are included in the separate chapters of the Code of the City of Lebanon. Council adopts the following provisions which apply to fees not otherwise provided for in the Code of the City of Lebanon.

§ 68-12 Amendment of fees.

Amendment of fees shall not require legal review pursuant to Chapter 115, Ordinances, Enactment of.

§ 68-13 Return of fees.

Fees shall be returned to the person who made payment only upon the following conditions:

A. Where it is determined that an error has been made by the City.

B. Refunds made by the City due to cancellations of any program or project, or similar situations.

C. Refunds resulting from errors of the applicant which shall be in the sole discretion of the Manager.

D. And such other refund approved by the Manager in the Manager's sole discretion.

§ 68-14 Miscellaneous nonscheduled fees.

The Manager may establish miscellaneous fees, for example, copies of voting lists and copies of documents, in the Manager's discretion, in an amount reasonably calculated to cover the City's administrative costs.

§ 68-15 Enumeration of fees.

A. Zoning. Zoning fees shall be set by Council.

B. Public utilities (water/sewer) fees shall be as follows:

[Last amended 12-6-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-03[1]]

(1) Water service rates:

[Amended 12-5-2018 by Ord. No. 2018-08; 5-15-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-06; 12-5-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-19; 12-2-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-20; 6-17-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-09; 9-1-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-05; 12-1-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-11; 12-23-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-08; 12-6-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-05]

(a) Per 100 cubic feet:

[1] Single-family residential: 0 to 1,200 cubic feet: $4.36.

[2] Single-family residential: greater than 1,200 cubic feet: $8.73.

[3] Non-residential and non-single-family residential: $6.55.

(b) Fixed charge per quarter:

[1] 5/8-inch: $22.91.

[2] *3/4-inch: $73.21.

[3] *One-inch: $108.85.

[4] 1.5-inch: $191.44.

[5] Two-inch: $317.09.

[6] Three-inch: $816.16.

[7] Four-inch: $3,166.85.

[8] Six-inch: $6,038.21.

[9] Eight-inch: $11,601.02.

*Typical residential dwelling units are adequately served by plumbing systems that only require a 5/8-inch water meter. Residential dwelling units plumbed to include a fire suppression system require a water meter at least 3/4-inch in size. As such, those one- and two-family residential dwellings serviced by a fire suppression system may be exempt from the requirement to pay a higher fixed meter charge and will be charged the same rate as a 5/8-inch water meter. The owner may apply for an exemption. The City Manager may issue an exemption to the 5/8-inch meter rate only if the structure being served does not otherwise have a need for a larger meter size.

(2) Fire sprinkler (based on internal pipe size from the outlet side of the riser value) for multifamily, commercial, industrial and institutional accounts:

(a) Four inches or less: $85 per quarter.

(b) Greater than four inches, up to six inches: $250 per quarter.

(c) Greater than six inches, up to eight inches: $391 per quarter.

(d) Greater than eight inches: $533 per quarter.

(3) Fire hydrants (based on size of water main/service line):

(a) Four inches or less: $61 per quarter.

(b) Greater than four inches, up to six inches: $180 per quarter.

(c) Greater than six inches, up to eight inches: $281 per quarter.

(d) Greater than eight inches: $383 per quarter.

(4) Water standard service connection fee:

(a)  5/8-inch meter: $1,338.^*

(b)  3/4-inch meter: $1,423.^*

(c) One-inch meter: $1,514.^*

(d) Greater-than-one-inch meter: Installation is the responsibility of the consumer, per City specifications.

NOTES: * Notwithstanding the base fee applied to all size categories, the total fee shall be equal to actual costs; cost of meter shall be at additional cost.

(5) Water meter cost schedule:

[Amended 12-1-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-12]

(a) 5/8-inch meter: $323 (purchased and installed by City into pre-plumbed fittings).

(b) 3/4-inch meter: $379 (purchased and installed by City into pre-plumbed fittings).

(c) One-inch meter: $434 (purchased and installed by City into pre-plumbed fittings).

(d) Greater-than-one-inch meter: Meter purchase and installation are the responsibility of the consumer, per City specifications, i.e., Neptune Meter and compatible with City's automatic meter reading system.

(6) Miscellaneous water service fees:

[Amended 12-1-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-12]

(a) Water service connection deposit: The Finance Director may require a deposit for new accounts or for consumers who have a history of late payment in accordance with Chapter 123, Public Utilities, §123-10, Connection deposit.[2]

[2] Editor's Note: Chapter 123 was repealed 2-21-2001 by Ord. No. 2001-4. See now Ch. 182, Water Service.

(b) Meter test when requested by consumer: $110 when meter is determined to be accurate; no charge when meter is determined to be accounting for extra water.

(c) Meter installation or replacement when requested by consumer: $60 service fee, plus actual cost of replacement meter.

(d) Damaged/frozen meter: $60 service fee, plus actual cost of repair/replacement of meter.

(e) Meter tampering charge: $1,000, plus a tampering penalty as described in Chapter 182, Water Service, §182-25, Charges in case of meter tampering/fraudulent use of water.

(f) Out-of-cycle meter reading/billing: $50 during normal working hours, or $140 during nonworking hours.

(g) Discontinuance and/or restoration of service fee (turn-on/turn-off service): $50 during normal working hours, or $140 during nonworking hours.

(h) Supplemental meter: $50 per quarter for reading and billing, and a one-time charge for the installation of a meter based on the water meter cost schedule, §68-15B(5).

(i) Backflow prevention device testing: $67 per test.

(j) New service main tap/inspection fee per inspection visit:

[1] Water main: $50.

[2] Service line: $50.

(k) Renewed service line inspection: $50.

(l) Water permit application fee to make connection:

[1] Residential: $50.

[2] Commercial: $100.

(m) Hydrant test fee: $250 for the first hour, $150 per hour after the first hour. Charge will be rounded to the next full hour. Estimated water use is included in the hourly fees.

(n) Temporary water setup fee: $100 plus non-residential and non-single-family residential cost of cubic foot usage as described in § 68-15B(1)(a)[3].

(o) Dechlorinating of new water line: $100.

(p) Chlorination and pressure test of new water line: $100.

(q) Remark of previously marked Dig Safe lines: $250. This includes all City infrastructure projects and is the responsibility of the contractor and cannot be back charged to the City.

(r) Replacement of damaged or missing meter register or transponder: $50 plus cost of meter register or transponder.

(s) Seasonal use meters: $50 per install and $50 for removal and water shutoff.

(t) No shows to appointments: $50.

(u) Bulk water to fill a tank: non-residential and non-single-family residential cost of cubic foot usage as described in § 68-15B(1)(a)[3] plus $100 service fee per fill or $150 service fee per fill after normal business hours.

(7) Sewer service rates:

[Amended 12-5-2018 by Ord. No. 2018-08; 5-15-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-06; 12-5-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-19; 12-2-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-20; 12-1-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-11; 12-23-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-08; 12-6-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-05]

(a) Fixed charge per quarter:

[1] 5/8-inch: $33.38.

[2] 3/4-inch: $106.71.

[3] One-inch: $158.68.

[4] 1.5-inch: $279.06.

[5] Two-inch: $462.25.

[6] Three-inch: $1,189.78.

[7] Four-inch: $4,616.62.

[8] Six-inch: $8,802.56.

[9] Eight-inch: $16,912.04.

(b) Per 100 cubic feet of metered water usage: $12.60.

(c) Flat rate (limited to consumers who are not provided water service or a meter for computing flow):

[1] Residential: $411.83 per quarter.

[2] Commercial: estimated flow to be computed by the Department of Public Works based on facility use and occupancy at the rate contained in Subsection B(7)(b) above.

(8) Sewer use permit fee for new or modified services:

[Amended 12-4-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-16]

(a) Residential (to include multifamily): $250 for one dwelling unit, plus $100 for each additional dwelling unit. ($250 is the minimum fee for a sewer use permit.)

(b) Commercial/industrial: $250 for one sewer unit, plus $100 for each additional sewer unit, rounded to the next whole sewer unit.

(9) Miscellaneous sewer fees:

(a) Septage disposal rates:

[Amended 2-20-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-02]

[1] From properties within Lebanon: $80 per 1,000 gallons.

[2] From properties outside Lebanon: $85 per 1,000 gallons.[3]

[3] Editor’s Note: Former Subsection B(9)(a)[3], regarding a sunset provision, which immediately followed, was repealed 12-5-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-19.

(b) Septage disposal for recreational vehicles: $34.

(c) New service sewer main tap/inspection:

[1] Eight-inch or less: $488.

[2] Greater than eight-inch: $964.

(d) Renewed service line inspection: $34.

(e) Sewer development charge (SDC): Sewer development charges imposed by this article shall be determined by the estimated gallons per day of sewer use by a sewer user. The SDC is based on one sewer unit at an estimated usage of 210 gallons per day (gpd).

[Added 12-4-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-16]

[1] For connections in Lebanon and Enfield where the flow is directed to the Lebanon Wastewater Treatment Plant, the rate for every 210 gpd of estimated usage is $3,006.

[2] For connections in Lebanon where flow is directed to the Hanover Wastewater Treatment Plant, the rate for every 210 gpd of estimated flow is $953.

(10) Town of Enfield sewer rental rate.

[Added 12-5-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-19; amended 12-2-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-20; 12-1-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-11; 12-23-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-08; 12-6-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-05]

(a) $15.20 per 100 cubic feet.

(b) New or expanded sewer users within the Town of Enfield are subject to the sewer development charge at the same rate charged to sewer users within the City of Lebanon.

[1] Editor’s Note: This ordinance provided for an effective date of 1-1-2018.

C. Stormwater permit application fee.

[Added 6-3-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-08[4]; amended 12-1-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-12]

(1) The fee for a stormwater permit application shall be $250 for new or modified connections, which includes up to two visits for inspection services.

(2) For existing connections, the stormwater permit application fee may be waived by the City Manager for good cause shown.

(3) The fee for additional inspections is $50 per visit during regular business hours and $140 per visit outside of regular business hours.

[4] Editor's Note: This ordinance also redesignated former Subsections C and D as Subsections D and E.

D. City Clerk's office.

[Amended 9-3-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-6; 9-19-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-2]

(1) The fee to process the state portion of all motor vehicle transactions shall be $1.

(2) The fee to license a dog shall be $1.

(3) The fine for having an unlicensed dog in the City of Lebanon on or after October 1, of each calendar year shall be $10.

E. Ambulance fees shall be as follows:

[Amended 6-5-2002; 3-15-2006 by Ord. No. 2006-4; 1-21-2009 by Ord. No. 2009-3; 12-3-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-4;8-1-2018 by Ord. No. 2018-05; 12-1-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-13; 12-23-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-05]

(1) Basic Life Support, resident: $622.98.

(2) Basic Life Support, nonresident: $694.08.

(3) Advanced Life Support 1, resident: $1,146.20.

(4) Advanced Life Support 1, nonresident: $1,230.84.

(5) Advanced Life Support 2, resident: $1,720.72.

(6) Advanced Life Support 2, nonresident: $1,842.88.

(7) Specialty Care Transport: $2,248.40.

(8) Mileage: $14.98.

(9) Co-pay Waiver, resident: $117.29.

(10) Advanced Life Support, no transport: $527.79.

F. Driveway permit application fee. The fee for a driveway permit application shall be $75, which includes two site inspections (one before and one after construction). A charge of $75 will be assessed for each additional inspection.

[Added 12-1-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-12]

G. Construction within a floodplain. The fee for a permit to construct within a floodplain shall be $250 plus a service fee of $75 per hour for any inspections.

[Added 12-1-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-12]