Charles County Stormwater Remediation Fee Exemption for Disabled Veterans

Charles County bills a stormwater remediation fee, set each year by the County Commissioners, on property with impervious surface, and deposits it in the Watershed Protection and Restoration Fund. County Code section 275-4(A)(1)(c) exempts "property owned by a disabled veteran". The chapter does not define a disabled veteran or say how to show it. A veteran with the state 100% exemption under Tax-Property Article section 7-208 is the clearest case; a veteran with a lower rating should ask the Treasury Division of the Department of Fiscal and Administrative Services whether it applies. Charles County has not adopted any of the local veteran property tax credits in Title 9 of the Tax-Property Article, so this fee exemption is the county's only veteran-specific relief on the tax bill. Separately, an owner-occupant can claim a substantial financial hardship exemption from the same fee by October 31 of the tax year if two of four tests are met. One of the four is that an owner who lives there receives veterans benefits, Social Security, Railroad Retirement, a federal armed forces benefit, or a federal retirement benefit; the others are income at or below the federal poverty guidelines, a state energy assistance subsidy, and Supplemental Security Income or food stamps. The Towns of Indian Head and La Plata assess their own stormwater fee, and property inside them is outside the county fee.