The Engineering Department’s permit and inspection process confirms that the District’s and other applicable standards are used in the construction of the infrastructure within the District. This protects the treatment plant’s operations, ensuring the proper treatment of sewage before discharge into the Fox River.
All new and renovated buildings within the FRWRD service area must obtain a discharge permit from FRWRD.
The permit application form can be obtained by clicking here. Please note the following in applying for a permit:
- All the information on the application form is required to be filled out.
- Commercial and industrial permit applications must include a full plan set submittal. This set is to include all project pages and is separate from any submittal to Elgin or South Elgin.
- Permits require signature by the property owner or authorized agent.
- Permit application review typically takes 2 to 3 weeks once all applicable information has been provided.
- Permit approval is not issued until applicable permit fees are paid.
Occupancy permits cannot be issued in the City of Elgin or Village of South Elgin without signoff by FRWRD. Developers and contractors are advised to contact FRWRD as soon as they contact either Elgin or South Elgin about permitting.
Permit Fees
Permit fees are charged such that new developments and dischargers contribute their fair share for the capital costs associated with expanding the water reclamation facilities of FRWRD. Permit fees are calculated by FRWRD Engineering Staff.
The amount of permit fees (known as service fees or connection fees) depend on both the type of facility and the location of the facility. The areas that were part of the FRWRD service area prior to 1990 are within the connection fee area of FRWRD where fees are charged based on a cost per fixture basis. The commercial permit fees associated with the connection fee area can be obtained by clicking here. Residential permit fees for areas annexed prior to 1990 can be obtained by clicking here.
Areas annexed after 1990 are charged permit fees based on the service fee ordinances of FRWRD. A table of applicable service fees can be obtained by clicking here. A list of service fee ordinances currently in effect as well as a consolidated document of service fee ordinances (not a legal document) can be obtained on the Annexation Page of this website. Some service fees may have been previously paid. To obtain the amount of service fees remaining due at the time of permit, the permittee should contact FRWRD Engineering Staff.
Change Regarding Public Use Fee Waivers
As on January 1, 2017, FRWRD has changed fee waiver amounts for public use entities. FRWRD is phasing out fee waivers for many categories of public uses over the next two years. The maximum amount of waiver is reducing each year until no waivers are given, with exceptions for some government uses. The Ordinance related to this change can be found by clicking here. This change applies to both connection fee and service fee areas.
Permits for Food Service Establishments
All new or relocating food service establishments must fill out a food service establishment application form and submit it along with the permit application. Grease can clog sewers, interfere with the operation of pumping stations, and cause problems with treatment at the water reclamation facilities. Nationally, grease is the #1 cause of dry weather sewer overflows, causing both environmental and property damage. Additionally, as the central area of the City of Elgin still utilizes combined sewers, grease discharged to the sewer that isn’t trapped in a separator can go out directly to the Fox River during storms. FRWRD requires, by ordinance, that food service establishments install and maintain 1,000 gallon, outside grease separators. In some limited situations, a smaller volume grease separator is approved. Applicable information related to grease separator requirements are found below:
IEPA Permits
Developments that will generate more than 1,500 gallons per day of additional flow to the sewer system OR include construction of public sewer will require an Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) permit. All IEPA permits within the FRWRD service area require signature by the FRWRD Executive Director that the District has the capacity to treat the discharges. This also applies for projects within the Poplar Creek Service Area of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRDGC). Signature on IEPA permit applications are approved by the Board of Local Improvements at a regularly scheduled board meeting prior to signature. Engineers working on IEPA permit applications should contact the Engineering Department to discuss FRWRD requirements in reviewing the project, reviewing the permit application information, and schedule for approval at a board meeting.
FRWRD standards for sewer construction can be found on the Engineering Standards page of the website.