NJDEP| Contaminated Site Remediation & Redevelopment Program | Direct Billing (2024)

CSRR Fees and Oversight Costs

The Office of Direct Billing and Cost Recovery bills appropriate parties for the Contaminated Site Remediation & Redevelopment program’s various costs and fees associated with the remediation of contaminated sites. The office also provides support to the Bureau of Enforcement and Investigation and the Division of Law to recover monies spent by the Department on remedial activities. As of May 7, 2012, with limited exceptions, all remediations in the State of New Jersey, without regard to when the remediation was initiated, are to proceed under the supervision of a Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP). Cases proceeding under LSRP are subject to annual fees as found in ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE REMEDIATION OF CONTAMINATED SITES (ARRCS) rules at Subchapter 4 (N.J.A.C. 7:26C-4). These fees and others, as well as exceptions to the fees are more fully discussed in the Fees/Oversight Cost Guidance Document [pdf].

ATTENTION: HOMEOWNERS AND OTHER UNREGULATED HEATING OIL TANK OWNERS

Unregulated heating oil tank (UHOT) owners are not required to pay the LSRP Annual Remediation Fees. UHOT owners are required to pay a document review fee when a remediation document is submitted to the Department. Further guidance on the UHOT program and applicable fees can be found at: Homeowner’s Guide to the Unregulated Heating Oil Tank Program (UHOT).

What Should You Know About the Department’s Annual Remediation Fee?

• The Annual Remediation Fee (ARF) is based on the number of Contaminated Areas of Concern (CAOC) and the type of environmental media impacted at the contaminated site.
• The ARF Form must be completed through the DEP online web portal. See the Annual Remediation Fee Reporting web-link and instructions on the NJDEP CSRR Forms page.
• For New Cases – The first ARF Form and Fee are due when the first Preliminary Assessment, Site Investigation, or Remedial Phase document is submitted, or no later than 45 days after the retention of the LSRP, whichever occurs earlier. Subsequent ARFs will be billed annually thereafter.
• Existing Cases that were converted to the LSRP program by the Department on May 7, 2012 are the only cases subject to a prorated fee schedule. The first ARF was due on June 20, 2012; the second and subsequent ARFs are due per the schedule in Table 4-1 (click on Fees/Oversight Cost Guidance Document [pdf] to view Table 4-1). If the prorated fee was not paid by June 20, 2012, the Department will issue a bill for the prorated amount plus a full year’s billing amount.
• The ARF may vary from year to year depending on what is known about the number of CAOCs and environmental media impacted at the site. To request adjustment of your next ARF invoice, the LSRP must follow the procedure in N.J.A.C. 7:26C – 4.3(d) and (e) and submit a new ARF form at least 90 days prior to the next Billing Date.
• The ARF will continue to be billed yearly until a Remedial Action Outcome (RAO) document is received by the Department. Importantly, all fees and/or any past hourly oversight costs must be paid before the RAO can be issued. If a Remedial Action Permit is needed for the site, the permit must be issued before the RAO can be submitted.
• If a Remedial Action Permit is required, a Remedial Action Permit Fee will then apply and the Remedial Action Permit Fee will be billed annually.
• For cases that received a limited restricted use or restricted use No Further Action letter from the Department and have not yet applied for and received a remedial action permit, additional information is available at Post-No Further Action Compliance Notice for Cases Requiring a Remedial Action Permit.

For detailed information about the Annual Remediation Fee including exceptions, how to calculate it, the base Annual Remediation Fees for 2012 and determining the due date for the fee, click the following link to the Fee Guidance Document Section C. ANNUAL REMEDIATION FEE Fees/Oversight Cost Guidance Document [pdf].

PLEASE NOTE: The Department’s base fees may change annually. Any changes to the base fees will be published in the Department’s Annual Site Remediation Reform Act Program Fee Calculation Report. Information regarding the currently applicable annual remediation fees is available at Annual Site Remediation Reform Act Program Fee Calculation Report webpage.

What Should You Know About Hourly Oversight Cost Billing?

The Office of Direct Billing and Cost Recovery will continue hourly oversight cost billing for three specific types of cases:

1. Immediate Environmental Concern (IEC) / Vapor Concern (VC) Cases
2. Emergency Response Cases
3. Department Direct Oversight Cases

DEP employees will code their timesheets electronically for time spent on specific cases and the responsible parties will be billed directly for their salary costs. Salary costs will include a salary additive rate, a fringe benefit rate and an indirect rate as per the oversight cost formula found in Subchapter 4 of the ARRCS Rules.

Office of Direct Billing and Cost Recovery Contact Information

Mailing Address
NJ Dept. of Environmental Protection
ODBCR
Mail Code 401-06L
P.O. Box 420
Trenton, NJ 08625-0420
Office Phone Number: 609-633-1413
Manager: Alphonse Inserra