Answers to frequently asked questions about stormwater

General information on stormwater and charging

All appendices are in Finnish.

What is stormwater and why are you charged for it?

Stormwater is rainwater or meltwater run-off from the ground, roofs and other similar surfaces in built-up areas.
Drainage water from the foundations of buildings, known as drainage water, is also stormwater.

A stormwater fee is charged to residents to allow for the controlled management of stormwater. It covers the cost of managing stormwater run-off from public areas such as streets, parks and properties. These costs are incurred, for example, for the construction and maintenance of stormwater drainage networks, ditch networks and various types of drainage structures.

All properties in the affected area will benefit from the stormwater system.

Who is responsible for the maintenance of the stormwater system in public areas?

Responsibilities are shared between the municipality and the owner or occupier of the property, as laid down in the Act on the maintenance and cleaning of streets and certain public areas 1978/669.

The property owner or occupier has an obligation to keep the property clean, which means removing leaves, soil and debris from the covers of stormwater drains and removing blockage-prone material from gully openings.

The property owner or occupier also has a winter maintenance obligation, which means keeping the gutter, rain gutter, ditch pumps and storm drain covers adjacent to the pavement free of snow and ice. Maintenance and upkeep of site access and keeping ditch drains open.

For more information on the division of responsibilities, see the Municipal Maintenance page.

Other responsibilities for the structural performance and maintenance of the stormwater system rest with the municipality.

What is the stormwater charge and what is it based on?

The legislation on stormwater management has changed in connection with the reform of the Regional Planning Act and the Water Management Act in 2014. Stormwater is no longer part of water management.

Stormwater management was transferred in its entirety to the Land Use Act, which defines new tasks for the municipality. Responsibility for organising stormwater management in urban development areas was transferred to the municipality.

The Siilinjärvi Municipal Council has decided on 9.12.2019 § 44 that the municipality will be responsible for the management of stormwater, including stormwater drains, in the area covered by the land use plan from 1.1.2020, and therefore the Land Use Act will be applied to stormwater matters.

At the same time, the council decided that the municipality will introduce a public-sector stormwater charge based on the weighted use and area of the property from 1 January 2020.

The Technical Committee has decided Tekltk 22.4.2025 § 35 on the criteria for the calculation of the Siilinjärvi municipality’s stormwater fee (stormwater fee) and the impact areas of the stormwater system.

Why has there been no stormwater charge in the past?

The investment and maintenance costs of stormwater drainage have previously been included in the costs of wastewater drainage in the Siilinjärvi municipality. The wastewater charges have also included stormwater costs.

With the new water company(Kuopion Vesi Oy), the management of clean water and wastewater will be transferred to the water company and the management of stormwater will remain with the municipality.

Why am I being charged if I have not signed a contract for stormwater?

It is a public charge, the collection of which is not based on a contract but on legislation. The municipality is responsible for the management of stormwater, including drainage, by means of decisions taken by the Regional Planning Act, the municipal council and the technical committee.

The charge applies to all properties within the area affected by the stormwater system and is not subject to an agreement.

What is the stormwater levy used for?

The stormwater levy is used for the design, construction and maintenance of stormwater systems. It is not used for any other purpose. In addition to stormwater drains, the stormwater system includes ditches and wetlands in the built-up area.

A stormwater fee is collected to cover the cost of the stormwater system. The cost to the municipality of designing, operating, maintaining and constructing the stormwater system is estimated to be around €350 000 per year (excluding the effect of reduction factors). In the past, the costs of the stormwater system have been included in, among other things, wastewater charges.

How is the stormwater fee charged?

The stormwater fee is charged once a year.

The stormwater charge is levied on the owner or occupier of a property who owns or leases a plot of land from the municipality or is registered as a resident in the area affected by the stormwater system at the time the billing data is collected.

The areas affected by the stormwater system are the areas under urban development. Stormwater billing is based on register data collected approximately one month before billing.

Why did only one of the property owners receive a bill?

Only one property owner will be sent an invoice. In the case of a property/plot rented from the municipality of Siilinjärvi, the stormwater fee is charged to the receiving party of the invoice in the plot rental system.

In the case of the owner of the property, the payment is made to one of the parties in the following order:

• party surname in alphabetical order
• first name of the party in alphabetical order.

The stormwater charge for a property is borne jointly and severally by the property owner who controls the property at the time of billing.

The source data used for invoicing are the register of land registrars, the population register and, in the case of rentals in the municipality of Siilinjärvi, the land lease register.

The invoice is allocated to the owner of the property if the property is on the municipal land register. The municipality does not have comprehensive data on leases from other parties, so for these properties the invoice is issued to the registered owner of the property (title deed).

I own several properties. Why can’t I get the stormwater fees for all the properties I own on one bill?

For technical reasons, the fee is charged separately for each property.

How can I get a reduction in the stormwater fee?

The specific characteristics of the properties can be taken into account by means of a moderation factor.

The coefficient of tolerance is used to reduce the stormwater charge for an individual property. The stormwater fee is not automatically reduced, but the property must apply for a
a reduction in the stormwater fee from the authority specified in the bill. The criteria for the reduction, including the coefficients, are set out below:

Moderation

If a ditch or pipe of the municipal stormwater system runs through a property on which there is no such encumbrance, and if the drainage of stormwater through that property is necessary for the functioning of the municipal stormwater system, that property is entitled to a reduction in the stormwater fee at the discretion of the authority.
Multiplier 0 – 1.

The reduction may be granted for a limited or unlimited period. If circumstances change, the applicability of the coefficients will be reviewed, if necessary.

What should I do if there is an error in the stormwater fee? How do I send a reminder about my stormwater bill?

The owner or holder of the property (the person liable to pay) has the right to submit a written reminder of the public-law stormwater charge within 14 days of receipt of the invoice to the municipality’s Technical Services Department by e-mail to tekniset(at)siilinjarvi.fi or by delivery to the Technical Services Department of the municipality of Siilinjärvi (visiting address Oppipojantie 4) or by post to Siilinjärvi Municipality, Technical Services, P.O. Box 5, 71800 Siilinjärvi.

The official takes an official decision on the reminder, accompanied by a statement of appeal (the appeal is submitted to the Technical Board). A new invoice is sent to the debtor for the amended fee.

Do I have to pay the stormwater fee if there is an error?

The stormwater fee is a public charge and directly enforceable without a court decision or order.

Interest on overdue invoices is payable at the applicable rate plus the costs of sending a written reminder.

If a written reminder of the stormwater charge has been submitted, any recovery action will be stopped. An administrative decision will be taken on the reminder and a new corrected stormwater charge will be sent to the person liable.

Who is affected by the stormwater charge?

The stormwater charge is levied on all owners or occupiers of properties in the area affected by the stormwater system, even if there is no stormwater drainage system in the area or the property cannot be connected to an existing stormwater drainage system for some reason. Thus, properties which discharge stormwater into the municipal system or which, for example, may in certain circumstances discharge stormwater into the municipal system or are served by the municipal stormwater management of public areas are covered. Ditches, municipal streams and stormwater drums are also part of the stormwater system for the maintenance of which a charge is levied.

In Siilinjärvi, the following areas have been defined as affected by the stormwater system: the North Silinjärvi and South Silinjärvi.

As the zoning areas change, the boundaries of the stormwater impact area will also change accordingly. If necessary, the area of influence of the municipal stormwater system will be revised to correspond to the current zoned area. You can find the catchment areas of the stormwater system on the map service, where you can check whether your property is covered by a stormwater system.

Why pay a stormwater fee if you absorb stormwater on the plot and nothing goes outside the plot?

The rainwater does not just stay on the plot, but goes into the ditches or drains in the area, i.e. into the local authority-managed stormwater system. The stormwater charge covers the costs of these and the drainage of public areas such as streets and parks.

Why does the levy not apply in a rural area?

The municipality is mainly responsible for the management of stormwater in the area covered by the urban development plan. The municipality has no obligation to manage stormwater in a low density residential area, i.e. outside a zoning plan.

However, the municipality may also take on the task of managing stormwater in areas of need outside the zoning areas, if this is justified for reasons such as housing density, groundwater protection or other similar reasons.

Why did we get a bill when there is no stormwater drainage in the area?

The levy mainly covers the maintenance and construction of a stormwater system serving the zoning area. The allocation of the levy is not affected by whether the area is managed by drainage or open ditches.

Why do I have to pay a stormwater fee when I have had my property renovated, drainage and stormwater drainage installed and no water from the property goes to the sewer?

According to the Water Management Act, stormwater must not be discharged into a sewer. Stormwater runoff from a property that is discharged into a stormwater drain is discharged into the municipality’s stormwater system, for which a stormwater fee is collected to cover the costs of maintenance.

The stormwater charge is a charge set by the municipality, based on the Land Use Act. The charge applies to all properties in the area affected by the stormwater system, regardless of whether the stormwater is discharged into a watercourse, through soil absorption, a ditch or a stormwater drain.

I have been exempted from connection to the stormwater network for my property under the Water Management Act. How will this exemption be taken into account in my future stormwater fee?

Stormwater management was transferred from the Water Management Act to the Land Use Act in 2014. The previous exemption from connection to a stormwater system under the Water Management Act does not automatically remove or reduce the stormwater fee.

The property can apply for a reduction in the stormwater fee from the authority specified in the bill. The reduction may be granted for a fixed or indefinite period.

Questions relating to property and buildings

What is real estate?

A property is an independent unit of ownership of land and/or water, registered in the land register, which includes, in principle, the buildings and fixed installations located on it. Real estate means a space, a plot of land or a right to real estate or part of it, i.e. a leased area, assigned by a lease.

What is the area of influence of the stormwater system? Is my property or house in the catchment area of a stormwater system?

In Siilinjärvi, the following areas have been defined as areas affected by the stormwater system(Tekltk 22.4.2025 § 35):
North Silinjärvi and South Silinjärvi.

As the zoning areas change, the boundaries of the stormwater impact area will also change accordingly. If necessary, the area of influence of the municipal stormwater system will be revised to correspond to the current zoned area.

What is the area of my property?

The area of the property can be found on the property tax bill or the rental bill for the property. The area of the property is the area of the land, not the area of the buildings on the property.

The area of the property is not necessarily the same as the area of the management unit on which the fee is based. In the case of a separate leasehold or cadastral parcel, the area of the management unit (area) on which the stormwater fee is based is only the area of the zoned block.

Will there be a stormwater charge for undeveloped properties?

The stormwater fee applies to all properties/plots within the area affected by the stormwater system. Including undeveloped ones.

Why is the use of the building wrong?

The stormwater fee is based on the weighted use of the buildings on the property.

Sometimes the intended use of a building does not correspond to reality. There may also be several buildings on a property with different uses, e.g. a small workshop in addition to a detached house on the same property, etc. Errors reported in writing (e.g. a reminder) about the use of the building will be corrected and the final bill will be based on the actual use.

In principle, the stormwater charge is determined according to the main use of the buildings. Buildings with different uses may be located on the same property, so the weighted use of the buildings will vary.

The weighted use of a property is determined by the ratio of the floor area of buildings in the use category to the floor area of all buildings.

There are four categories of use: 1) detached and leisure buildings, 2) semi-detached houses, 3) terraced houses, blocks of flats and 4) commercial, office or industrial buildings, etc.

If the majority of the floor area of the property is residential, the use category is specified in the following order:

• the use is defined as a residential apartment building if there is only one residential apartment building on the property
• the use is defined as a detached house if there are no residential blocks or terraced houses on the property, but there is one detached house
• the use is defined as a semi-detached house if there are no residential blocks or terraced houses on the property, but there is one semi-detached house

Is there a stormwater drain on my property? Is it possible to connect to the stormwater network in my area?

The locations of stormwater drains can be found on the municipal drainage map. The point of connection is determined by the boundary survey. A boundary survey can be ordered from the Technical Services Department of the Municipality of Siilinjärvi, Municipal Engineering Planning. Unfortunately, the line map is not available online.

What to do if you want to connect to a stormwater drain?

To connect to the municipal stormwater drainage system, the property owner must first contact an HVAC engineer, who will determine the property’s eligibility for connection to the stormwater drainage system and, if necessary, draw up HVAC plans for the property’s stormwater drainage.

The property’s stormwater system will be connected to the municipal stormwater system in accordance with the stormwater boundary statement. The boundary statement specifies the location of the point of connection (boundary point), the connection height and the height of the impoundment. The boundary statement is ordered from the Technical Services Department by e-mail kuntatekniikka.suunnittelu@siilinjarvi.fi.

The municipality builds the stormwater connections in the public area near the boundary of the plot, from which point onwards the property is responsible for the construction. Stormwater connections for properties will be built on the property in new areas when the streets are constructed.

If the property does not already have a stormwater connection on or near the property, order the construction of the plot connection from kuntatekniikka.suunnittelu(at)siilinjarvi.fi

Site connections are built on a first-come, first-served basis, and during the summer the queue can be very long. There is no separate contract for the drainage of the property’s stormwater to the municipal stormwater system, no separate connection fee and no separate charge for the construction of the stormwater drainage system. The property’s stormwater management structures may not be placed in the street or other public area without a permit. In the same context, it is also advisable to assess the need for the construction and renovation of the property’s water and sewerage pipes.

If there is no stormwater drain, where will the water from the plot be drained?

The discharge of stormwater from the property into the sewer is prohibited under the Water Management Act. The property must connect to the municipal stormwater system or apply for an exemption from the obligation to connect. In the application for exemption, the property must justify and describe how it will manage stormwater. Roof water and drainage water from buildings on the site can be discharged into a ditch, for example at the boundary of the property or in a park. However, this requires the consent of the landowner/holder.