Effective September 1, 2006, the TCEQ no longer issues,
amends, or renews permits, registrations, certifications, or
licenses to an entity or person** who is delinquent on any
penalties or fees.
- We will not declare any application administratively
complete that is submitted by a person or entity who is
delinquent on a fee or penalty until the fee/penalty is paid, or if
on an approved installment plan, that payments under the plan are
current.
- We will withhold final action on an
application if we discover after the application is
considered administratively complete that the owner or entity who
submitted the application is delinquent on a fee or penalty until
the fee/penalty is paid and the account is current.
If delinquent fees/penalties are owed, we will give the
applicant 30 days or less to make payment according to the specific
program rules. If payment is not received in the established
timeframe, the application will not be processed and will not be
declared administratively complete (if in administrative review) or
will be voided or denied (if in technical review).
[**The decision to stop an application will be based on whether
there are delinquent fees or penalties associated with a person or
entity's Customer Number (CN), not just that particular regulated
entity. This also includes delinquent fees/penalties across media
— for example, a delinquent air fee would hold up the
processing of a water permit. To find a Customer Number, search the
central
registry.]
Additional Information
Questions? Billing for fees or penalties: 512-239-0300
Delinquent protocol followed by the TCEQ: 512-239-2104
Or e-mail
delin@tceq.state.tx.us
Finding Out What You Owe
How do I find out what I owe? Each month, the TCEQ mails invoices to entities that have a balance
due. Contact the TCEQ Financial Administration Division at 512-
239-0300 and ask to speak to a collection coordinator. Have your
account number(s) ready when you call.
How do I find out which facility that fee belongs
to? There are several ways. With the initial invoice, the TCEQ provides
a list of facilities associated with your account. You may also
check using the TCEQ’s
Central Registry
database. You may also contact the TCEQ Financial
Administration Division at 512-239-0300 and ask to speak to a
collection coordinator.
What do I do if the fee was incurred before I bought the
facility? Contact the TCEQ Financial Administration Division at 512-239-0300
and ask to speak to a collection coordinator. They will assist you
in reaching program area staff to evaluate liability for a
particular invoice.
Making a Payment
Can I pay on-line? Yes. You may access the TCEQ’s electronic payment portal
ePay. You may pay up
to $500 per transaction by credit card. Amounts in excess of
$500.00 must be paid by ACH (electronic check) using your
bank-account information. Please note that the TCEQ’s ePay
system accepts only full payment of a fee or penalty. Partial
payments are not accepted.
Where do I mail the check? If not paying by ePay, we encourage you to use the tear-off coupon
with your invoice and mail your check to P.O. Box 13089, Austin, TX
78711-3089. If you are paying without a coupon, regular U.S. mail
should be sent to P.O. Box 13088, Austin, TX 78711-3088. If you are
using a delivery service (such as Fedex or UPS), our physical
address for payment is Cashier’s Office, MC 214, 12100 Park
35 Circle, Austin, TX 78753.
How do I make sure that the payment made by check ends up
in the right account? To ensure that your payment is applied to the proper account,
please write your account number on your check. It is best to
enclose the coupon that is at the top of your invoice with your
payment, and mail your payment to the address on the reverse side
of the coupon. This type of payment is processed electronically. If
you are paying multiple accounts with one check, clearly identify
the accounts and amounts you are paying.
I received a letter that states I am to send payment
documentation to the TCEQ program holding my paperwork. What
documentation is acceptable? Payment documentation could include a canceled check. It could also
include a copy of the check or pertinent check information so that
the payor, check number, and amount are available for TCEQ staff to
locate on internal reports. It could also include a voucher number
from the ePay system or a screen print of the voucher page from
ePay.
I don’t have the money to pay. Can I set up a
payment plan? Payment plans are determined case by case. Contact the TCEQ
Financial Administration Division at 512-239-0300 and ask to speak
to a collection coordinator for assistance. Please note that your
past efforts to pay your fees and penalties to the TCEQ will be a
consideration. A substantial down payment will be required for any
payment plan agreement.
Billing Addresses
The bill went to the wrong address; do I still have to pay
the late fee? Maintaining proper address information with the TCEQ is the
customer’s responsibility. If a customer fulfills this
responsibility and the TCEQ errs in using an incorrect address,
late fees may be credited.
I have fees in several program areas. How do I change my
billing address with one phone call or one letter? How do they do
that? Statutory provisions and/or regulations require different methods
of notification of changes. Until further notice, customers must
contact each specific TCEQ program with billing address
corrections.
Information for Dry-Cleaners
I own an active dry-cleaning facility or drop station and I
have not paid all of my registration fees. Will this affect my
Application for Ranking? Yes, if you are not current with all dry-cleaning fees, fines,
penalties, and interest owed to the TCEQ for all of your facilities
and drop stations, you are not eligible for corrective action using
the fund until those fees are paid in full.
I am an eligible landowner applying to the Dry Cleaner
Remediation Program (DCRP), but the active dry-cleaning facility
for which I am applying is currently delinquent on registration
fees. Will my Application for Ranking still be accepted by the
TCEQ? Any application submitted by a person or entity who is delinquent
on a fee or penalty will not be declared administratively complete
until fees/penalties are paid or current. If the outstanding fees
are not paid within 30 days, the application will be returned to
the applicant unprocessed.
Although my site is currently delinquent with the TCEQ,
the DCRP has determined that all appropriate closure standards have
been met. When will I receive the “No Further Action
Letter” documenting completion of corrective
actions? The TCEQ will withhold final action on a site if we discover that
the owner or entity who submitted the application is delinquent on
fees or penalties until such time as the fees/penalties are paid or
current.