Animal Feeding Operation (AFO) Categories and Fees
This guidance document is advisory in nature but is binding on an agency until amended by such agency. A guidance document does not include internal procedural documents that only affect the internal operations of the agency and does not impose additional requirements or penalties on regulated parties or include confidential information or rules and regulations made in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act. If you believe that this guidance document imposes additional requirements or penalties on regulated parties, you may request a review of the document.

Form #: 05-006 Guidance Documents Revised: 4/8/22


AFO and CAFO Categories

Under the Livestock Waste Management Act and the Title 130 - Livestock Waste Control Regulations, animal feeding operations (AFO) are classified as small, medium or large, according the number of animals in any of the species confined.

The table below lists the AFO sizes by species.


Species
Large AFO
(No. of head)
Medium AFO
(No. of head)
Small AFO
...
Cattle/Veal Calves
...
1,000
300 - 999
Small AFOs are those operations with less than the number of animals at a Medium AFO
...
Dairy Cows (mature)
...
700
200 - 699
...
Swine ≥55 lbs.
...
2,500
750 - 2,499
...
Swine < 55 lbs.
...
10,000
3,000 - 9,999
...
Sheep/Lambs
...
10,000
3,000 - 9,999
...
Chickens – Laying Hens, Broilers
With liquid manure system
...
30,000
9,000 - 29,999
...
Chickens – Laying Hens
No liquid manure system
...
82,000
25,000 - 81,999
...
Chickens – Other than layers
No liquid manure system
...
125,000
37,500 - 124,999
...
Turkeys
...
55,000
16,500 - 54,999
...
Horses
...
500
150 - 499


Fees – Livestock Waste Management Act provisions and Title 130 regulations allow the Department’s Livestock Waste Control Program to require animal feeding operations to pay any or all of four types of fees – inspection fees, late fees, application fees, and annual permit fees.

Inspection Fees – Anyone owning or operating an existing animal feeding operation (AFO) that had not been issued a permit or exempted by the Department must have requested an inspection prior to January 1, 2000. Title 130 regulations require the submission of a Request for Inspection form to the Department, and an inspection conducted before starting any construction or expansion at an AFO, unless previously exempted from inspection requirements.

Late Fees – The Livestock Waste Management Act requires a late fee to be assessed anyone owning or operating an AFO that has not submitted a WAT028-Form A - Request for Inspection of Animal Feeding Operation by the date required in the Livestock Waste Management Act.

The late fee will be assessed for each violation. Each month that the required Request for Inspection Form is not received constitutes a separate violation.

The table below lists the inspection fees and late fees by AFO category.

AFO Size
Inspection Fee
Late Fee
(per violation)
Large
$500
$500
Medium
$200
$ 50
Small
$100
$ 50

Application Fees – The owner or operator of any animal feeding operation required to obtain a Construction and Operating Permit or coverage under a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit must submit an application and an application fee of $200 for each new or modified permit requested. Any major modification requires a new application and an application fee. (For definition of “major modification” see Title 130, Chapter 1, 028.)

Annual Permit Fees – The owner or operator of any Large Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) holding a valid Construction Approval, State Operating Permit, or Construction and Operating Permit – or any operation with NPDES permit coverage – is required to pay an annual fee.

The fee is based on the AFO's permitted animal capacity as of December 31 of each year.

The fee is due on or before March 1 of each year. (For definition of a CAFO, see Title 130, Chapter 1.) The Department reviews the fee rates annually to determine if adjustments should be made.

The current annual fee rates are listed in the table below.

animal feeding operations (afo)
categories and annual permit fee rates
SPECIES
LARGE
MEDIUM
ANNUAL PERMIT
FEE RATE
...
Cattle/calves/ heifers
...
≥ 1,000
300 - 999
$0.05 per head
...
Dairy cows
...
≥ 700
200 - 699
$0.075 per head
...
Swine -- 55 lbs. or more
...
≥ 2,500
750 - 2,499
$2.00 per 100*
...
Swine – Weaned or Nursery Pigs
...
≥ 10,000
3,000 - 9,999
$0.50 per 100*
...
Chickens --
Laying Hens, Broilers: liquid manure system
...
≥ 30,000
9,000 - 29,999
$1.50 per 1,000*
...
Chickens – laying hens: dry manure system
...
≥ 82,000
25,000 - 81,999
$0.50 per 1,000*
...
Chickens – except laying hens: dry manure system
...
≥ 125,000
37,500 - 124,999
$0.50 per 1,000*
...
Turkeys
...
≥ 55,000
16,500 - 54,999
$1.00 per 1,000*
...
Horses
...
≥ 500
150 - 499
$0.10 per head
...
Sheep/Lambs
...
≥ 10,000
3,000 - 9,999
$0.50 per 100*
...
*NOTE: or any fraction of the unit of calculation
...




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Questions?

Contact:
Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy
Agriculture Section
P.O. Box 98922
Lincoln, NE 68509-8922


Visit our website: http://dee.ne.gov
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