(A) With every application for an exempt facility certificate filed pursuant to section 5709.21 of the Revised Code, the applicant shall pay a fee equal to one-half of one per cent of the total exempt facility project cost, not to exceed two thousand dollars. If the director of environmental protection is required to provide the opinion for an application, the fee shall be credited to the non-Title V clean air fund created in section 3704.035 of the Revised Code for use in administering section 5709.211 of the Revised Code, unless the application is for an industrial water pollution control facility. In such a case, the fee shall be credited to the surface water protection fund created in section 6111.038 of the Revised Code for use in administering section 5709.211 of the Revised Code. If the director of development or director of natural resources is required to provide the opinion for an application, the fee for each exempt facility application shall be credited to the exempt facility inspection fund, which is hereby created in the state treasury, for appropriation to the development services agency or department of natural resources, as applicable, for use in administering section 5709.211 of the Revised Code.

An applicant is not entitled to any tax exemption under section 5709.25 of the Revised Code until the fee required by this section is paid. The fee required by this section is not refundable, and is due with the application for an exempt facility certificate even if an exempt facility certificate ultimately is not issued or is withdrawn. Any application submitted without payment of the fee shall be deemed incomplete until the fee is paid.

(B) The application fee imposed under division (A) of this section for a jointly owned facility shall be equal to one-half of one per cent of the total exempt facility project cost, not to exceed two thousand dollars for each facility that is the subject of the application.