Services and Rates
The Department of Utilities provides drinking water, stormwater and wastewater services to businesses and residents in the city of Sacramento.
Below are a list of services and rates.
Department of Utilities customer service
Financial assistance for City utility bills
Drinking water
Here are typical residential drinking water rates:
| Water | July 1, 2017 | July 1, 2018 | July 1, 2019 | July 1, 2020* | July 1, 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flat rate (6-9 rooms) | $55.33 | $60.86 | $66.95 | $66.95 | $66.95 |
| Metered rate (1-inch meter) | - | - | - | - | - |
| Service charge | $29.52 | $32.47 | $35.72 | $35.72 | $35.72 |
| Volumetric charge (per 100 cubic feet) | $1.2055 | $1.33 | $1.4587 | $1.4587 | $1.4587 |
*Rates for July 1, 2020 have not increased.
| Utility Service | July 1, 2015 | July 1, 2016 | July 1, 2017 | July 1, 2018 | July 1, 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water (unmetered) | $45.73 | +$4.57=$50.30 | +$5.03=$55.33 | +$5.53=$60.86 | +$6.09=66.95 |
| Wastewater | $22.42 | +$2.02=$24.44 | +$2.20=$26.24 | +$2.40=$29.03 | +$2.61=$31.65 |
| Combined Total | $68.15 | $74.74 | $81.97 | $89.89 | $98.60 |
| Overall Average Adjustment | - | 9.7% | 9.7% | 9.7% | 9.7% |
Water service termination
The City of Sacramento Department of Utilities has a "water service termination policy" for customers who are late in paying their water bill.
Under this policy, customers who are more than two months past due on their Utilities bill may be subject to their water being turned off.
Customers who become late in their payments or who cannot pay their current bill should contact the City of Sacramento Department of Utilities at 916-808-5454 to avoid being subject to the service termination policy or to see if they qualify for a payment arrangement.
Temporary water use
The City of Sacramento Department of Utilities recently started a new Temporary Water Use Policy.
This policy requires that people who wish to use City water on a temporary basis, such as for construction or for water trucks:
- Have a permit issued annually and any vehicles used to transport the water must be inspected annually.
- Pay a deposit and be issued a City water meter and backflow device.The deposit will be refunded upon return of the water meter and the backflow device and provided all monthly bills are paid.
- Be billed monthly for water usage.
Customers will be based on the City's metered water rate.
Water rate resources
View a complete list of water rates
View a complete list of metered water rates
View the complete temporary water use policy
Stormwater rates
To prevent flooding, all rain that falls in the city of Sacramento must be pumped away from homes and business into treatment facilities or local waterways.
The City of Sacramento Department of Utilities maintains a storm water system that helps protect homes and businesses from flooding, as well as local rivers and water sources from urban pollution.
City Utilities staff perform year-round maintenance on the system, which is up to 100 years old and is made up of levees, pipes, pumps and other infrastructure.
To pay for storm water system operations and capital improvements, the City uses several sources, including:
- Funding from rate payers
- Fees for specific utilities services
- Fees for impacts from new developments
- Grants and other special funds
Certain customers, including residential and non-residential properties, pay rates for stormwater services.
1996 Storm drainage residential rate
Here are the 1996 storm drainage rates:
| Number of Rooms | Rate |
|---|---|
| 1 – 3 rooms | $7.53 |
| 4 – 5 rooms | $9.58 |
| 6 – 7 rooms | $11.31 |
| 8 – 9 rooms | $13.38 |
| 10 – 15 rooms | $15.25 |
| 15 rooms, for each additional room | $1.19 |
1996 Storm drainage non-residential rate
- $0.001928 per square foot of gross surface area
- A minimum charge of $8.39 applies to non-residential accounts
2022 Storm drainage fee
Property owners starting July 1, 2022 will pay a new property-related fee in addition to the 1996 Storm Drainage Fee shown above.
The new fee helps pay for capital improvements to the City stormwater system.
Residential property types and monthly fees
Fees for residential properties are based on flat rates per type and size, paid monthly.
| Property type | Monthly fee |
|---|---|
| Single-Family #1 (parcel gross area less than 1/10 acre): | $3.13 |
| Single-Family #2 (parcel Gross Area equal to and greater than 1/10 acre & less than 1/4 acre) | $5.94 |
| Single-Family #3 (parcel Gross Area equal to and greater than 1/4 acre) | $10.78 |
| Multi-Family #1 (High Density 50 Units per Acre) | $0.67 per unit |
| Multi-Family #2 (Medium Density 11-50 Units per Acre) | $2.41 per unit |
| Multi-Family #3 (Low Density 1-10 Units per Acre) | $5.84 per unit |
Non-residential property types
Fees for non-residential properties are based on an impervious surface coefficient (ISC), paid monthly.
To calculate the fee for non-residential properties: $0.0016458333 per square foot multiplied by the ISC per property type.
Example: commercial building on a 20,000 gross square foot parcel: ($0.0016458333 X 20,000 X 0.86) = $28.31 monthly
| Property type | ISC index |
|---|---|
| Agriculture | 0.04 |
| Public & Utilities | 0.44 |
| Industrial/Retail/Commercial | 0.86 |
| Office/Recreational/Church & Welfare/Personal Care & Health | 0.80 |
| Airport | 0.30 |
| Common Areas | 0.30 |
| Golf; Park; Cemetery; Miscellaneous; Vacant | 0.10 |
| Exempt | 0.00 |
Stormwater rate resources
View the complete 1996 storm drainage fee
View the complete 2022 storm drainage fee
Wastewater rates
The City of Sacramento provides wastewater service to more than 75,000 customers some parts of the city of Sacramento.
Areas within city limits, but not provided service by the City of Sacramento are provided service by Sacramento Area Sewer District.
The City of Sacramento wastewater system consists of combined sewer pipes -- which convey wastewater and storm drain runoff in a single pipe -- and separated sewer pipes that wastewater only.
The combined sewer system serves many of the older parts of Sacramento, while the separated sewer system serves the newer sections of the city.
The sewage collected in the wastewater system pipes travel through a series of pumps to a treatment plant in Elk Grove where it is treated and released back to local rivers.
The treatment process is performed by the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District and the City of Sacramento collects the charges for this service on the District’s behalf.
During heavy rain events, facilities run by the City of Sacramento may treat excess flows from the wastewater system and then release these waters back to the local rivers.
The City uses rate payer dollars, fees for services and development impact fees as well as grants and other special funds to pay for the wastewater operations and capital improvement program.
| Wastewater | July 1, 2017 | July 1, 2018 | July 1, 2019 | July 1, 2020* | July 1, 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential Flate Rate (6-7 rooms) | $26.64 | $29.03 | $31.65 | $31.65 | $31.65 |
| Metered Rate (1-inch meter) | - | - | - | - | - |
| Service Charge | $22.89 | $24.96 | $27.20 | $27.20 | $27.20 |
| Volumetric Charge (per 100 cubic feet) | $1.0902 | $1.883 | $1.2953 | $1.2953 | $1.2953 |
*Rates for July 1, 2020 have not increased.
Wastewater rate resources
View a complete list of wastewater rates
City Fee and Charge Database
A complete list of fees can be found using the City’s Fee and Charge Database search feature.
Choose the Department of Utilities in the “Department” drop down menu, and then select a fee category to review fees.