Mobile Area Water & Sewer System (MAWSS)
City of Mobile and surrounding portions of Mobile County, with wholesale and adjacent-system relationships in the greater Mobile area
Population reference
More than 100,000 customers across Mobile County, according to MAWSS’ official staff and system materials. The Board of Water and Sewer Commissioners of the City of Mobile operates MAWSS as an independent public agency created under Alabama law.
Billing detail
Broad public detail found
Official destination
Open provider website ↗Provider-specific findings
Billing and account research from public material
Provider-specific research notes are displayed separately from fields that contain only an unavailable-information marker. Read qualifiers in each note and verify current account terms with the provider.
- Billing frequency
- Monthly. MAWSS policy states that water meters are read and customers are billed monthly; the monthly bill includes water, sewer, surcharges, fees, taxes, and other applicable charges.
- Rate structure
- Uniform volumetric rate with a monthly minimum, meter-size capital-improvement fee, and administrative fee rather than residential usage tiers. Effective January 1, 2026, basic water consumption is $3.97 per 1,000 gallons through 2,000,000 gallons and $3.68 per 1,000 gallons above that. The 5/8–3/4-inch residential minimum is based on 2,500 gallons and is $9.93 for water before monthly fixed fees; the 2026 schedule also lists a $5.20 administrative fee and a $0.13 water capital-improvement fee for a 5/8–3/4-inch line.
- Residential cost reference
- Approximately $63.35 for a typical 5/8–3/4-inch account using 5,000 gallons in 2026: $5.20 administrative fee, $0.13 water capital fee, $19.85 water consumption at $3.97 per 1,000 gallons, and $51.70 sewer consumption at $10.34 per 1,000 gallons, subject to the schedule’s minimum-charge rules and any taxes or other account charges. The published 2,500-gallon minimum including fixed fees is $12.66 water and $30.58 sewer.
- Wastewater and sewer calculation
- MAWSS bills sewer from the same metered water consumption, at $10.34 per 1,000 gallons for the basic residential rate effective January 1, 2026, with a 5/8–3/4-inch 2,500-gallon minimum of $25.85 before monthly fixed fees. The account also receives a sewer capital-improvement fee based on meter size; the 5/8–3/4-inch sewer capital fee is $2.13, and decentralized systems are billed at 197% of the listed monthly charges. MAWSS does not use a winter-average formula in the reviewed rate schedule.
- Meter reading
- MAWSS provides a Smart Meter link to Sensus Analytics and an Advanced Metering Infrastructure resource, indicating an AMI/smart-meter program with online usage access. Official instructions state that meters are read monthly, customers can compare the register with the bill’s present reading, and MAWSS can dispatch a re-read; if the utility reading is accurate, the customer-facing re-read fee is $40. The reviewed pages do not state a universal hourly transmission interval or neighborhood-specific read calendar.
- New-account deposit
- A new residential account requires a minimum $100 security deposit, picture identification, Social Security number, and a $60 next-business-day-or-later service charge; fees are due within 10 days of the request. Commercial deposits vary by meter size or estimated consumption, with the schedule specifying two times estimated average monthly billing and minimums beginning at $225 for a 5/8-inch meter. The reviewed 2026 materials do not publish a credit-check waiver or deposit-return period.
- Activation or transfer fee
- $60 for next-business-day-or-later residential new service and $60 for a residential transfer service request. New service may take 24–48 hours, requires someone at the premises to sign a service ticket, and can incur another $60 charge if MAWSS must make an additional trip. A transfer requires the current account not be delinquent and may require a lease, deed, or proof of service from another utility.
Context, not a score
How documentation coverage compares
This profile
100%
overview fields with research notes
Alabama
35%
records with any overview detail
National index
50%
records with any overview detail
Coverage measures what this directory documented. It does not measure service quality, affordability, or regulatory compliance.
Research record
Broad public detail found
7 of 7 fields in this section contain provider-specific public detail in dataset August 1, 2026.
Documented
100%
Primary verification routes
- Mobile Area Water & Sewer System (MAWSS) public website ↗
Provider-controlled destination used to confirm current customer instructions.
- EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System ↗
Federal background on public water-system records and their limitations.