City of Boulder Utilities – Water and Utility Billing

Provider briefing

How this utility’s billing works

City of Boulder Utilities – Water and Utility Billing operates as a municipal department serving City of Boulder and selected outside-city agreements and water-service areas. Customers should use the provider’s current account-specific bill and official customer-service instructions as the final authority for deadlines, balances, and service requests.

The published water-rate framework is described as Increasing block water-budget structure. Each account receives a monthly budget based on indoor and outdoor needs, past usage, property characteristics, and seasonal demand. For 2026, Block 1 is $5.65 per 1,000 gallons for 0–60% of budget, Block 2 is $7.53 for 61–100%, Block 3 is $15.06 for 101–150%, Block 4 is $22.58 for 151–200%, and Block 5 is $37.64 above 200%. A 3/4-inch inside-city meter has a $21.51 monthly service charge; outside-city service is $32.27. Only actual water used is billed, but the budget determines the applicable block price.. Bills are generated monthly. boulder bills water, wastewater, and flood/stormwater services each month. billing dates vary by neighborhood and meter-read timing, and the city states that all payments are due within ten days after the customer receives the utility bill., and a typical residential cost reference is For a typical 3/4-inch inside-city account, the published 2026 base water charge is $21.51 and the wastewater base is $17.20. If a 5,000-gallon month falls within the account’s first two water blocks and 5,000 gallons is below the property’s AWC, the water portion is approximately $49.76 if all use is conservatively modeled at Block 2 ($21.51 + 5 × $5.65/$7.53 mix); the wastewater portion is about $61.50 ($17.20 + 5 × $8.86), before stormwater. At 7,000 gallons, a simple all-Block-2 water estimate is $74.22 and wastewater is $79.22 if 7,000 gallons is below AWC, but actual costs depend on the water budget and winter cap. Boulder’s 2026 stormwater fee for a single-family parcel up to 15,000 square feet is $29.88, making a rough combined illustration near $141–$183 before other fees.. These descriptions are useful planning benchmarks; actual charges can change with meter size, usage, sewer averaging, local taxes, drought stages, or account-specific fees.

Wastewater and sewer calculation

Boulder wastewater has a 2026 inside-city quantity charge of $8.86 per 1,000 gallons plus a 3/4-inch service charge of $17.20. During the Average Winter Consumption calculation period, December through March, residential quantity charges use actual water use. During the remainder of the year, residential wastewater quantity is the lesser of actual water use and the most recent AWC. AWC is the average monthly water use shown on the most recent December–March bills. Water budgets do not control the wastewater calculation; the sewer calculation is separate and applies the lower-of-actual-or-AWC limit.

Meter and infrastructure notes

Boulder reads water meters once per month. Radio transmitters installed in or near the meter pits send the meter signal to city vehicles equipped with mobile data-collection systems as they drive past. The portal provides historical usage graphs, average daily cost, water-budget comparisons, and consumption alerts; customers can request one complimentary extra meter read every six months, with additional reads charged. Only authorized city personnel may open the meter pit, and customers must keep foliage, snow, ice, fencing, and other obstructions away from the radio path and meter access.