Public Water Authority
Highlands Ranch Water & Sanitation District (Highlands Ranch Water)
Serving Highlands Ranch, Solstice, and Northern Douglas County service area
Population served
Approximately 110,000 residents and approximately 47,000 residential and non-residential customers across Highlands Ranch, Solstice, and adjacent Northern Douglas County service areas. More than 94% of the District’s customers live in Highlands Ranch; the 2025 water-quality report identifies approximately 30,000 single-family homes, 7,200 multifamily homes, and 1,100 commercial customers.
State system code
FIPS 08
Billing frequency
Residential water availability, stormwater, streetlight, and infrastructure charges are generally billed bimonthly; wastewater is billed with the bimonthly water statement and uses wintertime water consumption above the residential threshold. The district’s rates page also identifies monthly infrastructure components that are collected through the bimonthly residential bill.
Provider briefing
How this utility’s billing works
Highlands Ranch Water & Sanitation District (Highlands Ranch Water) operates as a public water authority serving Highlands Ranch, Solstice, and Northern Douglas County service area. 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 Individualized water-budget tiers with seasonal rates and drought surcharges. Effective for billing periods beginning January 1, 2026, residential use at 0–100% of budget is $5.69 per 1,000 gallons; 101–120% is $7.66, 121–140% is $11.63 in summer or $7.66 in winter, and 141%+ is $17.59 in summer or $12.67 in winter. Stage 1 drought pricing is active in 2026 and raises excess-use tiers to $9.58/$14.54, with Stage 2 rates also published. A bimonthly residential water-availability fee is $42.56 and the monthly infrastructure-improvement fee is $9.75.. Bills are generated residential water availability, stormwater, streetlight, and infrastructure charges are generally billed bimonthly; wastewater is billed with the bimonthly water statement and uses wintertime water consumption above the residential threshold. the district’s rates page also identifies monthly infrastructure components that are collected through the bimonthly residential bill., and a typical residential cost reference is Highlands Ranch does not have one universal 5,000–7,000-gallon price because water budgets depend on household indoor allocation and irrigable landscape area. At 7,000 gallons within the 0–100% tier, the volumetric component is about $39.83, plus half of the $42.56 bimonthly availability fee, half of the $3.48 stormwater fee, half of the $6.70 streetlight fee, and $9.75 infrastructure fee monthly. Wastewater adds a $48.46 base plus $5.08 per 1,000 gallons of wintertime water above 3,000; an illustrative total therefore varies materially with the winter average and budget status.. 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
Residential wastewater is $48.46 base plus $5.08 per 1,000 gallons of wintertime water usage above 3,000 gallons, reevaluated each spring. New accounts start at the minimum until winter usage can establish the next billing period’s wastewater basis. A household-population adjustment can increase the indoor water budget by 3,000 gallons per additional permanent resident above three, but the district warns that the corresponding wastewater charge also increases.
Meter and infrastructure notes
The current Highlands Ranch Water pages describe individualized water budgets, bimonthly bills, household population adjustments, and InvoiceCloud usage/bill access but do not identify the meter manufacturer or exact AMR/AMI read schedule. Customers can view the current and future water budget on the bill and should contact the service department at (303) 791-2185 extension 3545 for address-specific meter questions.
Emergency water support
Report a leak or water emergency
For leaks or broken sprinklers on Highlands Ranch Metro District property, call (303) 791-2710 during regular operations or (303) 415-3003 outside regular hours. Water billing uses (303) 791-0361, and service/meter inquiries use (303) 791-2185 extension 3545.
Official starting point
Choose the right next step
Reading this profile
A practical reference for Highlands Ranch, Solstice, and Northern Douglas County service area
Highlands Ranch Water & Sanitation District (Highlands Ranch Water) is listed here as a public water authority. The profile separates account actions—such as paying a bill or requesting service—from explanatory material about rates, meters, wastewater, leaks, and delinquency.
Because utility rules can vary by account class, meter size, service address, billing date, and local ordinance, treat the published bill and current provider website as the final authority. Use this profile to locate the correct channel and prepare better questions for customer service.
If your issue is urgent, start with the provider’s emergency number or official payment route rather than waiting for an email response. Keep a written record of calls, confirmation numbers, notice dates, and documents you submit.