City of Panama City Beach Utilities Department – Water, Wastewater and Reclaimed Water
Panama City Beach and the City utility franchise area from Lake Powell to West Bay, Hathaway Bridge, and the Gulf of Mexico
Population reference
Approximately 18,000 permanent residents, with a much larger seasonal and visitor population; the City utility department operates beyond the municipal limits under a broad franchise area.
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
- Bi-monthly on even months: February, April, June, August, October, and December. The February 2026 rate sheet states that the listed two-month minimums include up to 6,000 gallons per unit.
- Rate structure
- Bi-monthly minimum-plus-volume structure. Effective February 1, 2026, a 5/8- or 3/4-inch inside-city account has a $37.54 two-month water-only minimum, or a $87.42 water/sewer minimum including 0–6,000 gallons; outside-city minimums are $46.92 water-only and $109.28 water/sewer. Consumption above the included 6,000 gallons is charged per 1,000 gallons at $3.58 water inside city, $4.48 outside city, $3.70 sewer inside city, $4.63 outside city, and $0.95 reclaimed water inside city/$1.19 outside city.
- Residential cost reference
- For a 5/8- or 3/4-inch inside-city residential account using 6,000 gallons during the two-month cycle, the published minimum is $87.42 for water and sewer, or approximately $43.71 per month before any reclaimed-water, stormwater, or other account charges. A customer using 10,000 gallons in the two-month cycle would add about four excess thousand-gallon units at the published water and sewer rates.
- Wastewater and sewer calculation
- The two-month residential/apartment/condo sewer fee is $49.88 per unit inside city or $62.36 outside city, with a separate sewer availability flat rate of $24.84 or $31.06 per month and up to 6,000 gallons included in the listed minimum structure. Sewer overage is $3.70 per 1,000 gallons inside city or $4.63 outside city; reclaimed-water use is separately billed.
- Meter reading
- The City’s utilities budget and project materials identify automated water meter reading as an infrastructure program, while current customer documents refer to cycle and route numbers and ask customers to keep a private shutoff valve between the meter and dwelling. The public pages do not promise hourly AMI data; billing is issued on a bi-monthly even-month cycle.
- New-account deposit
- Every new service request requires a $150 deposit plus the account activation/reset fee before connection, even when the customer previously had service at another location. The deposit may be refunded or applied to the active account after three years of satisfactory payment history; if service ends first, it is applied to the final bill and any credit is mailed by check.
- Activation or transfer fee
- The one-time nonrefundable account activation fee is $50 for accounts inside City limits and $62.50 for accounts outside City limits. It applies even if service is cancelled before the start date. Start, transfer, name-change, and termination requests use the City’s online utility forms or Utility Billing office.
Context, not a score
How documentation coverage compares
This profile
100%
overview fields with research notes
Florida
60%
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
- City of Panama City Beach Utilities Department – Water, Wastewater and Reclaimed Water 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.