Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department (PBCWUD)
Unincorporated Palm Beach County, including eastern and western County service areas and Glades communities such as Belle Glade, Pahokee, and South Bay
Population reference
More than 645,000 residents across approximately 1,300 square miles; PBCWUD reports distributing more than 60 million gallons of drinking water per day.
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. PBCWUD's billing FAQ and current service materials describe monthly reading/billing cycles and a monthly base facility fee regardless of consumption.
- Rate structure
- FY2026 base facility fee plus increasing commodity blocks, indexed annually under Palm Beach County Ordinance 21-008. For a single-family 5/8-inch meter, the combined base facility fee is $39.22 ($14.09 potable water plus $25.13 wastewater). Potable commodity rates are $2.31 per 1,000 gallons for 0–4,000 gallons, $5.11 for 5,000–10,000, $9.06 for 11,000–25,000, and $10.45 above 25,000. Wastewater is $2.59 per 1,000 gallons through 10,000 gallons, with no additional wastewater commodity charge above 10,000 under the published residential schedule. Reclaimed-water customers use a separate base and commodity schedule.
- Residential cost reference
- At 5,000 gallons for a single-family 5/8-inch meter, the FY2026 schedule produces approximately $28.44 potable water ($14.09 base plus $9.24 first-block usage plus $5.11 second-block usage) and $38.08 wastewater ($25.13 base plus $12.95 usage), or about $66.52 per month before other account-specific fees.
- Wastewater and sewer calculation
- Wastewater uses its own $25.13 monthly base facility fee for a 5/8-inch single-family meter plus $2.59 per 1,000 gallons through the first 10,000 gallons. The published FY2026 residential schedule shows no additional wastewater commodity charge above 10,000 gallons; it does not describe a winter-average adjustment.
- Meter reading
- PBCWUD completed a system-wide AMI upgrade beginning in 2019. Digital AMI meters automatically transmit usage by radio to the utility, and the myAMI portal provides near-real-time usage reports, leak/high-use detection, and email/text usage alerts. Billing remains organized around monthly reading cycles; customers can review usage details and export reports from myAMI.
- New-account deposit
- Most new residential accounts require a $110 deposit paid before service begins, although the exact required deposit is based on meter size and the current schedule can require more for larger meters or special service. The deposit does not protect the account from nonpayment termination. It is credited to the account at closing or after 12 months if the customer has received no more than one past-due notice, maintained continuous service without a delinquent turnoff, and had no uncollectable payment. Two nonpayment disconnections or an uncollectable payment can trigger an additional deposit requirement.
- Activation or transfer fee
- Most new residential accounts require a $35 account-activation fee in advance in addition to the deposit. Residential customers can start, stop, or change service by calling (561) 740-4600 option 4, generally without a paper application, with government photo ID, service address, proof of residency, and checking/routing information available. The Department does not accept credit-card payment over the phone for new-account setup. Development or new-connection service initiation is a separate schedule involving connection, installation, franchise, and guaranteed-revenue fees.
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
- Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department (PBCWUD) 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.