Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO)
New Orleans and Orleans Parish
Population reference
Approximately 370,000-390,000 New Orleans residents and local accounts, including water, sewerage, drainage-related operations, and sanitation billing collected for the City.
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. SWBNO's water quantity charge is calculated on the amount of water used each month, and the bill comparison/estimate pages describe monthly meter readings and monthly service charges, although operational meter-read gaps can create an estimated or combined actual-read bill.
- Rate structure
- Increasing-block monthly water quantity rates plus a meter-size Ready-to-Serve water charge, sewer Ready-to-Serve charge, Safe Drinking Water fee, sewer volume charge, sanitation, and applicable taxes. The current public rate table displays the January 2021 schedule still used on the official rates page: first 3,000 gallons $5.80/1,000 gallons, next 17,000 $9.87/1,000, next 980,000 $7.76/1,000, and over 1,000,000 $6.50/1,000. A 5/8-inch meter has an $8.69 monthly water service charge and $24.87 monthly sewer service charge on that table; customers should verify any approved current tariff change with SWBNO.
- Residential cost reference
- For a 5/8-inch account using 5,000-7,000 gallons monthly, the water quantity component is about $37-$57 under the published tier schedule, plus the $8.69 water Ready-to-Serve charge, $24.87 sewer Ready-to-Serve charge, sewer volume on 85% of water use, the $1 monthly Safe Drinking Water fee, 2.5% city sales tax on water charges, and any sanitation charges. The practical combined monthly bill varies substantially with sanitation units, meter size, and service status; the rate page's displayed tariff remains the controlling official estimate until SWBNO publishes a newer table.
- Wastewater and sewer calculation
- Residential sewer volume is based on 85% of metered water consumption, allowing 15% for lawn watering and other use that does not enter the sanitary sewer. Commercial and industrial quantity charges use 100% of metered water consumption. A separate sewer Ready-to-Serve charge is billed whenever a meter is installed, even if no water is used; the 5/8-inch table displays $24.87 monthly. Sanitation charges are collected for the City and multiplied by living units served by the meter. If an actual read follows an estimated read and crosses usage tiers, SWBNO spreads the units across the two bills and credits or charges the difference on the later bill.
- Meter reading
- SWBNO is installing smart meters and its new MyAccount system provides hourly water-use data, customized alerts, and early leak detection once a premise has a smart meter. The utility's older meters may under-record, and newer smart meters detect smaller flows, including leaks. SWBNO normally reads meters monthly; when a read cannot be obtained, it estimates using up to 10 prior readings, including at least two actual readings, and otherwise uses 170 gallons per day. The portal lets customers review consumption, billing history, and payment history, while actual-read bills following an estimate are reconciled across the two periods.
- New-account deposit
- SWBNO's current public rates page says deposits are returned when the account is closed and the full amount owed is satisfied, but it does not display a universal 2026 residential startup-deposit amount in the accessible customer text. Deposit requirements can depend on service type, account history, ownership/tenant documentation, or an unpaid prior account. Customers should confirm the exact deposit and proof-of-occupancy rules with SWBNO Customer Service at (504) 529-2837 before activation.
- Activation or transfer fee
- The current SWBNO public customer pages describe account opening, landlord/tenant account access, and new connections but do not publish a universal residential activation or name-transfer amount in the accessible 2026 payment material. Customers should contact the Customer Service Department at 625 Saint Joseph Street, Room 140, or (504) 529-2837 to confirm deposit, connection, inspection, and transfer charges for the specific premise.
Context, not a score
How documentation coverage compares
This profile
100%
overview fields with research notes
Louisiana
48%
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
- Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO) 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.