Municipal Department
City of Baltimore Department of Public Works – Bureau of Water and Wastewater
Serving Baltimore City and the Baltimore City Department of Public Works regional water-service area
Population served
1,600,000 people (EPA SDWIS PWS ID MD0300002; active community water system record; Baltimore DPW describes the broader system as serving more than 1.8 million customers across Baltimore City and surrounding counties)
State system code
FIPS 24
Billing frequency
Monthly for standard metered water and wastewater accounts. Baltimore’s current extended-bill materials describe the current month, monthly account-management fee, monthly bill, and meter-reading details; the City Code requires accessible meters to be read at least once each month.
Provider briefing
How this utility’s billing works
City of Baltimore Department of Public Works – Bureau of Water and Wastewater operates as a municipal department serving Baltimore City and the Baltimore City Department of Public Works regional water-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 Metered water and sewer volumetric rates plus fixed account-management, infrastructure, stormwater, and Bay Restoration charges. FY2026 rates effective July 1, 2025 include a $5.31 account-management fee per bill; for a 5/8-inch meter, $16.07 monthly water infrastructure and $15.15 monthly sewer infrastructure charges; water volume at $4.46 per CCF; sewer volume at $13.18 per CCF; stormwater charges by residential ERU tier; and a $5.00 Bay Restoration Fee. FY2027 rates effective July 1, 2026 rise to $5.79 account management, $17.52/$16.51 infrastructure, $4.86 water volume, $14.37 sewer volume, stormwater tier charges up to $15.25, and the same $5.00 Bay Restoration Fee. The rate package uses uniform volumetric consumption rates rather than increasing-use blocks.. Bills are generated monthly for standard metered water and wastewater accounts. baltimore’s current extended-bill materials describe the current month, monthly account-management fee, monthly bill, and meter-reading details; the city code requires accessible meters to be read at least once each month., and a typical residential cost reference is Approximately $155 per month for a 5/8-inch account using 6 CCF per month under FY2026 rates, before any assistance or arrears. Baltimore’s official rate sheet models a monthly FY2026 total of $154.82, consisting of $5.31 account management, $16.07 water infrastructure, $26.76 water volume, $15.15 sewer infrastructure, $79.08 sewer volume, $7.45 stormwater, and $5.00 Bay Restoration. A 5,000–7,000-gallon household typically falls near 6–9 CCF monthly, so actual combined bills can be higher or lower based on usage, meter size, stormwater ERU, and assistance 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
Baltimore bills sewer on a separate volumetric CCF charge plus a meter-size sewer infrastructure charge and adds stormwater and Bay Restoration components to the utility bill. FY2026’s common 5/8-inch example uses a $15.15 monthly sewer infrastructure charge and $13.18 per CCF sewer volume rate. The City Code requires an allowance for water not discharged to the sewer when wastewater flow is computed, but the public residential rate sheet does not state a universal winter-average formula. Water-for-All calculations use the household’s projected annual water and wastewater bill, including volumetric charges, account-management fees, and infrastructure charges, when setting the affordability discount.
Meter and infrastructure notes
Baltimore requires accessible meters to be actively read and accurately recorded at least monthly. The City’s self-service water portal and newer bill materials support electronic meter data, usage history, alerts, and account review; the City has used AMR/remote-reading equipment and has pursued higher-resolution water-use visibility. When a meter cannot be accessed, is defective, or produces an inconsistent reading, DPW may estimate usage and the customer should request a meter appointment. The current public pages do not claim that every Baltimore meter is a fully two-way AMI device, so the 2026 system should be treated as mixed AMR/AMI and field-read infrastructure.
Emergency water support
Report a leak or water emergency
410-396-5352 for Baltimore’s 24-hour emergency service, including water main breaks, leaks, flooding, or urgent water/sewer conditions. Routine water-billing customer service uses 410-396-5398, and the current bill postcard identifies the emergency number separately from weekday billing support.
Official starting point
Choose the right next step
Reading this profile
A practical reference for Baltimore City and the Baltimore City Department of Public Works regional water-service area
City of Baltimore Department of Public Works – Bureau of Water and Wastewater is listed here as a municipal department. 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.