← Missouri utility index
Municipal DepartmentDataset 2026.08
City of St. Louis Water Division
City of St. Louis, Missouri
Population reference
Approximately 300,000 city residents plus businesses, institutions, industry, and wholesale customers supplied by the municipal Water Division; the system is designed to serve the City of St. Louis and surrounding wholesale connections.
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
- Quarterly. Most residential flat-rate accounts are assigned to one of three quarterly billing cycles with fixed bill and due dates. Metered water-refuse accounts are billed separately every quarter, with amounts varying by consumption and billing dates fluctuating slightly. Payment is due 15 days after the billing date.
- Rate structure
- The City uses two distinct residential structures: most legacy residential properties are flat-rate quarterly accounts priced by physical characteristics such as rooms, toilets, baths/showers, and lawn frontage, while metered accounts pay a quarterly readiness-to-serve charge plus CCF volume tiers. Rates effective July 1, 2026 include a 3/4-inch metered readiness charge of $48.63 per quarter and $3.09 per CCF for the first 250 CCF; flat-rate accounts also carry a $3.00 quarterly line-insurance charge, a $1.05 natural-resource charge, and a 4% gross-receipts tax passed directly to customers. Rates receive annual CPI-U inflation treatment when the preceding year's CPI-U is positive.
- Residential cost reference
- The Water Division's current rate-review comparison gives a representative 3/4-inch metered customer using 8 CCF per month a 2026 water total of approximately $43.97 per month including the readiness charge, $3.00 quarterly line insurance, $1.05 quarterly natural-resource charge, and 4% gross-receipts tax. A representative five-room, two-toilet, two-bath flat-rate home with 30 feet of frontage is shown at about $50.07 per month in the proposed 2026 comparison. These figures are water-only; Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District sewer charges and City refuse fees are separate and may materially increase the combined household bill.
- Wastewater and sewer calculation
- Water and sewer are separate bills because the City Water Division supplies water while the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District manages sewer collection and treatment. MSD uses the City's water-billing data to calculate its residential sewer charge; a customer on the Water Division flat rate is generally also placed on an MSD flat-rate basis, while a metered customer transitions to a volume-based sewer calculation. A property owner who converts from flat to metered water follows the Water Division meter-installation process, after which the Division transmits the meter data to MSD automatically. Customers should contact MSD for its current sewer rate, winter/average rules, and sewer leak treatment rather than assume the City water rate includes wastewater.
- Meter reading
- The City still bills most residential properties on a quarterly flat rate based on rooms, toilets, baths/showers, and lawn frontage rather than a usage reading. Metered accounts use physical water meters and quarterly consumption in CCF; the current public pages do not claim universal AMR/AMI or hourly customer data. New service connections and certain major rehabilitation projects are required to have an approved meter under Ordinance 72168, effective November 1, 2026, while existing connections are generally not affected unless a triggering project occurs. The Water Division owns and installs the meter after the property owner or plumber prepares the compliant meter pit; meter-reading frequency and any estimated-read procedure are account-specific.
- New-account deposit
- The Water Division's public start/restore page says fees vary by service type and does not publish one universal 2026 residential startup-deposit amount. If additional work is needed beyond the turn-on fee or applicable Service Line Insurance coverage, the owner is responsible. An application can be delayed when a prior balance remains at the address. Customers should call (314) 771-2255 to confirm whether the premise requires a deposit, proof of ownership/occupancy, meter installation, or other security before the account is activated.
- Activation or transfer fee
- The July 1, 2026 Water Division rate schedule lists a $50.00 turn-on for a new flat-rate or metered account, subject to annual CPI-U adjustment. Start or restore requests are submitted through the Water Division application page; if moving within the service area, the Division can arrange a new account while closing or transferring the old one. A transfer may require premise-specific inspection, connection work, or payment of a prior balance, so the customer should confirm the exact account-opening scope at (314) 771-2255 before scheduling.
Context, not a score
How documentation coverage compares
This profile
100%
overview fields with research notes
Missouri
40%
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 St. Louis Water Division 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.