Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA)
Wilmington, Wrightsville Beach, and much of New Hanover County
Population reference
Approximately 200,000 people served each day across the CFPUA community and more than 82,000 homes and businesses
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, generally every 27–35 days. The bill's due date is 25 days after the account is billed, and weekends, holidays, and severe weather can shift the actual schedule and posting date.
- Rate structure
- Monthly fixed base charge by meter size plus a uniform residential volumetric water charge per thousand gallons, with separate irrigation, fire-line, bulk, wholesale, and larger-meter schedules. FY2027 rates effective July 1, 2026 are $20.17 monthly for a 5/8-inch meter and $5.95 per 1,000 gallons for a single-family domestic meter. Separately metered irrigation is $8.92 per 1,000 gallons and is not assessed corresponding sewer consumption charges.
- Residential cost reference
- Using the FY2027 5/8-inch single-family schedule, 5,000 gallons is approximately $49.92 for water ($20.17 base plus $29.75 consumption) and $46.97 for sewer ($18.12 sewer base plus $28.85 consumption), for an indicative combined CFPUA water/sewer total of $96.89 before a $1 paper-bill fee, City of Wilmington stormwater or solid-waste charges, grinder-pump charges, or other fees. At 7,000 gallons, the same calculation is approximately $61.82 water plus $58.51 sewer, or $120.33 combined. Sewer consumption is capped at 15,000 gallons per monthly residential billing period.
- Wastewater and sewer calculation
- CFPUA sewer usage is based on the water meter reading and is billed monthly as a fixed sewer base plus $5.77 per 1,000 gallons under the FY2027 residential schedule. Single-family residential sewer consumption is capped at 15,000 gallons per monthly billing. A customer receiving sewer only is billed a $41.78 residential flat sewer charge based on the 5/8-inch sewer base plus assumed average residential consumption. Separately metered irrigation is excluded from corresponding sewer consumption, and CFPUA's leak policy can credit sewer charges when leaked water did not enter the system.
- Meter reading
- CFPUA staff reads water meters monthly and the bill displays the reading date, current reading, prior reading, and monthly consumption in thousands of gallons. Customers can view a five-month usage graph through the online account. The reviewed current FY2027 pages identify monthly staff meter reading but do not identify one universal AMI vendor, radio network, or hourly customer-data interval; individual meter technology may therefore vary by installation and service area.
- New-account deposit
- A $200 security deposit is normally required for a new CFPUA account, but it may be waived or lowered based on credit history or prior CFPUA account history. Under the deposit policy, bankruptcy or elevated-risk accounts can require a cash deposit equal to twice the average of the prior 12 bills, with a $200 minimum; repeated disconnection may require an additional deposit. Deposits earn no interest, are refunded when service is voluntarily discontinued after final charges are deducted, or can be applied on written request after 12 months of timely payment with no returned checks, subject to no active balance.
- Activation or transfer fee
- The FY2027 CFPUA fee schedule lists a $60 New Service Charge. Customers generally set up or transfer service through the online Customer Self-Service portal or at 235 Government Center Drive; the Authority states that new-service customers can complete setup in one to two business days. Water meter set, service connection, development, premise-visit, inspection, and special-use charges are separate from the ordinary $60 account-start charge.
Context, not a score
How documentation coverage compares
This profile
100%
overview fields with research notes
North Carolina
44%
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
- Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA) 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.