Municipal Department
City of Hickory Public Utilities
Serving Hickory and designated portions of Conover, Newton, Sherrills Ford, Catawba, Caldwell County and Alexander County routes
Population served
71,393 people (EPA SDWIS queue estimate for NC0118010)
State system code
FIPS 37
Billing frequency
Monthly billing, with bill dates on the 7th, 14th, 21st or 28th of each month depending on the account route.
Provider briefing
How this utility’s billing works
City of Hickory Public Utilities operates as a municipal department serving Hickory and designated portions of Conover, Newton, Sherrills Ford, Catawba, Caldwell County and Alexander County routes. 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 fixed customer charge plus availability charge and increasing volumetric charges by 100 cubic feet; outside-city rates are generally double the inside-city rates. The City's July 2025-June 2026 utility template shows, for an inside-city 3/4-inch account, $5.23 customer charge, $13.35 availability charge and volume charges of $1.61 per 100 cubic feet for water and $3.16 per 100 cubic feet for sewer. Rates are subject to the 2026-2027 adopted schedule as posted by the city.. Bills are generated monthly billing, with bill dates on the 7th, 14th, 21st or 28th of each month depending on the account route., and a typical residential cost reference is The City's FY2025-26 utility template illustrates an inside-city 400-cubic-foot usage month (approximately 2,992 gallons) at $18.58 water subtotal and $17.93 sewer subtotal before the listed solid-waste charge, or $36.51 combined water and sewer. A 5,000-7,000 gallon monthly estimate is not separately published in the reviewed 2026 materials; actual total varies by inside/outside-city status, meter size, sewer service and solid waste.. 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
Hickory bills sewer through a customer charge, meter-size-based availability charge and volumetric sewer charge based on metered water consumption. The published FY2025-26 template shows a flat sewer-only alternative and no winter-average calculation. A customer not receiving sewer may be billed under the applicable sewer-only or water-only arrangement shown on the city's utility schedule.
Meter and infrastructure notes
Hickory has approximately 26,000 residential and commercial meters. Five meter readers cover Hickory and designated surrounding routes, aim for about 400 meters per day per reader, and record readings using handheld electronic devices. The city uses straight-reading odometer-style meters and older round-reading dial meters; it is also implementing an AMI Meter Replacement Project, but the reviewed sources do not establish that all current accounts have hourly transmitting AMI.
Emergency water support
Report a leak or water emergency
Public Utilities 24-hour dispatcher: (828) 328-5551. During normal hours, water leaks may be reported to Public Utilities at (828) 323-7427; the dispatcher handles after-hours assistance, and the city asks customers to describe the location and conditions so a crew can evaluate the main or service line.
Official starting point
Choose the right next step
Reading this profile
A practical reference for Hickory and designated portions of Conover, Newton, Sherrills Ford, Catawba, Caldwell County and Alexander County routes
City of Hickory Public Utilities 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.