City of Columbus Department of Public Utilities – Division of Water and Sewer Services

Provider briefing

How this utility’s billing works

City of Columbus Department of Public Utilities – Division of Water and Sewer Services operates as a municipal department serving Columbus and 23 contracted Central Ohio communities. 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 Two-tier residential commodity structure with a meter-size service charge, separate sewer charge, stormwater charges in Columbus, and different rates for contracted communities. Rates effective January 1, 2026 increased water rates by approximately 18%, sewer rates by 8%, and Columbus stormwater rates by 2%; the City says the average family-of-four increase is about $10 per month. The full 2026 rate chart sets residential water/sewer commodity and service-charge amounts by CCF, meter size, billing frequency, city/contract community, and master-meter class. There is no published seasonal drought block in the residential rate description, but outdoor water not entering the sewer can be separately metered.. Bills are generated residential water and sewer bills are historically issued every three months. columbus began a monthly-billing pilot for selected residential accounts as advanced meters are installed, and the 2026 city code changes support a broader transition to monthly billing. a customer may therefore receive a quarterly bill or a monthly bill depending on account and meter status; the invoice's service period and rate class control., and a typical residential cost reference is The City reports that the January 1, 2026 changes raise an average family-of-four bill by approximately $10 per month, with the exact amount depending on usage, community, and billing schedule. For an inside-Columbus 5/8-inch account using about 5,000-7,000 gallons monthly, a practical planning estimate is roughly $95-$145 per month for water, sewer, and applicable Columbus stormwater charges, before unusual fees or contracted-community surcharges. Quarterly customers will see approximately three months of usage on one statement; monthly-pilot customers see smaller but more frequent bills.. 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

Columbus calculates sanitary sewer charges primarily from water consumption and assumes water delivered through the domestic meter enters the sewer. Customers using substantial outdoor irrigation, pool filling, or other water that does not enter the sanitary sewer can install and maintain an auxiliary sewer meter; that separately measured usage can reduce sewer charges. Sewer charges appear on the quarterly or monthly utility bill, while stormwater is a separate city charge where applicable. There is no ordinary winter-average residential formula described in the current Columbus customer pages.

Meter and infrastructure notes

Columbus is replacing approximately 300,000 aging water meters through its Enhanced Meter Project. Older accounts commonly use an indoor meter with an exterior remote register; the City's bill codes distinguish an actual indoor reading, remote reading, estimated reading, and electronic reading from a new meter. Newer meters communicate electronically and support the transition from quarterly to monthly billing, but deployment is still phased and not every premise has the same technology. Customers should compare inside and outside readings at least annually, report mismatches, and use the portal or 614-645-8276 to correct an estimated or inaccurate reading.