Pennsylvania-American Water Company
More than 400 Pennsylvania communities and assigned water/wastewater rate zones across the Commonwealth, including Pittsburgh, Scranton, Harrisburg, York, Reading-area, and suburban service territories
Population reference
More than 2.5 million people across Pennsylvania; company customer-rights material describes approximately 2.4 million Pennsylvanians, with 2026 company material reporting more than 2.5 million after acquisitions and system additions.
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 for the majority of customers and current Rate Zone 1 residential service, based on monthly meter readings. Certain acquired or assigned rate-zone systems can be monthly or bimonthly, and special wastewater or availability charges can follow separate schedules. Bills are based on the customer’s meter or sewage flow and the rate zone shown in the bill’s account messages.
- Rate structure
- PUC-regulated rate-zone pricing with a monthly meter-size service charge, uniform volumetric usage rates within most zones, and infrastructure or other approved surcharges such as DSIC. Current majority Rate Zone 1 residential rates effective August 7, 2024 are $18.80 per month for a 5/8- or 3/4-inch meter and $1.8772 per 100 gallons for the first 16,000 gallons and over that amount. Other water zones, recent acquisitions, exempt classes, and the approved August 13, 2026 rate change can differ; the company’s current rate page lists ten water zones and directs customers to the applicable tariff.
- Residential cost reference
- For the current majority Rate Zone 1 residential schedule, a 5/8-inch account using 5,000 gallons per month is approximately $18.80 fixed plus $93.86 usage, or $112.66 for base water. A 5,000-gallon month with the listed Rate Zone 1 metered wastewater charge is approximately $15.00 fixed plus $147.70 usage, or $162.70 wastewater, for an indicative combined total of about $275.36 before DSIC, local taxes, other surcharges, or service-area adjustments. At 7,000 gallons the same illustrative calculation is about $150.20 water plus $221.77 wastewater, or $371.97. These are benchmarks, not a universal statewide bill; the current 2026 approved rate increase and assigned zone control the actual amount.
- Wastewater and sewer calculation
- Pennsylvania American Water bills wastewater by water usage or measured sewage flow, with a monthly service charge per equivalent dwelling unit. The current majority Rate Zone 1 residential schedule is $15.00 per month plus $2.9539 per 100 gallons, while unmetered wastewater is $110 per EDU per month; other wastewater zones and recently acquired systems differ. The tariff generally treats water-meter consumption as the wastewater volume and may calculate unusual or industrial discharges separately. For an undetected, non-surfacing underground leak in a customer water service pipe, the wastewater tariff provides a one-time adjustment equal to 40% of the portion of one month’s consumption above the prior 12-month average after the customer verifies the leak was repaired, with no repeat adjustment at the premises for five years.
- Meter reading
- The majority of Pennsylvania American Water customers are billed from monthly readings, while some rate-zone schedules allow monthly or bimonthly readings. The company supplies and owns the meter, with the customer responsible for a safe, visible, accessible meter pit and protection from damage. If a bill has been estimated more than twice in a row, customers are instructed to call 800-565-7292 so a technician can inspect the meter technology; customers may also submit a reading. The company’s 2026 capital plan includes $37.2 million for meter technology, including installation of 3,162 new meters and replacement of 45,236 existing meters, but the reviewed Pennsylvania pages do not identify one statewide AMI vendor or hourly transmission interval.
- New-account deposit
- Pennsylvania rules permit a residential security deposit when the applicant cannot establish satisfactory credit, has a prior involuntary termination or unpaid utility balance, or fails the utility’s credit assessment. The deposit cannot exceed two months of estimated usage; a low-income customer must have the deposit waived with proof of income, and a third-party guarantor can substitute for cash. A deposit earns interest and must be refunded within 60 days after 12 consecutive months of timely payment or when the customer is no longer subject to deposit requirements. A reconnecting applicant may pay a required deposit in three installments of 50% immediately, 25% after 30 days, and 25% after 60 days; customers on assistance or domestic-violence protections may have additional waivers.
- Activation or transfer fee
- The current Pennsylvania water tariff’s miscellaneous-fee schedule charges $30 for Service Activation Fee (New Accounts). Ordinary account transfers are initiated through MyWater or customer service, while new taps, service lines, meters, extensions, and construction work can carry separate tariff or actual-cost charges. Fixed service charges are prorated when service begins or ends, and customers should notify the company before moving so a final meter reading and account transfer can be scheduled.
Context, not a score
How documentation coverage compares
This profile
100%
overview fields with research notes
Pennsylvania
37%
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
- Pennsylvania-American Water Company public website ↗
Provider-controlled destination used to confirm current customer instructions.
- dollarenergy.org reference ↗
Public URL preserved in the compiled record. Confirm its publisher, date, and applicability before relying on it.
- EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System ↗
Federal background on public water-system records and their limitations.