Municipal Department
City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities - Water
Serving Richmond
Population served
233,655 people (EPA SDWIS active CWS PWS VA4760100)
State system code
FIPS 51
Billing frequency
Monthly; Richmond water and wastewater customers are billed monthly with a meter-size monthly service charge and volume charges.
Provider briefing
How this utility’s billing works
City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities - Water operates as a municipal department serving Richmond. 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 monthly two-tier water volume pricing plus meter-size base charge. Effective July 1, 2026 for single-family residential customers, the 5/8-inch water base is $18.90 and wastewater base is $24.56; water is $3.35 per CCF for 0-4 CCF and $7.09 above 4 CCF. Wastewater volume is $10.24 per CCF.. Bills are generated monthly; richmond water and wastewater customers are billed monthly with a meter-size monthly service charge and volume charges., and a typical residential cost reference is For a 5/8-inch account using 6 CCF, Richmond’s published example totals $132.48 for water and wastewater before other bill components; 5,000-7,000 gallons is approximately 6.7-9.4 CCF, so the exact total depends on the billed CCF and meter size.. 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
Richmond charges wastewater a monthly base plus $10.24 per CCF. From March-November, wastewater volume is based on whichever is less: actual current water use or the average monthly water usage billed during the preceding December-February period, reflecting irrigation that does not enter the sewer.
Meter and infrastructure notes
Richmond bills monthly and has been modernizing meter operations; the reviewed official pages did not identify a single AMI/AMR technology or universal reading interval for every account.
Emergency water support
Report a leak or water emergency
(804) 646-4646 for DPU customer service and leak-support routing; the reviewed pages did not verify a separate 24/7 water-emergency number.
Official starting point
Choose the right next step
Reading this profile
A practical reference for Richmond
City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities - Water 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.