Municipal Department
Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) – Water and Wastewater Services
Serving Seattle and nearby communities served by Seattle Public Utilities
Population served
Seattle Public Utilities' official water-system page says its regional supply provides safe drinking water to approximately 1.6 million people in Seattle and nearby communities. The retail utility also bills Seattle water, sewer, drainage, and solid-waste customers; the 1.6-million figure is the regional drinking-water population rather than a claim that every person receives an SPU retail bill.
State system code
FIPS 53
Billing frequency
Residential customers who choose paper bills are billed every other month (bi-monthly). Customers using electronic billing can manage the City account online and make recurring or one-time payments; the account's service period and due date on the bill control. Commercial and multi-unit account schedules can differ, so the individual invoice should be checked.
Provider briefing
How this utility’s billing works
Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) – Water and Wastewater Services operates as a municipal department serving Seattle and nearby communities served by Seattle Public Utilities. 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 Seasonal and increasing-block water commodity pricing with a monthly base meter charge. For 2026 inside Seattle, a 3/4-inch-or-smaller meter has a $21.35 monthly base charge; off-peak usage from September 16 through May 15 is $5.82 per CCF. Peak usage from May 16 through September 15 uses a 60-day tier: first 10 CCF at $5.98, next 26 CCF at $7.39, and over 36 CCF at $11.80. Water and sewer are billed separately within the combined utility statement, and drainage charges appear on the property-tax statement rather than on the SPU utility bill.. Bills are generated residential customers who choose paper bills are billed every other month (bi-monthly). customers using electronic billing can manage the city account online and make recurring or one-time payments; the account's service period and due date on the bill control. commercial and multi-unit account schedules can differ, so the individual invoice should be checked., and a typical residential cost reference is For an inside-Seattle 3/4-inch-or-smaller residential meter using 5,000-7,000 gallons in a representative month, a rough water-plus-sewer estimate is about $100-$150 per month before solid-waste, drainage/property-tax charges, taxes, or account-specific adjustments. The range reflects the $21.35 monthly water base charge, seasonal water commodity rates, and the separate sewer rate schedule; actual bills are commonly issued every other month and therefore may show approximately two months of charges at once.. 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
SPU sewer charges are calculated from metered water consumption under the current wastewater rate schedule; the public residential billing pages do not describe a winter-average sewer calculation for ordinary Seattle accounts. Drainage is a separate service and is charged on the property-tax statement rather than as a percentage of sewer or water intake. Water used outdoors or lost through a leak can still be metered and increase the water charge, while customers may request a leak adjustment or investigate a sewer-abatement-type issue through Utility Account Services.
Meter and infrastructure notes
SPU residential meters measure in cubic feet and are read for billing under a regular utility schedule; the public meter page describes the mechanical register and customer leak-check procedure rather than promising a universal hourly AMI feed. Paper residential bills are bi-monthly, and bills can be based on actual or estimated readings depending on access and operational conditions. Customers can monitor account usage through the City Utility Services Website and should call SPU if the bill shows an estimated reading or suspected leak. The reviewed official pages do not state one universal meter-read day for every address.
Emergency water support
Report a leak or water emergency
Call Seattle Public Utilities' 24-hour water, sewer, or drainage emergency line at (206) 386-1800 for a main break, active public leak, sewer backup, flooding, or other infrastructure emergency. Routine billing, leak-adjustment, and service questions go to (206) 684-3000; leak-adjustment requests specifically use Utility Account Services at (206) 684-5800.
Official starting point
Choose the right next step
Reading this profile
A practical reference for Seattle and nearby communities served by Seattle Public Utilities
Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) – Water and Wastewater Services 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.