Utility Information
The City of Port Townsend takes pride in operating and maintaining its state of the art water and wastewater treatment facilities and complex stormwater drainage system. The City bills customers for water, wastewater, and storm drainage, and account services vary based on property location and meter size.
Overview:
- Water - Having a water meter essentially reserves the amount of water in our system that your meter is capable of carrying. Whether you use it or not, the City is required by state regulations to provide you with that capacity. Your total monthly water fee is comprised of two charges; the base rate and a usage fee. The base rate charge is for reservation of capacity and all premises, whether occupied or vacant, shall be charged a base rate, based on meter size, for reservation of capacity. The usage fee (consumption) reflects the amount of water you have used. The actual usage is rounded down to the nearest thousand gallons. Example: use of 3,268 gallons will be billed for 3,000 gallons. The balance of the 268 gallons is carried over to the following month.
- Wastewater - Most residential accounts have a flat rate usage charge while multi-family & commercial accounts have a base rate determined by meter size in addition to a usage charge. Wastewater charges have been established to pay for the service, extension, and management of the City’s sewer system which includes the operation of pumping, treatment, and disposal of solid waste.
- Stormwater - Charges are assessed on that area of your property designated as impervious surface. This means areas that are paved or otherwise do not let water pass through (i.e., your driveway and/or area covered by your house or other structures). City Ordinance allows for Stormwater charges even though you may not actually have storm drains on or near your property. The charges cover construction and maintenance of the entire city-wide system.
Special Message:
- Changes are forthcoming to your utility bill and the utility payment system. Watch out for alerts in your utility bill email or envelope.
- Starting in April, your Sewer, Stormwater & Utility Tax rates will change. Those changes will be reflected on the April 30, 2024 statement (arriving early May).
Current rates and more information can be found in Port Townsend Municipal Code Chapter 13.5, and are be posted below.
Visit the City of Port Townsend Utilities Map for location of meter boxes, water mains, sewer-service connection and more.