STORM WATER SERVICES
To prevent flooding, all rain that falls in the city of Sacramento must be pumped away from homes and business into treatment facilities or local waterways.
The City of Sacramento Department of Utilities maintains a storm water system that helps protect homes and businesses from flooding, as well as local rivers and water sources from urban pollution.
City Utilities staff perform year-round maintenance on the system, which is up to 100 years old and is made up of levees, pipes, pumps and other infrastructure.
To pay for storm water system operations and capital improvements, the City uses several sources, including:
- Funding from rate payers
- Fees for specific utilities services
- Fees for impacts from new developments
- Grants and other special funds
RATE ASSISTANCE
To help pay for utilities rates and fees, income-eligible customers can get a monthly credit on their water, sewer and garbage bill with the Sacramento Utilities Rate Assistance program. People can save more than $500 a year depending on their bill.
MONTHLY STORM DRAINAGE RATES
Certain customers, including residential and non-residential properties, pay rates for stormwater services.
1996 Storm Drainage Residential rate:
- 1 – 3 rooms: $7.53
- 4 – 5 rooms: $9.58
- 6 – 7 rooms: $11.31
- 8 – 9 rooms: $13.38
- 10 – 15 rooms: $15.25
- 15+ rooms, for each additional room: $1.19
1996 Storm Drainage Non-residential rate:
- $0.001928 per square foot of gross surface area
- A minimum charge of $8.39 applies to non-residential accounts
View the complete list of the 1996 Storm Drainage Fee.
2022 STORM DRAINage FEE
Property owners starting July 1, 2022 will pay a new property-related fee in addition to the 1996 Storm Drainage Fee shown above. The new fee helps pay for capital improvements to the City stormwater system.
Residential Property Types and Monthly Fees
Fees for residential properties are based on flat rates per type and size, paid monthly.
- Single-Family #1 (parcel gross area less than 1/10 acre): $3.13
- Single-Family #2 (parcel Gross Area equal to and greater than 1/10 acre & less than 1/4 acre): $5.94
- Single-Family #3 (parcel Gross Area equal to and greater than 1/4 acre): $10.78
- Multi-Family #1 (High Density 50+ Units per Acre): $0.67 per unit
- Multi-Family #2 (Medium Density 11-50 Units per Acre): $2.41 per unit
- Multi-Family #3 (Low Density 1-10 Units per Acre): $5.84 per unit
Non-Residential Property Types
Fees for non-residential properties are based on an impervious surface coefficient (ISC), paid monthly. To calculate the fee for non-residential properties: $0.0016458333 per square foot multiplied by the ISC per property type.
Example: commercial building on a 20,000 gross square foot parcel: ($0.0016458333 X 20,000 X 0.86) = $28.31 monthly
- Agriculture ISC: 0.04
- Public & Utilities ISC: 0.44
- Industrial/Retail/Commercial ISC: 0.86
- Office/Recreational/Church & Welfare/Personal Care & Health ISC: 0.80
- Airport ISC: 0.30
- Common Areas ISC: 0.30
- Golf; Park; Cemetery; Miscellaneous; Vacant ISC: 0.10
- Exempt ISC: 0.00
View the complete list of the 2022 Storm Drainage Fee.
CITY FEE DATABASE
A complete list of drinking water, wastewater and stormwater fees can be found using the City’s Fee and Charge Search. From the drop-down menu, select “Utilities” from the “Department” and then select a fee category.
Service Termination Policy
The City of Sacramento Department of Utilities has a "water service termination policy" for customers who are late in paying their water bill.
Under this policy, customers who are more than two months past due on their Utilities bill may be subject to their water being turned off.
Customers who become late in their payments or who cannot pay their current bill should contact the City of Sacramento Department of Utilities Billing at 916-808-5454 to avoid being subject to the service termination policy or to see if they qualify for a payment arrangement.