Utility Rates

Residential Water/Wastewater

(Effective January 1, 2026)

Water

Total water charges consist of your base rate and monthly consumption. Consumption is billed in 1000 gallon increments on a tiered billing structure.

Water Utility Frequently Asked Questions

Base/Minimum monthly water rate

3/4" Meter:

• Inside City Limits: $16.50
• Outside City Limits: $20.63

1" Meter:

• Inside City Limits: $27.50
• Outside City Limits: $34.38

Water Consumption Rate (per 1000 gallons)

Wastewater

Total sewer charges consist of your base rate and monthly consumption. We calculate a Winter Average using your water consumption billed during December, January, and February.

Your sewer charges are capped by the average of your water consumption billed during the winter months (traditionally the months with the lowest water usage). If no water is used during these months or you establish new service, winter usage defaults to 6000 gallons. If you use less than your average at any time, you'll be charged for the lesser amount.

Base/Minimum monthly wastewater rate

• Inside City Limits: $26.98
• Outside City Limits: $33.73

Wastewater Volumetric Use Rate

• Inside City Limits: $6.97 per 1000 gallons
• Outside City Limits: $8.71 per 1000 gallons

Non-Residential Water/Wastewater

(Effective January 1, 2026)

Water

Total water charges consist of your base rate and monthly consumption. Base rate is based on meter size. Consumption is billed in 1000 gallon increments on a tiered billing structure.

Small Commercial Base/Minimum monthly rate

If all meters are smaller than 2", the account will be billed at the small commercial base and monthly rate. Check your bill to see your Rate Class.

Small Commercial Volumetric Use Rate

• Inside City Limits: $3.87 per 1000 gallons
• Outside City Limits: $4.84 per 1000 gallons

Large Commercial Base/Minimum monthly rate

If an account has more than 3 meters and any are larger than 2", all meters will be billed at the large commercial rate. Check your bill to see your Rate Class.

Large Commercial Volumetric Use Rate

• Inside City Limits: $4.61 per 1000 gallons
• Outside City Limits: $5.76 per 1000 gallons

Wastewater

Wastewater charges are based on 100% of metered volume use times rate.

Small/Large Commercial Demand Rates

Small/Large Commercial Volumetric Rate

• Inside City Limits: $6.97 per 1000 gallons
• Outside City Limits: $8.71 per 1000 gallons

Irrigation Water

(Effective January 1, 2026)

Irrigation Base/Minimum monthly rate

Irrigation Volumetric Use Rate (per 1000 gallons)

Industrial Water

(Effective January 1, 2026)

Industrial Base/Minimum monthly rate
Accounts billed as Industrial will be charged the Industrial rate. Check your bill to see your Rate Class.

Industrial Volumetric Rate (per 1000 gallons)

• Inside City Limits: $4.43
• Outside City Limits: $5.54

Municipal Drainage Utility System

The Municipal Drainage Utility System (MDUS) has a value of over $750M, with some components exceeding 100 years of age. Thus, the drainage fee was created to address the inevitable effects of the aging system. The drainage fee is a dedicated charge that can only be used for activities related to stormwater. Such activities include maintenance, repair, and improvement of the storm drain system’s components (pipes, inlets, culverts, etc.) as well as street sweeping and litter cleanup to preserve water quality in local creeks and lakes. Additionally, the fee helps maintain compliance with state and federal stormwater mandates, including floodplain management.

City Council approved the drainage fee in November 2020; however, implementation was delayed until October 1, 2021. The fee appears on your monthly water bill. If your property does not receive a water bill from the City, a separate drainage account will be created regardless of occupancy.

Certain properties are exempt by State Law or City Ordinance, including:

• State-owned property
• County-owned property
• City-owned property
• Property owned by a public school district
• Property owned by public or private institutions of higher education
• Religious properties exempt under Section 11.20 of the Texas Tax Code
• Cemeteries closed to new burials and not accepting new interments
• Properties with private drainage systems that retain 100-year storm runoff without discharging to the public system
• Properties with less than 500 square feet of impervious cover

The drainage fee is based on the impact your property has on the City’s stormwater system. That impact is directly related to the amount of impervious surface, such as sidewalks, driveways, and rooftops, which generate runoff by preventing water from infiltrating the ground. The more impervious area a property has, the more it contributes to stormwater volume and flow. The City uses impervious area data from the McLennan County Appraisal District, city building permits, and aerial imagery to determine your property’s contribution. The most recent aerial imagery is from 2023, and updated imagery from February 2025 is currently being processed. Aerial imagery is typically updated every two years.

To view your property’s drainage assessment, visit the City of Waco Find My Drainage Fee Map. If you have concerns about your fee or believe your fee is incorrect, you may file an appeal using the official appeal form. Please note that while your appeal is under review, you are still required to pay the drainage fee.

Solid Waste

Administration Fee (at initial account set up only) $20.00

Residential Collection

The collection of solid waste generated from premises used for residential living including but not limited to single-family dwellings, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, apartment units, residential care facilities, and manufactured or mobile homes.

• Deposit for Residential Garbage Only Accounts $50.00
• Base Pickup $22.34/month
• Extra Container (garbage, recycle, yard up to 95 gal) $11.17/month
• Missed or Special Pickup for Carts $20.00/occurance
• Fee for Carts left at curb $20.00/occurance
• Fee for Overfilled or Waste out of cart $20.00/occurance
  (per Section 21-30(b))
• Fee for Unbagged Trash $20.00/occurance
  (per Section 21-30(c))
• Fee for Use of Non-City Provided Cart $20.00/occurance
  (per Section 21-30(b))

Animals

All animal service must be frozen, double bagged and placed in cart.

• Shelters/Veterinarians/Taxidermists $18.33/month
• Small Animal Services 35 lbs or less $45.00/service
• Medium Animal Services 36 lbs - 75 lbs $75.00/service
• Large Animal Services 75 lbs & over $150.00/service

Large Bulky Waste Service

Residential Customers can request one bulky waste pickup per month at no additional charge. Additional pickup services are scheduled after payment arrangement are made.

• Up to 7 cubic yards $50.00/service
• 8 - 15 cubic yards $90.00/service
• 16 - 30 cubic yards $165.00/service
• Multi-Family Residential Complex Office $40.00/service/complex

Multi-Family Residential Dwelling

• Multi-Family Residential Container Lock $5.00/month

Cobbs Recycling Center

Residential customers may dispose of up to 8 cubic yards 4x/year at no charge. Current water bill and photo ID required.

• Refrigerant Removal from Appliance $15.00/device
  (Residential Customer Only)
• Residential Tires w/o wheels max 4 per visit 15" or smaller $3.50/tire
• Residential Tires w/o wheels max 4 per visit 16" - 20" $6.00/tire
• E-Waste Recycling (Drop off only) No Charge
  Not Accepted: scrapped out electronics, smoke detectors, gas-powered equipment, or PCB/liquid fuel/radioactive devices.

Special Event Service

• Cart Service Fee (Cart and/or Dual Stream) $22.00/cart/service
• Recycle Cart Service Fee (Cart and/or Dual Stream) $11.00/cart/service
• Recycle Container Service Fee $116.00/container/service

Landfill Fees

Residential customers may dispose of up to 1 ton of municipal solid waste 4x/year at no charge. Current water bill and photo ID required.

• Municipal SW Tipping Fee $52.00/ton
  including Residential and Self Hauling Entities
• Minimum Tipping Fee $20.00/occurance
• Construction & Demolition Waste $75.00/ton
• Mobile Home Disposal (Less than 60 ft in length) $400.00/unit
• Mobile Home Disposal (60 ft or greater in length) $500.00/unit
• Residential Tires w/o wheels 15" or smaller $3.50/tire
• Residential Tires w/o wheels 16" - 20" $6.00/tire
• Appliances/White Goods $15.00/unit
• Special Waste - Dead Animal Services $45.00/ton/no-min
• Special Waste - Special Handling (meat products, etc.) $45.00/ton/no-min
• Unsecured Load (tarp or similar covering required) $20.00/occurance
• Weight Ticket $15.00/ticket

Transfer Station Fees

Residential customers may dispose of up to 1 ton of municipal solid waste 4x/year at no charge. Current water bill and photo ID required.

• Transfer Surcharge $20.00/ton add-on
  (per ton add-on in addition to applicable landfill tipping fees)
• Minimum Tipping Fee $20.00/occurance
• Residential Tires w/o wheels 15" or smaller $3.50/tire
• Residential Tires w/o wheels 16" - 20" $6.00/tire
• Appliances/White Goods $15.00/unit
• Special Waste - Dead Animal Services $45.00/ton/no-min
• Special Waste - Special Handling (meat products, etc.) $45.00/ton/no-min
• Unsecured Load (tarp or similar covering required) $20.00/occurance
• Weight Ticket $15.00/ticket

Street Maintenance Fee

The street maintenance fee is a dedicated charge, meaning it cannot be used for any purpose other than transportation system maintenance and improvement. This fee supports repairs and upgrades to Waco’s streets, bridges, and traffic signals. The City owns approximately 1,534 lane miles of streets (excluding the interstate and other TxDOT “on-system” roads), 72 bridges, and 180 traffic signals, making repairs and general maintenance to the system inevitable.

To address this imbalance, the City of Waco has enacted a Street Maintenance Fee, a proportional monthly user fee based on the demand that different land uses place on the street system. This fee is collected through the monthly utility bill.

The Street Maintenance Fee is designed to ensure that those who generate more traffic—and therefore more wear and tear on streets—contribute proportionally to their maintenance. The fee currently funds approximately 12% of the City’s total annual street maintenance expenses.

Certain properties are exempt from the fee, including:

• Property owned by the United States, the State of Texas, McLennan County, the City of Waco, or any Independent School District
• Property owned by religious organizations that is exempt from taxation
• Public or private institutions of higher education
• Undeveloped property held in its natural state
• Cemeteries that are closed to new interments and do not accept new burials
• Single-Family Detached or Single-Family Attached Housing with no registered motor vehicles, trailers, or recreational vehicles associated with the residence

An Exemption Form is available for qualifying properties.

The monthly fee for single-family residential properties is $4.00. On October 1, 2026 it will increase to $5.00

Fees for non-residential properties vary based on the property’s use and its estimated impact on the street system. 

• Frequently Asked Questions about Street Fees