Payment channels

Pay Santa Cruz Municipal Utilities (SCMU)

Use the provider’s verified online, telephone, mail, or counter instructions. Check the final confirmation screen for the amount, processing date, and any transaction fee before submitting.

Primary online route

Use the official payment portal

The direct portal is the fastest route when it is available. The provider identifies its payment gateway as MyCityofSantaCruz; the City says the replacement customer portal is under development and will launch in late 2026, with current payments remaining on MyCityofSantaCruz. Never enter account credentials into a lookalike site reached through an unsolicited message.

Open payment portal ↗

Telephone payment

Phone IVR

831-420-5220 for SCMU billing, new service and disconnect questions; the reviewed current payment pages do not publish a separate automated IVR number

Have your account number and payment instrument ready. Follow the provider’s recorded prompts and retain the confirmation number.

Alternative channels

Mail, text, and in-person payment instructions

Pay by text

MyCityofSantaCruz supports email or SMS/text notifications when a new bill is issued, but the City does not publish a text-to-pay keyword or SMS payment transaction workflow.

Mail-in address

A dedicated this detail was not publicly posted. The current City pay-online page instructs customers to contact SCMU for the most up-to-date mail/phone method and does not expose a dedicated SCMU lockbox address in the accessible text. Customers should call 831-420-5220 before mailing a check.

Counters, drop boxes, and office hours

SCMU Customer Service, 212 Locust Street, Suite D, Santa Cruz, CA 95060; lobby hours are Monday-Friday 1:00-3:00 p.m. Phone hours are Monday-Thursday 8:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 1:00-3:30 p.m., and Friday 8:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. The reviewed pages do not enumerate a drop box or complete desk-instrument list; the City says check/cash can avoid the card fee.

Accepted digital instruments

What you can use online

MyCityofSantaCruz supports recurring monthly debit/credit-card payments and online bill viewing; the City also provides paperless billing and email/SMS bill notifications. The current public page does not clearly enumerate ACH/e-check or wallet methods.

2026 transaction pricing

Convenience fees

3% credit-card service fee on all City payments made by credit card beginning July 1, 2025. The City says customers can avoid the fee by paying with check or cash; no separate e-check fee is identified.

Fees can vary by payment type, channel, account class, and processor terms. The checkout screen is the final fee disclosure.

Payment guidance

Choose the payment channel that fits your deadline

The safest payment path is the one published by Santa Cruz Municipal Utilities (SCMU) and matched to the account information on your bill. Online portals are convenient, but telephone, mail, counter, and drop-box options may follow different posting schedules and may use different fees.

For a routine payment, save the final confirmation page or IVR number and check when the transaction will post. For a same-day shut-off notice, do not assume that submitting a card payment automatically stops a field order; ask the provider what amount and confirmation are required.

Never send your account number, password, card details, or bank information to Water Ledger. Those details belong only on the provider’s verified payment channel or at an authorized counter.

Return to utility profile →Review shut-off rules →