Municipal Department
City of Fort Collins – Fort Collins Utilities Water
Serving Fort Collins Utilities water service area in Fort Collins and portions of the surrounding service territory
Population served
Fort Collins Utilities supplies water to approximately 75% of residents and businesses inside Fort Collins; the city’s current water page reports more than 35,000 residential and commercial water accounts and about 80% of the city population in a recent utility planning summary.
State system code
FIPS 08
Billing frequency
Monthly, generally covering a service period of approximately 28–32 days. The bill identifies the service dates, previous and present meter readings, usage, and charges for water, wastewater, stormwater, and any other city utility services on the account.
Provider briefing
How this utility’s billing works
City of Fort Collins – Fort Collins Utilities Water operates as a municipal department serving Fort Collins Utilities water service area in Fort Collins and portions of the surrounding service territory. 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 Increasing block tiers for single-family and duplex residential accounts, with a seasonal flat volume rate for multifamily and separate commercial schedules. Effective January 1, 2026, a single-family account has a $23.10 monthly base charge and water volume charges of $3.574 per 1,000 gallons for the first 7,000 gallons, $4.109 for 7,001–13,000 gallons, and $4.726 above 13,000 gallons. A duplex has a $24.37 base and thresholds of 9,000 and 13,000 gallons. Multifamily water is seasonally priced, with a $17.43 account base plus $5.81 per additional unit and volume rates of $2.535 per 1,000 gallons November–April and $3.168 May–October. Stormwater is a separate fixed formula based on lot size and impervious-surface runoff factor.. Bills are generated monthly, generally covering a service period of approximately 28–32 days. the bill identifies the service dates, previous and present meter readings, usage, and charges for water, wastewater, stormwater, and any other city utility services on the account., and a typical residential cost reference is For 2026, the city’s published comparison gives a single-family water charge of $49.46 at 7,000 gallons per month. Using the published wastewater example of $38.24 at a 3,300-gallon winter-quarter average and the stormwater example of $25.97 for an 8,000-square-foot lot with light runoff, the combined water/wastewater/stormwater portion is approximately $113.67 before electricity and other services. The water-only amount at 5,000 gallons is approximately $40.97 ($23.10 base plus 5 × $3.574), but actual totals vary with meter class, WQA, lot/runoff classification, and service mix.. 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
Residential wastewater usage is based on the winter quarter average (WQA), the average water billed during December, January, and February, because winter indoor use more closely represents water returning to the sewer. The 2026 single-family wastewater charge is a $23.30 monthly base plus $4.528 per 1,000 gallons of WQA, with a 3,000-gallon minimum. Duplex rates are $27.13 base plus $4.074 per 1,000 gallons with a 4,000-gallon minimum; a new account without a WQA uses the published rate-class average of 4,000 gallons for single-family or 6,200 for duplex. The WQA is calculated each April and applies through the following April.
Meter and infrastructure notes
Fort Collins completed an Advanced Meter Fort Collins deployment that upgraded most water meters and uses a remote read/communications system. The city maintains more than 35,000 water meters and provides MyWater usage history, monthly water reports, and continuous-consumption or leak alerts. Meter maintenance appointments typically take 20–40 minutes, with water off for about 15–20 minutes; Utilities maintains the meter, reading device, wiring, and accuracy testing. The public pages do not promise a specific hourly transmission cadence for every meter, so customers should treat MyWater’s displayed data and alert settings as the current operational record rather than assume every device reports hourly.
Emergency water support
Report a leak or water emergency
970-221-6700, available 24 hours a day for water, stormwater, and wastewater problems including water-main breaks, water-quality concerns, pressure issues, and sewer emergencies. General account payment and balance support is 970-212-2900; the emergency number is the appropriate route for an active break or burst.
Official starting point
Choose the right next step
Reading this profile
A practical reference for Fort Collins Utilities water service area in Fort Collins and portions of the surrounding service territory
City of Fort Collins – Fort Collins Utilities Water 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.