Municipal Department
Athens-Clarke County Public Utilities Department Water Business Office
Serving Athens-Clarke County
Population served
125,000
State system code
FIPS 13
Billing frequency
Monthly billing; the County’s sample bill shows a monthly service period and monthly customer-service and meter-replacement fees.
Provider briefing
How this utility’s billing works
Athens-Clarke County Public Utilities Department Water Business Office operates as a municipal department serving Athens-Clarke County. 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 four-tier residential structure based on annual average (AA) use. For July 1, 2026-June 30, 2027, Tier 1 is AA use at $7.02 per 1,000 gallons, Tier 2 is up to 50% over AA at $8.79, Tier 3 is 51%-99% over AA at $10.54, and Tier 4 is more than 100% over AA at $17.58. The minimum AA is 3,000 gallons/month; new customers use a two-person, 50-gallons-per-person-per-day calculation until history is available.. Bills are generated monthly billing; the county’s sample bill shows a monthly service period and monthly customer-service and meter-replacement fees., and a typical residential cost reference is Approximately $93.11 for 5,000 gallons under the July 2026 residential schedule using the published 3,000-gallon minimum AA: about $39.52 water, $43.15 sewer, $4.95 water service, $4.95 sewer service, and $0.54 for a typical 5/8- or 3/4-inch meter replacement fee. The exact bill varies with the account’s AA and billing-cycle days.. 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 sewer is billed at 100% of water consumption at $8.63 per 1,000 gallons for July 2026-June 2027, plus a $4.95 monthly sewer customer-service fee. Water through a separate irrigation meter is not charged sewer; indoor and irrigation readings may be combined when calculating annual average water use.
Meter and infrastructure notes
The County bills from meter readings converted from cubic feet to gallons and provides customers with current and prior 12-month usage history. The reviewed 2026 pages do not identify a universal AMI/AMR transmission interval.
Emergency water support
Report a leak or water emergency
706-613-3481 for water/sewer emergencies after hours and weekends; weekday operational water/sewer contacts include 706-613-3495 during 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Official starting point
Choose the right next step
Reading this profile
A practical reference for Athens-Clarke County
Athens-Clarke County Public Utilities Department Water Business Office 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.