Municipal Department
City of Salem Public Works - Utility Billing
Serving Salem and surrounding City utility service area
Population served
199,820 people (EPA SDWIS active CWS PWS OR4100731)
State system code
FIPS 41
Billing frequency
Monthly; Salem's water volume, base, wastewater, stormwater, streetlight, franchise, and operations charges are presented as monthly account charges.
Provider briefing
How this utility’s billing works
City of Salem Public Works - Utility Billing operates as a municipal department serving Salem and surrounding City utility service area. 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 Monthly base fee by meter size plus a uniform single-family residential volume rate. Effective January 1, 2026 inside the City, the 5/8-3/4-inch base is $14.09 and the residential water volume rate is $3.30 per ccf, where one ccf equals 748 gallons. Additional wastewater, stormwater, streetlight, franchise, and operations charges are billed separately.. Bills are generated monthly; salem's water volume, base, wastewater, stormwater, streetlight, franchise, and operations charges are presented as monthly account charges., and a typical residential cost reference is For a 5/8-3/4-inch account using approximately 5,000 gallons (about 6.68 ccf), the 2026 water component is approximately $36.13 before wastewater and other charges ($14.09 base plus about $22.04 volume). Salem's residential wastewater base is $20.07 plus $4.47 per ccf of annualized wastewater volume, and the bill estimator should be used for the total.. 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
For most customers wastewater is not metered separately. Salem annually averages two to four measurable water readings from periods including November 1 and after, when irrigation and outdoor use are expected to be lower, and uses that wastewater volume every month even when current water consumption changes. New accounts use a prior same-classification Salem account or the City average; after two full billing cycles, customers with a City-average assignment may request a review and receive a retroactive credit if actual usage is lower.
Meter and infrastructure notes
Salem's rate documentation states that base fees support meter reading, maintenance, monitoring, and infrastructure, while wastewater calculations rely on two to four measurable readings including November 1 and after. The reviewed pages did not identify a universal AMI/AMR vendor or exact transmission interval.
Emergency water support
Report a leak or water emergency
A dedicated this detail was not publicly posted. The reviewed Salem utility-billing pages did not expose a dedicated 24/7 water-emergency telephone number. Customer Care is 503-588-6099 Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.; use the City's water/sewer emergency reporting channel for infrastructure emergencies.
Official starting point
Choose the right next step
Reading this profile
A practical reference for Salem and surrounding City utility service area
City of Salem Public Works - Utility Billing 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.