Utility Hub

It is a quick and easy way to pay your bill online. There are no fees for using this service. 

You will need your Utility account number along with your credit or debit card or bank account information. There’s no additional fee for using this online service.

Due to general maintenance, online payments may be unavailable between 1 to 1:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and 12:15 a.m. to 2:15 a.m. Sunday.

Keeping your information secure

You data is secured using industry standard methods to protect from any unauthorized access. All payment transactions are encrypted at each step. The City does not retain credit card or checking account numbers for payments made through the Internet nor the Automated Voice Response telephone system. Please close the browser page when you have completed making an online payment.

Pay by phone

Use the Automated Voice Service at 360-487-7999. Available 24 hours/7 days per week, except for brief, routine system maintenance. During regular office hours, please push “0” at any time to reach a customer service representative.

Pay in person

For your convenience, there are two locations for paying your bill in-person.

Utility Customer Services Office, 2323 General Anderson Rd. In-person service is available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday; and closed daily from noon to 1 p.m. Closed holidays. Full customer service, including billing and account assistance.

Vancouver City Hall, 415 W. Sixth St. Available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday. Except holidays. Payments only.

Pay using a drop box

There are two drop box locations. Please enclose bill payment stub with your check and leave sufficient time for payment to be received.

• 2323 General Anderson Rd., the drop box is located directly in front of building next to gate.
• 415 W. Sixth St., the drop box is in City Hall lobby and south side, behind City Hall.

Pay by mail

Enclose your bill payment stub with a check and mail to: City of Vancouver Utility Services, PO Box 35195, Seattle, WA 98124-5195. Please allow five business days for delivery.

Payment methods accepted

• Check
• Cash
• Debit card
• ACH Debit (Checking Account)
• Credit Card (American Express, Discover, Visa or Mastercard)

AutoPay

With AutoPay, customers can conveniently pay water, sewer and stormwater utility bills automatically using a checking, savings or credit card account.

Once you’ve signed up for AutoPay, your utility bill will be paid automatically on your bill due date using your designated credit card or bank account. You will continue to receive a regular utility bill showing usage and amount owed, so that you can always review your bill before it’s paid.

Sign up or log into AutoPay

Cancel AutoPay

• Log in to your online profile and click “Manage AutoPay”
• At the bottom of the screen, click “Cancel AutoPay”

Any payments already in the drafting process at the time of notice may not be terminated.

Change Card or Checking Account Information

Log in to your online profile and select “Manage AutoPay” or “My Wallet” to update your information.

Starting or stopping utility service is easy. You can either submit a request online or if you prefer to speak with a customer service representative at 360-487-7999.

To get started you will need gather and provide:

• Your name
• Address where the service should be started or stopped
• Date you would like service to start or stop
• Mailing address if different than the service address
• Your state-issued identification, such as a driver’s license or passport, if starting new service
• Your utility account number or, if starting a new service, your previous address

If you are starting service and do not own/are not purchasing the home where you are requesting utility service, please confirm with the landlord or property owner if they want you to pay directly for services. You can also use the handy link below to make updates regarding your address, phone, email and last name changes.

Utility rates are intended to keep pace with ongoing operational costs and fund ongoing, long-term repair, replacement and improvement of aging infrastructure.

Switch to eBilling and plant a tree

Eliminate extra paper in the mail. Enroll now in the Utility eBilling Program to receive e-mail notices when your bill is ready for view online. Just sign into your account and click on the eBilling option.

You must follow all the steps and confirm your email address for eBilling to take effect. If you are a Vancouver Utility customer already using eBilling or a customer who signs up for eBilling now, you may qualify for as much as $100 back on the cost of a newly planted tree when you participate in Treefund. Learn more at Urban Forestry’s Tree Fund.

Residents

Water Service: For most residential customers, water meters are read and bills are mailed bi-monthly. Water bills are based on your water usage, measured in cubic feet.

Sewer Service: Sewer charges for a single-family or multi-family residential customer is based on that customer’s water usage during the previous winter months of January through March. There is a minimum sewer base rate of 3 CCF per month or 6 CCF over two months since residential billing is every-other-month. (1 CCF = 100 cubic feet or 748 gallons).

Stormwater Drainage: Because all real property in the City contributes drainage runoff to and/or benefits from the City’s surface water drainage system, charges are applied based on the cost of providing drainage service within the City.

Tenants: If you are a renter, the property owner/landlord may be billed instead of you. You should confirm your specific arrangements with your landlord to avoid issues of late fees and service termination.

More information about Utility rates

Water, sewer and surface water (stormwater and drainage) are vital to our community’s quality of life and economic vitality. The City has an adopted Water, Sewer and Surface Water Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) that looks closely at the Utility’s capital infrastructure needs.

View a comparison of typical combined utility bill of a residential customer in Vancouver with other local and regional jurisdictions.

A utility tax is a tax levied on the gross operating revenues of a utility, whether it is a separate entity within the boundaries of a city or the city’s own utilities and service area.

Utility tax

This is a tax on the gross receipts of the Utility that is approved by City Council and shared with customers. Since 2020, the total city tax on gross water, stormwater and sewer utilities is 28.9 percent, which has been included in the monthly utilities charges, not itemized on your bill. Prior to 2016, the utility tax was 20 percent and went to the City’s general fund to pay for fire, police, streets and other core services. As of 2016, the tax was increased by 1.5 percent for maintaining and improving our street system. In 2017, a 3.4 percent tax increase went into effect to support Vancouver Police and in 2019, a utility tax increase of 2.4 percent was applied to support Vancouver Police staffing needs.

An Association of Washington Cities Utilities & Tax Survey reported that more than 213 cities have utility taxes, some as high as 40 percent and some as low as 1 percent. A full listing of current Utility rates, fees and regulations for all levels of service can be found in the City’s Municipal Code Title 14.

A tiered water rate billing system encourages conservation by rewarding customers who use less water. Single-family residential customers would be charged a lower rate in the lower tiers using this model.

Help to Others program – H20

Help to Others, or H2O, is a Utility program designed to help qualifying low-income residents in crisis situations pay for water and/or sewer. Funding is provided through contributions of concerned residents and businesses. If you would like to make a one-time or recurring donation, fill out this donation information.

Need help?

If you are a Utility customer facing financial hardships and need assistance with your utility bill, please call 360-487-7999 or email UtilitiesCS@cityofvancouver.us for help in making a payment plan or to see if you might qualify for the H2O program.

Eligibility guidelines:

• Total household annual income must meet the eligibility standards for the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
• The customer’s household must not be receiving subsidized housing assistance.
• The person applying for H2O assistance must reside in the home (service address) and be listed on the utility account.

Please contact Clark Public Utilities at 360-992-3000 to set up an appointment for assistance. When you bring your application in, you will also be asked to provide documents for verification, including:

• Photo identification
• Phone number
• Proof of residency
• Household income

Once eligibility has been approved by Clark Public Utilities, your request for H2O assistance will be emailed to our utility office.

Assistance limits:

• The maximum allowable grant for a qualifying customer is $400.00.
• A qualifying household may receive an H2O grant not more than once every 24 months.

Want to help?

Every dollar donated goes directly to helping people in our community, and your donation is tax deductible under IRS regulations. Please consider helping us provide these essential water and sewer services for those in need. Make a one-time donation or a recurring donation. Call 360-487-7999 or fill out the H2O line on your Utility bill when making a payment.

Low Income Senior Waiver for Sewer Minimum Rate

The City offers a waiver to the minimum sewer flow base rate for seniors who meet low-income and age requirement. To qualify for the low-income senior waiver to the minimum sewer flow rate, you will need to fill out the form and bring it to Vancouver’s Utilities Services, 2323 General Anderson Road. Do not include it in your utility bill.

When you bring your application in, you will also be asked to provide documents for verification, including:

• A valid driver’s license or other photo ID documentation verifying your age (first-time applicants only)
• A copy of your most recent Social Security statement and IRS tax return. If an income tax return was not filed, please provide two months of bank statements.

An approved Low Income Senior Waiver is effective for 12 months. It is the sole responsibility of customers with waivers to re-apply for successive 12-month periods of eligibility. Customers currently receiving the waiver will be sent a renewal application by mail each year in April. Those who don’t re-apply will be charged the minimum sewer flow rate or greater, depending on their winter water consumption.

If a qualifying low-income senior customer’s winter usage exceeds the minimum volume charge of 3 CCF per month, no reduction applies. The waiver is for qualifying applicants with volumes below the minimum only.

Download a waiver application or call Utility Services at 360-487-7999 to request an application be sent to you by mail.

Get green back when you switch to eBilling and plant a tree. Eliminate extra paper in the mail. Enroll now in the Utility eBilling (electronic bill statement) Program and receive e-mail notices when your bill is ready for view online. Here’s how: Just sign into your account and click on the eBilling option.

You must follow all the steps and confirm your email address for eBilling to take effect.

If you are a Vancouver Utility customer already using eBilling or a customer who signs up for eBilling now, you may qualify for as much as $100 back on the cost of a newly planted tree when you participate in Treefund. Visit Urban Forestry’s Treefund web page to learn more.

Water

Each water customer pays a monthly base charge and a volume charge, based on the amount of water used in a billing period. All volume charges are computed per hundred cubic feet or CCF. Vancouver’s typical single-family residential customer uses about 8 CCF. (1 CCF = 100 cubic feet or 748 gallons.)

Sanitary Sewer

Sewer service charges for residential customers are based upon that customer’s winter water usage during the previous winter months of January through March. There is a minimum base rate of 3 CCF per month, or 6 CCF over the two-month billing period. (1 CCF = 100 cubic feet or 748 gallons.)

For our sewer only customers who receive their water from either a well or another provider (Clark Public Utilities), please fill out this form and/or provide water consumption history from your water provider on an annual basis for consideration of a lower sewer rate. Renewals are due each year by the end of April.

Surface Water

All real property located in the contributes drainage runoff to and/or benefits from the City’s surface water (stormwater/drainage) system. Property owners pay monthly charges, which cover operations and maintenance of stormwater facilities and capital expenditures for surface water improvements. For single-family residences inside the City, this drainage charge appears on your regular water/sewer utility bill.

Concerned you may have a leak and not sure where to begin? Get helpful tips on identifying a leak and how to check your water meter.

We understand leaks happen. If you’ve repaired a leak on your property, you may qualify for a billing adjustment on your utility account. Fill out this form to start the process.

How do water, sewer and stormwater bills for the typical single-family residence within the City of Vancouver stack up against other areas around the region? Compare below.

This chart assumes a single-family residential usage of 8 ccf per month. Rates and tax data updated as of Jan. 2024. Your bill may vary, depending upon your usage, location and other factors. Please see Vancouver Municipal Code (VMC) 14.04 for rate details.

Footnotes:

a – Utility tax embedded in rates (applied to gross revenues of utility)
b – Utility tax added to bill
c – City of Spokane Valley – assume Vera Water customer
d – City of Ridgefield sewer utility tax includes operating fees
e – City of Everett sewer rate includes storm drainage rate, with separate surface water rate only charged to non-sewered customers
f – City of Tacoma – 8% Tacoma Gross Earnings Tax embedded in W/S/D rates, along with additional for water – 5.029% State Pub. Utility Tax, for Surface Water – 1.5% B&O, for wastewater – 1.898% B&O and 3.852% State Sewer Collection Tax
g – No utility tax
h – City of Gresham includes fire flow charge in water rate
i – Annual rate change occurs July 1st
j – City of Federal Way water and sewer utility tax includes a 3.8% franchise fee from Lakehaven Water and Sewer District respectively
k – City of Eugene includes watershed recovery fee in water rate, annual water rate change Feb. 1st, sewer and storm rates change July 1st
l – No updated information for 2024

If an individual or business wishes to use water temporarily from a public fire hydrant, they must apply for an authorized hydrant meter and permit. Otherwise, individuals and businesses may not connect to and take water from a public fire hydrant.

Commercial, industrial and government customers generally have more diverse requirements and usage patterns for water, sewer and storm or surface water management services. For questions specific to your account, please contact a Utilities Services customer representative at 360-487-7999.

Water: For most commercial customers, water meters are typically read, and bills are mailed monthly. There may be some exceptions.

Sewer: Commercial, industrial and government customers pay a monthly user charge per hundred cubic feet (CCF).

Stormwater Drainage/Surface Water Management: Accounts for multi-family residential, commercial and industrial real properties are based on impervious surface and are billed monthly or bimonthly, depending upon your utilities billing cycle. View a storymap that provides information about stormwater fees, how they are calculated and what services and programs they fund.

If you are a Vancouver Utility customer, you pay a utility tax on your water, sewer and stormwater utilities services. Revenues from utility taxes go to the City’s general fund to pay for fire, police, transportation and other core services.

Under state law, any town or city in Washington may impose a utility tax on revenues generated by the town or city’s own utility services, both inside and outside a city’s boundaries. Like Vancouver, many cities do. Several years ago, an Association of Washington Cities Utilities and Tax Survey reported that 213 cities had imposed utility taxes, some as high as 40 percent and some as low as 1 percent.

For 2023, Vancouver’s total city utility tax on gross water, stormwater and sewer utility revenues is 28.9 percent. This means for every dollar of revenue, 28.9 cents go to the general fund as a tax and 71.1 cents goes to the utility for operations, maintenance and capital work. These utility taxes are imposed upon the utility business itself, and not upon the individual utility customers.

Just as most natural gas, electric, and telephone utility companies in the state pass on these taxes to their customers, the utility taxes are included in the City of Vancouver’s water, sewer and stormwater utility, as well as solid waste. The utility tax, which is only one component of the total rate, is included in your monthly utilities charges, not itemized on your bill. Likewise, state excise and business and occupation (B&O) taxes are also included in your total monthly utilities charges.

The typical single-family residential customer within the City of Vancouver with a water usage of 8 ccf per month, will pay $100.68 per month for water, sewer and stormwater utility services. The monthly charge without the utility tax would be $71.58. (Note: 1 ccf = 100 cubic feet or 748 gallons.)

Your bill may vary, depending upon your usage, location, and other factors.