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Understanding Your Utility Bill
Each month you will see a combination of charges for the items below.
Emailed Statements
If you would like your monthly bill emailed to you instead of mailed, please email us and provide your preferred email address along with your service address.
Water Rates & Charges
Water services are billed on a monthly basis for the prior month's service. Each account is charged a monthly service fee plus a usage fee for every 1,000 gallons of water consumed. Charges for water are based on usage recorded from monthly meter readings obtained by the city.
| Monthly Fixed Charge1 | Tier 1 Usage Charge (per 1,000 gallons)2,4 | Tier 2 Usage Charge (per 1,000 gallons)3,4 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | $7.25 | $7.40 | $9.15 |
| Commercial | $7.25 | $7.40 | -- |
| Multifamily | $7.25 | $7.40 | -- |
| 1 Monthly fixed charge based on meter size and increases for large meters. 2 Tier 1 for 1,000 to 20,000 gallons used. 3 Tier 2 for more than 20,000 gallons used. 4 Water usage charge increased $0.40 per 1,000 gallons effective Feb. 2023. | |||
Sewer Rates & Charges
Sewer charges are billed on a monthly basis for the prior month’s service. Charges for this service are based on the same metered water consumption used to calculate a resident’s water bill. Each account is charged a monthly service fee and an additional charge per 1,000 gallons up to 8,000 gallons.
| Monthly Fixed Charge | Usage Charge (per 1,000 gallons)1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Residential | $9.00 | $4.002 |
| Commercial | $9.00 | $4.00 |
| Multifamily | $9.00 | $4.00 |
| 1 Usage charge based on metered water usage. 2 Residential usage charges cap at 8,000 gallons. | ||
Example:
A residential account with a typical 3/4-meter using 4,000 gallons of water per month in the winter.
| Monthly Fixed Charge | Usage Charge (per 1,000 gallons) | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | $7.25 | + | (4 x $7.40) | = | $36.85 |
| Sewer | $9.00 | + | (4 x $4.00) | = | $25.00 |
Forestry
This $2 charge is placed in a special forestry fund and used to fund grass and tree maintenance on public property, including public right of ways in the city.
Sump Pump Discharge
An annual $60 charge for residents wishing to discharge sump pump water into the sanitary sewer system from Oct. 15 through April 15. Residents need to fill out the Sump Pump Variance Form for permission to discharge sump pump water indoors and to add this fee to their existing utility bill. Sump pump discharge must be diverted to the outside of the building during the remainder of the year.
Learn more about sump pump program
Garbage and Recycling Rates
Garbage and recycling charges are billed on a monthly basis and include recycling and garbage collection. The fees for garbage and recycling collection vary based on type of structure.
- Single-Family Residence: $17.50 per month
- Multiple Dwellings and Mobile Home Park unit property: $6 per month for each residential unit plus a commercial dumpster rental and service fees
- Commercial Establishments, factories, places of public entertainment and other business places may rent dumpsters from the City of West Fargo. The rental is based on volume and number of pickups per month.
Dumpster
Temporary residential dumpster containers are available for rental for small remodeling projects, cleaning out a house or garage. For large projects, such as construction projects, cleaning or remodeling, the Department of Sanitation has two options for rental - dumpsters and roll-off boxes. Rates vary depending on the dumpster size.
For a full list of rates visit the Dumpster and Roll-Off Service page.
Appliance Pickup and Disposal
Residents may utilize curbside pickup for major appliances and automotive tires by placing it with their garbage on a normal pickup day. There will be a $10 disposal charge added to each utility billing for all major appliances picked up.
Vector Control
A $1 charge is included each month for vector (mosquito) control. The proceeds are placed into a special vector control fund and used only for funding the City of West Fargo’s mosquito spraying.
Learn more about vector control
Convenience Fee
A 3% convenience fee will be added for any credit card or debit card payments.