Millbrae Commercial Sewer Rates: July 2026 Strength Classes and Clean Bay Fee Checks

What changed in Millbrae

Source-reported facts: Millbrae says water and sewer services are billed together bimonthly, and water consumption is metered. Its sewer rate table shows rates effective July 1, 2024, July 1, 2025, and July 1, 2026.

For July 1, 2026, the sewer quantity charge is $8.83 per CCF for low strength, $10.46 for moderate strength, $13.84 for mod-high strength, and $15.42 for high strength. The fixed sewer charge is $78.82 per month per account or dwelling unit.

Who may be affected

The key commercial readers are restaurants, food-service tenants, laundries, healthcare facilities, industrial users, mixed-use properties, multifamily buildings, retail centers, and any tenant whose wastewater strength may differ from ordinary domestic use.

A commercial property with multiple tenants should not assume one sewer rate applies to every occupant. Food service, process water, grease, solids, and cleaning activities can all affect whether the relevant bill line is low, moderate, mod-high, or high strength.

Why strength class matters

The July 2026 spread between low strength and high strength is $6.59 per CCF. On a commercial account using 100 CCF, that difference alone is $659 in variable sewer exposure before fixed charges and any water-side charges.

Millbrae also notes that the Clean Bay Fee replaced the SSO charge in 2017 and modified charges to reapportion costs between residential customers, multi-family units, and commercial customers. That makes sewer and clean-bay lines worth reviewing separately from water usage.

What a 20 percent usage reduction could mean

Directional estimate: assume a Millbrae commercial account is billed 100 CCF at the July 2026 moderate-strength sewer rate of $10.46 per CCF. A 20 percent usage reduction equals 20 CCF.

At $10.46 per CCF, that is $209.20 in variable sewer exposure before water charges, fixed monthly sewer charges, Clean Bay Fee treatment, tenant mix, strength classification, site conditions, and installation feasibility. A high-strength account would have a different dollar exposure.

What to check first on your bill

Confirm the sewer strength class, billed CCF, fixed sewer charge, Clean Bay Fee, water charges, billing period, and whether each tenant or building is being classified correctly.

If the bill increased, separate rate movement from operating changes such as a new food-service tenant, laundry use, grease interceptor status, process-water activity, leak repairs, or meter-read timing.

Where Smart Valve fits

Smart Valve may be relevant if the property has controllable metered water volume and the sewer charge follows water consumption. It cannot reduce fixed sewer charges, Clean Bay Fee components that are not usage-based, or strength classification by itself.

The assessment should start by confirming whether usage reduction would lower the specific sewer line on the bill and whether water-side charges are also material.

FAQ

Sources

• City of Millbrae - water and sewer service rates (retrieved June 4, 2026)