Santa Clara Commercial Water and Sewer Rates: 2026 Restaurant, Hotel, Car-Wash, and Recycled-Water Checks
Santa Clara’s adopted 2026-27 commercial water and sewer schedules: $11.09/HCF potable water, NAICS sewer classes, volume percentages, and a corrected restaurant model.
Direct answer
Santa Clara adopted its 2026-27 schedules June 9, effective July 1. Potable water is $11.09/HCF; restaurant sewer is $23.48/HCF on 90% of metered water. In a declared 200-to-160-HCF restaurant example, included lines change from $6,444.40 to $5,155.52—a $1,288.88 modeled difference. Meter minimums are alternatives, not stacked charges; other lines are excluded.
$11.09
Potable water
Per HCF effective July 1
$23.48
Restaurant sewer
Per billed sewer HCF
90%
Restaurant basis
Of metered water volume
$6.05
Recycled water
Per HCF on its own meter
Class and billing-basis map
The NAICS class and sewage-volume percentage control the sewer line
Santa Clara does not use one commercial sewer formula. Confirm the water meter, business classification, stated percentage, and every special line before applying the restaurant example.
- Account or bill fact
- Adoption and effective date
- Adopted schedule treatment
- The City says the schedules were adopted June 9, 2026 and took effect July 1, 2026.
- Account or bill fact
- Potable water quantity
- Adopted schedule treatment
- $11.09 per HCF. The declared model assumes the quantity calculation exceeds the applicable meter-size minimum.
- Account or bill fact
- Water minimum
- Adopted schedule treatment
- The meter-size minimum is a billing floor. It is not added to the quantity charge when the quantity calculation governs.
- Account or bill fact
- Restaurant sewer
- Adopted schedule treatment
- $23.48 per HCF applied to 90% of metered water under the listed restaurant class.
- Account or bill fact
- Hotel or motel sewer
- Adopted schedule treatment
- $9.19 per HCF applied to 90% of metered water. Do not transfer the restaurant rate.
- Account or bill fact
- Repair shop or car wash sewer
- Adopted schedule treatment
- $7.64 per HCF applied to 90% of metered water. Confirm the actual NAICS treatment on the account.
- Account or bill fact
- Commercial sewer minimum
- Adopted schedule treatment
- The schedule lists a $64.46 minimum. Both declared restaurant quantity amounts exceed it, so it is not added to the model.
- Account or bill fact
- Recycled water
- Adopted schedule treatment
- $6.05 per HCF on the recycled-water schedule. Keep recycled and potable meters separate.
- Account or bill fact
- Special lines
- Adopted schedule treatment
- Fire service, cross-connection, major-user operating and maintenance recovery, annual capital recovery, and other account-specific charges require separate review.
Correction and adoption status
This August 2 update replaces the earlier pending-rate treatment
The City’s current rate hub says the 2026-27 water, sewer, and recycled-water schedules were adopted June 9 and became effective July 1. This page was first published June 22 and is now corrected to use the adopted schedules.
The prior version also treated restaurant sewer volume as equal to all metered water. The adopted sewer schedule states a 90% sewage-volume basis for restaurants, so the declared model and its difference have been corrected throughout this page.
Potable-water mechanics
Water quantity and the meter minimum are alternatives
Santa Clara’s adopted potable-water quantity rate is $11.09 per HCF. The schedule also lists monthly minimums by meter size and says quantity billing applies when usage exceeds the minimum allowance.
Do not stack the meter minimum on top of the quantity calculation. The declared restaurant model assumes each quantity amount controls; an account held to its minimum needs a different calculation using the actual meter and billing period.
Commercial sewer mechanics
Business type changes both the rate and billed sewage volume
The adopted nonresidential schedule assigns rates and sewage-volume percentages by business type. Restaurants are $23.48 per HCF on 90% of metered water; hotels and motels are $9.19 on 90%; repair shops and car washes are $7.64 on 90%.
A restaurant therefore cannot borrow a hotel, office, laundry, hospital, school, industrial, or car-wash formula. The NAICS classification and stated percentage should be verified from the account before any usage-linked exposure is estimated.
Separate service and recovery lines
Recycled water and special charges stay outside the restaurant example
Santa Clara lists recycled water at $6.05 per HCF for eligible uses and service. Recycled-water volume belongs to its own meter and rate path; it is not folded into the potable-water model below.
The City also lists fire-service, cross-connection, major-user operating and maintenance recovery, annual capital recovery, and other conditional charges. Applicability comes from the account and utility records, so those lines remain outside the declared subtotal.
Smart Valve analysis
The corrected example applies the restaurant 90% basis
The model compares one declared restaurant account at 200 and 160 HCF of potable water. Restaurant sewer is calculated on 90% of each water volume: 180 HCF and 144 HCF.
This is a partial-bill calculation, not a City bill quote or a typical restaurant. It assumes quantity charges exceed the applicable minimums and excludes recycled water, fire, cross-connection, major-user, stormwater or other property charges, taxes, penalties, adjustments, and site feasibility.
Smart Valve analysis — corrected declared example
One restaurant account at 200 versus 160 HCF of potable water
The model applies $11.09/HCF potable water and $23.48/HCF restaurant sewer to 90% of metered water. It assumes quantity billing, not the applicable minimum, controls both columns.
Scroll the table horizontally to compare all columns.
| Included line | 200 HCF water | 160 HCF water | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potable water at $11.09/HCF | $2,218.00 | $1,774.40 | $443.60 |
| Restaurant sewer volume | 180 HCF | 144 HCF | 36 HCF |
| Restaurant sewer at $23.48/HCF | $4,226.40 | $3,381.12 | $845.28 |
| Declared included subtotal | $6,444.40 | $5,155.52 | $1,288.88 |
The $1,288.88 is the modeled difference between two included quantity subtotals, not promised savings. Meter minimums, recycled water, fire, cross-connection, major-user recovery, taxes, penalties, adjustments, other property charges, and site feasibility are excluded.
20% usage check
$1,288.88
Corrected included-line difference at 20% lower water volume
Forty fewer potable-water HCF changes the included water line by $443.60. Under the adopted 90% restaurant basis, 36 fewer sewer HCF changes the included sewer line by $845.28.
Boundary: This is reproducible partial-bill arithmetic under declared assumptions, not a Santa Clara bill quote or guaranteed saving. If a meter or sewer minimum governs, or the class, percentage, service, or excluded lines differ, recalculate from the actual account.
Decision checklist
What to check first on the bill
- 1Confirm the bill is issued by the City of Santa Clara Water & Sewer Utilities and uses the July 1, 2026 schedule.
- 2Record potable-water HCF, meter size, billing period, and the applicable monthly minimum.
- 3Confirm whether the quantity calculation or meter minimum controls the water line.
- 4Verify the nonresidential NAICS sewer classification on the account.
- 5Apply the class-specific sewage-volume percentage; restaurants use 90% in the adopted schedule.
- 6Check the $64.46 commercial sewer minimum before using a quantity model for a low-volume account.
- 7Separate potable water from any recycled-water meter and rate.
- 8Identify fire, cross-connection, major-user recovery, tax, penalty, adjustment, and other account-specific lines.
Scope boundary
Where Smart Valve realistically fits
After the meter, minimum treatment, NAICS class, sewage-volume percentage, and excluded lines are verified, a commercial team can examine feasible changes to controllable potable-water use. For the declared restaurant class, a related sewer line can amplify usage-linked exposure.
Smart Valve does not change Santa Clara’s meter minimum, sewer class or percentage, sewer minimum, recycled-water rate, fire service, cross-connection, major-user recovery, taxes, penalties, or other fixed and conditional lines. No device fit, usage change, or bill result is guaranteed.
Related commercial water decisions
Track California commercial utility decisions
Follow adopted water, sewer, recycled-water, drought, and billing changes across the state.
Compare Sunnyvale’s class structure
See a neighboring utility while keeping Santa Clara’s NAICS rates and percentages separate.
Review Millbrae’s sewer-strength path
Compare another business-sensitive sewer structure without transferring its formula.
Review San Clemente’s water and sewer checks
Use another California decision document while preserving Santa Clara’s adopted schedule.
Map restaurant water and wastewater uses
Connect kitchen, cleaning, restroom, irrigation, and other loads to the verified account.
Separate every Santa Clara bill line
Distinguish quantity, minimum, sewer class, recycled water, fire, and conditional charges.
Prepare the Santa Clara bill review
Collect meters, HCF, class, percentage, minimums, and excluded lines first.
Review source and estimate boundaries
See how official facts, corrections, arithmetic, assumptions, and exclusions are separated.
Frequently asked questions
What is Santa Clara’s adopted 2026-27 potable-water rate?
Santa Clara’s adopted schedule lists potable water at $11.09 per HCF effective July 1, 2026. The applicable meter-size minimum is an alternative billing floor, not an added quantity charge.
How is Santa Clara restaurant sewer volume calculated?
The adopted schedule lists restaurant sewer at $23.48 per HCF applied to 90% of metered water. The declared 200-HCF example therefore uses 180 sewer HCF.
Is Santa Clara’s water meter minimum added to the quantity charge?
No. The schedule treats the meter-size minimum as a floor and uses the quantity charge when usage exceeds the minimum allowance. The actual meter and billing period control.
Is the $1,288.88 Santa Clara difference a complete bill saving?
No. It is a modeled difference between two declared potable-water and restaurant-sewer subtotals. It excludes minimums when applicable, recycled water, fire, cross-connection, major-user, taxes, penalties, adjustments, other charges, and site feasibility.
Primary source trail
Sources and retrieval details
Published: Adopted June 9, 2026Effective: July 1, 2026Retrieved: August 2, 2026
Primary City hub for adoption status, effective date, potable and recycled-water schedules, sewer schedule, and stated utility cost drivers.
Effective: July 1, 2026Retrieved: August 2, 2026
Primary source for $11.09/HCF potable water, meter-size minimum treatment, $6.05/HCF recycled water, fire service, and cross-connection charges.
Effective: July 1, 2026Retrieved: August 2, 2026
Primary source for NAICS nonresidential rates, sewage-volume percentages, the commercial minimum, and major-user recovery lines.
Editorial contact
Media & product inquiries
Send relevant corrections, launch information, approved assets, or testing opportunities to thesmartwatervalve@gmail.com. Contact does not guarantee coverage, favorable treatment, commercial placement, or a review.
Verify the Santa Clara class before forecasting
Bring the current bill, meter size, water HCF, minimum treatment, NAICS sewer class, sewage-volume percentage, recycled service, and every special line into one source-backed review.