Arlington VA Commercial Water and Sewer Rates: FY2027 Monthly Bill Check

What changed in Arlington County

Source-reported facts: Arlington County lists adopted water-sewer-refuse rates by customer class for FY2027, effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027.

For commercial accounts, the monthly water base charge changes from $12.01 to $12.50. The sewer base charge remains $9.93. Commercial water use changes from $5.85 to $6.09 per thousand gallons, while sewer use remains $10.48 per thousand gallons.

Who may be affected

The page states that different classes pay different rates based on the costs each class places on the water system, and customers are classified as residential, commercial, or multi-family.

Commercial businesses and apartments are billed monthly for water and sewer services. Volume-based charges are derived from water consumption as determined by a monthly meter reading.

Why sewer is the bigger commercial line

For FY2027 commercial accounts, the water use rate is $6.09 per thousand gallons and the sewer use rate is $10.48 per thousand gallons. That makes sewer a larger variable line than water for usage-linked bill exposure.

Because Arlington says monthly commercial and multifamily volume-based water and sewer charges are derived from water consumption, a usage change can affect both lines when the bill uses metered volume for sewer.

What a 20 percent usage reduction could mean

Directional estimate: assume an Arlington commercial account uses 20 thousand gallons per month and sewer volume follows metered water usage. The FY2027 variable water plus sewer rate is $16.57 per thousand gallons.

A 20 percent usage reduction equals 4 thousand gallons. At $16.57 per thousand gallons, that is about $66.28 per month in variable exposure before fixed base charges, refuse, stormwater, account-specific billing details, site conditions, and installation feasibility.

What to check first on your bill

Confirm commercial or multi-family class, monthly water volume, sewer volume, water base charge, sewer base charge, refuse or other utility lines, and whether any abnormal month is tied to occupancy, irrigation, cooling, kitchen, laundry, or leak activity.

Because commercial bills are monthly, compare same-month usage year over year and compare the first FY2027 bill against the final FY2026 bill at the same usage volume.

Where Smart Valve fits

Smart Valve may be relevant when an Arlington commercial property has meaningful controllable metered water volume and technical feasibility. It cannot reduce fixed base charges, refuse charges, or non-usage lines.

The right assessment models water and sewer volume together only if the site bill confirms sewer follows metered water usage.

FAQ

Sources

• Arlington County VA - water, sewer, and refuse rates by customer class (retrieved June 3, 2026)