Scottsdale Commercial Water and Sewer Rates: FY2027 Tier and Strength-Class Checks
Scottsdale proposed FY2026/27 water and sewer rates with commercial water tiers, meter-size base fees, winter-average sewer billing, and wastewater categories for restaurants, laundries, car washes, hotels, medical sites, and schools.
Quick Answer
Scottsdale proposed FY2026/27 rates include a 4.5 percent water increase effective November 1, 2026 and a 3.5 percent sewer increase effective July 1, 2026. Commercial water uses four tiers up to $6.55 per 1,000 gallons, while sewer varies by customer category from $3.26 to $7.01 per 1,000 gallons.
4.5%
Water Increase
Proposed FY2026/27
3.5%
Sewer Increase
Proposed FY2026/27
$6.55
Tier 4 Water
Over 20k gal, proposed
$7.01
Restaurant Sewer
Per 1,000 gal, proposed
What changed in Scottsdale
Source-reported facts: Scottsdale published a Water and Sewer Rate Report dated April 3, 2026 for fiscal year 2026/27. The report says proposed water base and commodity changes are forecasted to generate about $6.3 million in annual revenue and would become effective November 1, 2026.
The same report says proposed wastewater base and volumetric changes are forecasted to generate about $2.1 million in annual revenue and would become effective July 1, 2026. Customer impact depends on meter size, volume, and wastewater category.
Who may be affected
The commercial classes that deserve a direct bill review include restaurants and bakeries, commercial dining, hotels with dining, commercial laundry, laundromats, car washes, metal platers, medical institutions, schools, multifamily properties, and non-residential landscape or irrigation accounts.
For water, Scottsdale uses a four-tier increasing block structure for multifamily residential, commercial/industrial, and non-residential landscape/irrigation accounts. For sewer, the volume rate changes by customer category, which means two sites with the same water use may carry different sewer exposure.
Why this matters for commercial bills
Proposed commercial water commodity rates per 1,000 gallons are $1.80 for the first 5,000 gallons, $3.39 from 5,001 to 12,000 gallons, $4.96 from 12,001 to 20,000 gallons, and $6.55 above 20,000 gallons.
Proposed sewer rates per 1,000 gallons include $3.26 for commercial without dining, hotels without dining, car washes, medical institutions, and schools; $4.27 for commercial laundry; $5.20 for commercial with dining and hotels with dining; and $7.01 for restaurants and bakeries.
What a 20 percent usage reduction could mean
Directional estimate: assume a Scottsdale restaurant or bakery uses 100,000 gallons per month and is already above the highest commercial water tier. At the proposed rates, the marginal water rate is $6.55 per 1,000 gallons and the restaurant/bakery sewer rate is $7.01 per 1,000 gallons.
A 20 percent water reduction equals 20,000 gallons. If the sewer volume tied to winter-average water also drops by 18,000 gallons, the variable exposure would be about $131.00 in water and $126.18 in sewer for that month. This excludes fixed meter charges, taxes, customer-category review, winter-average timing, and installation feasibility.
What to check first on your bill
Confirm meter size, monthly gallons by season, whether the account is commercial/industrial or landscape/irrigation, and the sewer customer category assigned to the site.
For sewer, Scottsdale says customers are billed based on 90 percent of average water consumption billed in December, January, and February, applied annually in July. A leak or unusual water use during those months may require a sewer charge adjustment request rather than a simple conservation model.
Where Smart Valve fits
Smart Valve may be relevant for Scottsdale sites with controllable metered water volume, especially when water use sits in upper tiers and sewer volume is linked to water consumption. It does not reduce fixed base charges or automatically change the wastewater category.
The correct review starts with gallons, meter size, category, winter-average treatment, and whether the site has process water, kitchen discharge, laundry, irrigation, or car-wash use that changes the bill model.
What to Do Next
Check whether sewer category matches actual site operations.
Review December through February usage before July sewer volume resets.
Separate fixed meter charges from usage-reducible water and sewer lines.
FAQ
When would Scottsdale FY2026/27 water and sewer changes take effect?
Scottsdale says the proposed sewer changes would become effective July 1, 2026, and the proposed water base and commodity changes would become effective November 1, 2026.
Why do Scottsdale restaurant sewer rates matter?
The proposed restaurant/bakery sewer rate is $7.01 per 1,000 gallons, compared with $3.26 for several lower-strength commercial categories. Category assignment can materially change the sewer side of the bill.
Would a 20 percent usage reduction cut the entire Scottsdale bill by 20 percent?
No. Fixed base fees, taxes, and some category-driven charges may not fall with usage. A usage-reduction estimate should isolate the water and sewer volume lines that actually track metered consumption.
Sources
Related Commercial Water Resources
Model This Market Against Your Actual Bill
Use your local rate, current monthly bill, and billed usage to estimate how much controllable volume reduction could offset this market pressure.
