Bothell Commercial Water and Sewer Rates: 2026 Summer, Base Fee, and Sewer Threshold Checks

What changed in Bothell

Source-reported facts: Bothell publishes 2026 commercial water base fees by meter size and compares them with 2025 rates. The 2026 commercial base fee is $51.69 for a 3/4-inch meter, $347.92 for a 2-inch meter, and $2,115.40 for a 6-inch meter.

Bothell also lists 2026 water usage charges of $4.88 per CCF in winter months, $8.33 per CCF in summer months, and $11.21 per CCF for irrigation meters.

Who may be affected

The commercial exposure is strongest for restaurants, hotels, multifamily properties, schools, offices, retail centers, irrigation-heavy properties, car washes, and facilities with dedicated fire or irrigation meters.

Large-meter accounts have meaningful fixed cost before usage. The sewer side can also become large because Bothell commercial sewer bills include a bimonthly flat fee and a per-CCF charge above a 15 CCF threshold.

Why sewer can drive the bigger bill

For commercial sewer, Bothell lists a 2026 bimonthly flat fee of $213.44 and water usage exceeding 15 CCF at $13.67 per CCF. The city example for 68 CCF shows $724.51 of sewer usage before tax, because 53 CCF are billed above the threshold.

The summer water rate of $8.33 per CCF means a high-use property can see different marginal exposure by season. A gallon saved during summer may avoid more water cost than the same gallon saved during winter, while sewer exposure depends on the commercial sewer formula.

What a 20 percent usage reduction could mean

Directional estimate: use Bothell's 68 CCF commercial sewer example and assume the usage reduction occurs in winter. A 20 percent reduction is 13.6 CCF. At $4.88 water plus $13.67 sewer per CCF, the variable exposure is about $252.28 before tax.

If the same 13.6 CCF reduction occurs during summer, the water component uses $8.33 per CCF, bringing water plus sewer variable exposure to about $299.20. This excludes fixed water base fees, the sewer flat fee, fire meters, irrigation meters, taxes, and site feasibility.

What to check first on your bill

Confirm the water meter size, whether any irrigation or fire meter is billed separately, seasonal usage, CCF above the sewer threshold, tax, and additional fees.

For landscaped commercial properties, separate domestic water from irrigation-meter water before estimating savings. Irrigation water may have a different rate and may not have the same sewer relationship as domestic water.

Where Smart Valve fits

Smart Valve may be relevant when a Bothell commercial account has controllable domestic metered water volume and the site is technically qualified. The highest-value cases are usually those where water and sewer volume both move with usage.

It cannot reduce Bothell's fixed water base fee, sewer flat fee, fire meter fee, taxes, or storm/non-water charges that do not vary with metered domestic use.

FAQ

Sources

• City of Bothell - utility rates (retrieved June 9, 2026)