Portland Commercial Utility Rates: FY2027 Water, Sewer, Stormwater, Base, and Flood Fee Checks

What changed in Portland

Source-reported facts: Portland says most sewer, stormwater, and water rates increase each July 1. The current page lists rates for July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027.

The schedule lists water at $8.833 per CCF and nonresidential sewer at $14.73 per CCF. Nonresidential stormwater billable area is listed at $15.037 per 1,000 square feet per 30 days.

Who may be affected

Restaurants, hotels, multifamily properties, offices, warehouses, hospitals, campuses, industrial users, and parking-heavy retail centers should model water, sewer, and stormwater separately.

Portland says nonresidential sewer is based on actual water use measured through the water meter unless the customer participates in the submeter program.

Why stormwater is not a normal usage-reduction line

Portland stormwater charges use developed area and service units. Nonresidential stormwater service units are based on stormwater billable area, not monthly water consumption.

The Flood Safety Benefit Fee for nonresidential customers is listed as 0.9 percent of the total sewer, stormwater, and water bill, so it should be modeled after the underlying bill lines are separated.

What a 20 percent usage reduction could mean

Directional estimate: assume a Portland nonresidential account uses 300 CCF in a month and sewer tracks water usage. A 20 percent reduction equals 60 CCF.

At $8.833 water plus $14.73 sewer per CCF, those 60 CCF represent about $1,413.78 in monthly variable exposure. Stormwater area charges, stormwater service units, base charges, and many flood-safety effects are excluded unless the bill proves they change with usage.

What to check first on your bill

Confirm CCF, nonresidential sewer volume, billing frequency, base charge, stormwater billable area, stormwater service units, Portland Harbor Superfund charge, Flood Safety Benefit Fee, and whether a submeter program applies.

For parking-heavy or roof-heavy properties, stormwater and flood-related lines may be a major budget issue even when water usage is stable.

Where Smart Valve fits

Smart Valve may be relevant when Portland water and sewer charges are tied to controllable metered volume. It cannot reduce stormwater billable area or base charges.

A bill assessment should isolate variable water and sewer from parcel-based or daily fixed charges before estimating payback.

FAQ

Sources

• City of Portland - sewer, stormwater, water, and utility rates (retrieved July 1, 2026)
• City of Portland ordinance 192183 adopting FY2027 water rates (retrieved July 1, 2026)