Austin FY2027 Commercial Water and Wastewater Rates: Seasonal Rates, Surcharges, and Bill Checks
Direct answer
Austin Water’s published commercial schedule takes effect October 1, 2026. Water volume is $6.03 per kgal off peak and $6.87 peak; commercial wastewater is $12.42 per kgal. Before modeling, verify meter-based fixed charges, applicable usage surcharges, and whether billed wastewater follows domestic-meter use or a Wastewater Average.
Austin Water’s published FY2027 commercial schedule sets $6.03/kgal off-peak water, $6.87 peak water, and $12.42 wastewater, with fixed and surcharge lines separate.
$6.03
Off-peak water
Per kgal on November–June bills
$6.87
Peak water
Per kgal on July–October bills
$12.42
Wastewater volume
Per billed commercial kgal
Oct. 1
Commercial timing
Published 2026 effective date
Official schedule boundaries
Use the commercial date without transferring it to every Austin schedule
Austin Water’s rate hub and commercial public schedule identify October 1, 2026 as the commercial effective date. The multifamily PDF footer instead says November 1, 2026, while the hub groups that file under October 1. Confirm the multifamily service period directly before using that schedule.
The FY2027 reclaimed-water PDF footer says October 1, 2025, which conflicts with its FY2027 context. Large-volume customers also have customer-specific tables. Those adjacent schedules are retained as classification checks and are not imported into the commercial model below.
Commercial bill-line map
Classify the Austin account before applying any rate
The published schedule separates meter-based fixed totals, seasonal water volume, wastewater volume, usage surcharges, an optional program charge, and account-specific schedules. Confirm each printed line on the actual bill.
- Bill line or account fact
- Water fixed total
- Published FY2027 treatment
- $16.91 to $7,440.40 per month by meter size
- What to verify
- The actual meter size; this line does not decline with usage.
- Bill line or account fact
- Commercial water volume
- Published FY2027 treatment
- $6.03/kgal off peak; $6.87/kgal peak
- What to verify
- The bill month and commercial service classification.
- Bill line or account fact
- Commercial wastewater volume
- Published FY2027 treatment
- $12.42 per billed kgal
- What to verify
- Whether an irrigation meter makes domestic-meter volume the basis or Austin uses a Wastewater Average.
- Bill line or account fact
- Water usage surcharges
- Published FY2027 treatment
- $0.05 reserve, $0.30 non-CAP community benefit, and $0.15 GoPurple per kgal
- What to verify
- CAP status and which published surcharge lines appear on the account.
- Bill line or account fact
- Wastewater usage surcharges
- Published FY2027 treatment
- $0.30 community benefit and $0.15 GoPurple per kgal
- What to verify
- Which surcharge lines appear on the wastewater side.
- Bill line or account fact
- Purple Choice
- Published FY2027 treatment
- $6 per account per month
- What to verify
- Participation is optional; keep it outside a usage-reduction model.
- Bill line or account fact
- Multifamily, reclaimed, and large-volume service
- Published FY2027 treatment
- Separate schedules or customer-specific tables
- What to verify
- Do not transfer commercial rates or dates to another classification.
Official City schedule
Published FY2027 commercial schedule details
These rows reproduce the commercial public schedule for bill classification. They do not establish that every line applies to every account.
Monthly commercial water fixed totals by meter size
| Meter size | Monthly fixed total |
|---|---|
| 5/8 inch | $16.91 |
| 3/4 inch | $25.37 |
| 1 inch | $42.28 |
| 1.5 inch | $109.92 |
| 2 inch | $184.32 |
| 3 inch | $311.14 |
| 4 inch | $552.96 |
| 6 inch | $1,276.71 |
| 8 inch | $3,398.91 |
| 10 inch | $5,918.50 |
| 12 inch | $7,440.40 |
These are fixed monthly totals. A lower billed volume does not reduce them.
Commercial usage-linked, optional, and wastewater lines
| Line | Published amount | Treatment in a model |
|---|---|---|
| Off-peak water volume | $6.03/kgal | November–June bills |
| Peak water volume | $6.87/kgal | July–October bills |
| Water reserve surcharge | $0.05/kgal | Usage-linked if shown |
| Water community-benefit surcharge | $0.30/kgal | Non-CAP usage-linked line if shown |
| Water GoPurple surcharge | $0.15/kgal | Usage-linked if shown |
| Purple Choice | $6/account/month | Optional fixed line; excluded |
| Commercial wastewater fixed | $11.26/month | Fixed; excluded |
| Commercial wastewater volume | $12.42/kgal | Use the verified billed quantity |
| Wastewater community-benefit surcharge | $0.30/kgal | Usage-linked if shown |
| Wastewater GoPurple surcharge | $0.15/kgal | Usage-linked if shown |
Taxes, adjustments, reclaimed service, multifamily treatment, and large-volume schedules remain outside this table and the declared model.
Published commercial schedule
The retained guide now reflects Austin’s FY2027 commercial rows
Official source fact: Austin Water publishes the 2026–2027 commercial schedule as effective October 1, 2026. It lists $6.03 per kgal for off-peak bills from November through June and $6.87 per kgal for peak bills from July through October.
Commercial wastewater volume is $12.42 per billed kgal, with a separate $11.26 monthly fixed charge. The August 12 City announcement establishes adoption of the broader FY2026–27 budget; this guide does not use the separate hearing file as proof that it adopted these rate rows.
Wastewater quantity decision
An irrigation meter changes which wastewater basis the schedule describes
Official source fact: when an irrigation meter exists, Austin bills commercial wastewater volume from domestic-meter usage. Without an irrigation meter, the schedule directs the account to Austin’s Wastewater Average treatment.
Do not assume the current water-meter change automatically produces the same wastewater quantity change. Reproduce the billed wastewater basis from the account before applying the wastewater rate or its usage surcharges.
Separate customer paths
Multifamily, reclaimed, and large-volume schedules do not inherit this model
Austin publishes separate multifamily, reclaimed-water, and large-volume documents. The date conflicts in the adjacent PDF footers are visible above because a property team should not transfer the commercial effective date by assumption.
The large-volume document contains customer-specific tables. Reclaimed service has its own volume treatment, and the multifamily document has its own fixed and variable rows. Confirm classification first and use the corresponding official schedule.
Smart Valve arithmetic — declared peak-period variable lines
Peak-period model: 300,000 gallons compared with 240,000 gallons
The declared difference is 60 kgal. The base comparison assumes commercial peak water and an equal verified wastewater-quantity change; the conditional rows show the result only if all listed non-CAP usage surcharges apply.
| Included variable line | 60-kgal arithmetic | Modeled difference |
|---|---|---|
| Peak water volume | 60 × $6.87 | $412.20 |
| Commercial wastewater volume | 60 × $12.42 | $745.20 |
| Base variable subtotal | $412.20 + $745.20 | $1,157.40 |
| Water usage surcharges, if all listed non-CAP lines apply | 60 × ($0.05 + $0.30 + $0.15) | $30.00 |
| Wastewater usage surcharges, if all listed lines apply | 60 × ($0.30 + $0.15) | $27.00 |
| Conditional all-listed-surcharge total | $1,157.40 + $30.00 + $27.00 | $1,214.40 |
These are modeled differences in included usage-linked lines, not a complete bill or promised savings. Water fixed charges, the $11.26 wastewater fixed charge, optional $6 Purple Choice, taxes, adjustments, reclaimed, multifamily and large-volume treatment, unverified eligibility, wastewater-basis differences, and site feasibility remain excluded or unknown.
Decision checklist
What to check first on the bill
- 1Match the bill to commercial, multifamily, reclaimed, or a named large-volume schedule before using any row.
- 2Record the water meter size and keep its published fixed total outside the usage model.
- 3Classify the bill month as off peak or peak before selecting $6.03 or $6.87 per kgal.
- 4Confirm CAP status, GoPurple treatment, and every usage surcharge printed on both water and wastewater.
- 5Confirm whether the account has an irrigation meter and reproduce the billed wastewater quantity or Wastewater Average.
- 6Keep Purple Choice, taxes, adjustments, alternate schedules, and every unverified line outside the model.
- 7Assess technically controllable volume only after the applicable bill lines are reproducible from the actual account.
Scope boundary
Where Smart Valve realistically fits
Smart Valve may be relevant when an Austin commercial account has technically addressable metered volume and the verified water or wastewater line changes with that volume. The actual service class, meter, season, surcharges, wastewater basis, site conditions, and feasible operating change must be established first.
Smart Valve does not change Austin’s meter-based fixed charges, customer classification, optional program charges, taxes, adjustments, Wastewater Average rules, or separate multifamily, reclaimed, and large-volume schedules. The declared model is a bounded exposure comparison, not a guarantee.
Related commercial water decisions
Track Texas commercial utility decisions
Use the parent hub for adopted rate, drought, sewer, surcharge, and billing changes without transferring Austin’s schedule to another utility.
Separate every Austin bill line
Use the bill-anatomy guide to distinguish fixed, usage-linked, optional, conditional, and adjustment lines.
Prepare the Austin bill audit
Collect class, meter, bill season, surcharges, wastewater basis, optional lines, and alternate schedules first.
Review source and estimate boundaries
See how official facts, calculations, assumptions, exclusions, and unresolved source conflicts remain separate.
Primary source trail
Sources and retrieval details
Effective: October 1, 2026 for the published commercial schedule; Status checked: August 29, 2026; Retrieved: August 29, 2026
Official rate hub for the 2026–2027 public schedules and their stated effective-date grouping.
Source URL: https://www.austintexas.gov/water/rates-and-fees (opens in a new tab)
Effective: October 1, 2026; Retrieved: August 29, 2026
Controlling public schedule for commercial meter-based fixed totals, seasonal water volume, usage surcharges, optional Purple Choice, and commercial wastewater lines.
Effective: PDF footer says November 1, 2026; the rate hub groups it under October 1, 2026; Retrieved: August 29, 2026
Official adjacent schedule retained to preserve the effective-date conflict and prevent commercial rates from being transferred to multifamily accounts.
Effective: PDF footer says October 1, 2025; Retrieved: August 29, 2026
Official FY2027-branded reclaimed schedule retained with its conflicting footer date; its rates are not used in the commercial model.
Retrieved: August 29, 2026
Official customer-specific large-volume tables. These account paths remain outside the general commercial model.
Published: August 12, 2026; Retrieved: August 29, 2026
Official context for adoption of the broader City budget; it is not used as the source for an individual commercial rate row.
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.
Classify the Austin bill before applying the model
Bring the service class, meter size, bill month, usage surcharges, irrigation-meter status, wastewater quantity, optional lines, and every alternate or adjustment line into one source-backed review.