Lexington FY2027 Commercial Sewer and Stormwater Fees: Schedule B and ERUs
Lexington’s FY2027 Schedule B sewer and Water Quality Management Fee took effect July 1. See the first-CCF rule, ERU formula, and bill checks.
Direct answer
Lexington’s FY2027 nonresidential sewer schedule took effect July 1, 2026: the first 100 cubic feet costs $11.62 and each additional CCF costs $8.77. Separately, developed Class B parcels pay $6.18 monthly per stormwater ERU, calculated from impervious area. Lower metered use can reduce sewer exposure; it does not reduce the ERU fee.
$11.62
First sewer CCF
Schedule B, first 0–100 cubic feet
$8.77
Additional sewer use
Each CCF after the first
$6.18
Water quality fee
Monthly per Class B ERU
2,500 sq. ft.
One ERU
Impervious-area divisor
Official source facts
Two FY2027 LEXserv lines follow different cost drivers
Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government’s FY2027 sewer and Water Quality Management Fee schedule applies from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. The city bills these charges through LEXserv, but Kentucky American Water supplies water service and bills its water charges separately. Landfill and any other LEXserv lines also sit outside this article’s model.
For a commercial operator, that separation matters: Schedule B sanitary sewer follows metered water as a proxy for discharge, while the Water Quality Management Fee follows developed parcel area. A single percentage should not be applied across both lines.
Schedule B sewer
The first CCF uses one price and every additional CCF another
The FY2027 nonresidential Schedule B sewer charge is $11.62 for the first 0–100 cubic feet and $8.77 for each additional 100 cubic feet. That is a first-unit formula, not a flat $8.77 applied to every CCF. The account’s metered-water volume is the starting proxy, so the billing period and measured units should be confirmed before reproducing a charge.
Lexington’s official sewer page says water passing through a separate irrigation meter for a use that does not enter the sanitary sewer is not subject to the sewer user fee. That does not mean an existing account already has or automatically qualifies for that configuration; meter setup and treatment should be verified with the utility.
Property-based stormwater
Class B ERUs come from impervious area, not monthly gallons
Developed nonresidential and multifamily Class B parcels pay $6.18 per month for each equivalent residential unit. Lexington calculates the count by dividing impervious square feet by 2,500 and rounding to the nearest whole ERU. Roofs, pavement, and other mapped impervious surfaces therefore drive this line independently of the month’s metered use.
The city provides premise and parcel correction paths and a formal appeal process for owners who believe the mapped property, impervious area, or fee application is wrong. A correction is an evidence-and-mapping question; it is not a promised fee reduction from lower water consumption.
Dated infrastructure opportunity
A July 24 grant application is separate from the monthly fee
In a notice published June 18, Lexington said businesses, schools, churches, apartment complexes, and other institutions that pay the Water Quality Management Fee may apply for large-scale infrastructure grants by July 24, 2026. The notice lists projects such as rain gardens, rainwater harvesting, pervious pavement, and constructed wetlands.
This is an application opportunity, not an automatic credit, eligibility approval, award, or guaranteed reduction in the monthly ERU charge. Because the deadline and program status are volatile, check the linked official notice and current application status before committing project time or money.
Commercial implication
Choose the next action by bill line
Restaurants, hotels, laundries, healthcare facilities, schools, offices, retail centers, multifamily properties, and other users should first reconcile metered CCF with Schedule B sewer. Then compare the WQMF ERU count with parcel and impervious-area records. A separate irrigation-meter question belongs with sewer classification; a parcel correction or infrastructure grant belongs with stormwater management.
That sequence keeps a useful usage-reduction project from being judged against a property-based fee it does not change, while still exposing billing, mapping, and program actions that can matter to the complete utility-cost plan.
Smart Valve analysis — not a LEXserv bill quote
A 100-to-80 CCF sewer example with 40 ERUs held constant
Assume one nonresidential Schedule B account moves from 100 CCF to 80 CCF in one model month. Separately assume a declared 100,000 square feet of impervious area: 100,000 ÷ 2,500 = 40 ERUs. Include only sewer and WQMF. Exclude Kentucky American Water charges, landfill, adjustments, taxes, and every other line.
Scroll the table horizontally to compare all columns.
| Included line | 100 CCF | 80 CCF | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schedule B sewer | $879.85 | $704.45 | Decrease $175.40 |
| WQMF at 40 ERUs | $247.20 | $247.20 | Unchanged |
| Included partial total | $1,127.05 | $951.65 | Decrease $175.40 |
The sewer calculation is $11.62 plus 99 × $8.77 at 100 CCF, and $11.62 plus 79 × $8.77 at 80 CCF. The $175.40 difference is sewer-only. The declared 40-ERU WQMF remains $247.20 because the water-use assumption does not change impervious area.
20% usage check
$175.40
Qualified 20% sewer-volume exposure
In the declared example, metered volume falls from 100 to 80 CCF and the included Schedule B sewer line falls by $175.40. The monthly WQMF for the declared 40-ERU parcel remains unchanged.
Boundary: This is reproducible analysis, not a utility quote, whole-bill forecast, or savings guarantee. Kentucky American Water, landfill, fixed or other LEXserv lines, taxes, adjustments, parcel corrections, grant outcomes, and account-specific treatment remain outside the figure.
Decision checklist
What to check first on the bill
- 1Match the billed period, metered CCF, and nonresidential Schedule B classification before recalculating sewer.
- 2Confirm the first CCF is charged at $11.62 and only the additional CCF units use $8.77.
- 3Check whether any separately metered irrigation use is documented as non-sewered; do not assume an exclusion without utility confirmation.
- 4Compare the WQMF premise, parcel, impervious square feet, rounding, and ERU count with the city’s records before using the correction or appeal path.
- 5Treat the infrastructure grant as a separate, dated application and verify current status and eligibility on the official notice.
Scope boundary
Where Smart Valve realistically fits
Smart Valve can be screened against controllable metered volume and the Schedule B sewer exposure linked to that volume. It does not change Lexington’s first-unit formula, parcel mapping, ERU count, WQMF rate, correction standards, grant decisions, Kentucky American Water schedule, landfill, or another fixed or account-specific charge.
A credible assessment starts with at least 12 months of water and LEXserv bills, meter details, operating patterns, and the parcel’s WQMF record. The calculator is directional and does not reproduce Lexington’s first-CCF or ERU rules.
Related commercial water decisions
Track Southeast commercial utility changes
Compare water, sewer, stormwater, and growth-market bill signals.
Compare another impervious-area stormwater system
See how Charlotte’s fee and credit mechanics differ from Lexington’s ERU formula.
Separate fixed and usage-linked bill lines
Classify charges before applying a water-reduction assumption.
Review multifamily water-cost controls
Connect common-area, irrigation, resident, and property-management decisions.
Prepare a Lexington bill audit
Collect meter, class, parcel, ERU, and billing evidence.
Review source and estimate boundaries
See how official facts, assumptions, and analysis are separated.
Frequently asked questions
What are Lexington’s FY2027 nonresidential sewer rates?
Schedule B charges $11.62 for the first 0–100 cubic feet and $8.77 for each additional 100 cubic feet for FY2027, effective July 1, 2026.
Does Lexington’s Water Quality Management Fee change with monthly gallons?
Not under the cited Class B formula. The $6.18 monthly ERU fee is based on impervious parcel area divided by 2,500 square feet and rounded to the nearest ERU.
Is separately metered irrigation charged Lexington sewer fees?
The city says separately metered water used for irrigation or another use that does not enter the sanitary sewer is not subject to sewer user fees. The account and meter configuration should be confirmed with the utility.
Does 20% lower water use mean 20% off the full Lexington utility bill?
No. Lower metered use can reduce applicable Schedule B sewer exposure, but WQMF, Kentucky American Water charges, landfill, taxes, adjustments, and other lines follow separate rules or remain outside this model.
Primary source trail
Sources and retrieval details
Published: FY2027 fee schedule · Effective: July 1, 2026 · Retrieved: July 13, 2026
Controlling official source for Class B coverage, the $6.18 ERU rate, impervious-area formula and rounding, billing, correction, and appeal paths.
Published: Current FY2027 customer guide · Effective: July 1, 2026 · Retrieved: July 13, 2026
Official customer-facing source for the FY2027 Schedule B first-unit and additional-CCF values and the current WQMF value.
Source URL: https://www.lexingtonky.gov/living/lexserv/explanation-lexserv-fees
Published: Current sewer-fee guidance · Effective: Current account treatment · Retrieved: July 13, 2026
Official source for water consumption as the sewer proxy, Schedule B classification, and separately metered non-sewered irrigation treatment.
Published: June 18, 2026 · Effective: Applications due July 24, 2026 · Retrieved: July 13, 2026
Dated official notice for potential applicants and example project types; program status, eligibility, and awards require direct confirmation.
Source URL: https://www.lexingtonky.gov/news/grants-available-infrastructure-projects-improve-water-quality
Screen only the usage-linked sewer exposure
The calculator is a directional first pass. It does not reproduce Lexington’s first-CCF formula, WQMF ERUs, parcel corrections, Kentucky American Water charges, landfill, grants, or other account-specific lines.