San Francisco FY2027 Commercial Rates: Water, Wastewater, and Stormwater
SFPUC’s adopted FY2027 commercial rates took effect July 1. See water, wastewater flow and strength, fixed service, stormwater, and a qualified model.
Direct answer
SFPUC’s adopted FY2027 rates apply to meter readings on or after July 1, 2026. Nonresidential water is $13.13 per CCF; base wastewater is $11.34 per discharge unit on 90% of billed water. Fixed service, pollutant-strength charges, parcel stormwater, fire protection, drought surcharge, taxes, and adjustments require separate account-level review.
$13.13
Nonresidential water
Per CCF in the FY2027 schedule
$11.34
Wastewater volume
Per discharge unit; default 90% basis
$93.81
2-inch service
Monthly water-service reference
$10.30
Impermeable stormwater
Per 1,000 sq ft; parcel based
Official source facts
The Commission adopted the FY2027 schedule on April 28
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission adopted the FY2027 and FY2028 water and sewer rate schedules at its April 28, 2026 hearing. The FY2027 rates apply to meter readings on or after July 1, 2026, and the current adopted schedule—not the earlier Proposition 218 notice—controls the values below.
SFPUC describes aging water and sewer assets and capital needs as material drivers. Its public 12.6% headline is a residential average, not a safe multiplier for a nonresidential account. Commercial exposure depends on water volume, wastewater flow, pollutant loading, service size, parcel surface, fire service, and account adjustments.
Water and fixed service
Nonresidential water volume and meter service are separate
The current W-1C schedule lists nonresidential water at $13.13 per CCF. A property should verify its customer class and measured volume before using that rate, then keep monthly meter service separate from commodity cost.
The FY2027 schedule lists $93.81 per month for a 2-inch water service. That is a reference point, not an assumption that every business has a 2-inch meter. A physical usage reduction does not change the meter-size service charge.
Wastewater mechanics
Base flow, fixed service, and pollutant strength require different inputs
Nonresidential wastewater volume is $11.34 per discharge unit. The standard discharge basis is 90% of billed water, but SFPUC can use an adjusted basis where approved. The schedule also lists a $6.62 monthly wastewater service charge, which is excluded from the variable example below.
Commercial wastewater can include pollutant-strength charges of $1.126 per pound for chemical oxygen demand, $2.205 for total suspended solids, and $1.418 for oil and grease. Restaurants, food operations, laundries, and industrial facilities should verify assigned or sampled loads; the model does not assume those pounds remain unchanged or fall in direct proportion to billed water.
Stormwater and conditional lines
Parcel surface, fire service, and drought status sit outside the volume model
SFPUC’s nonresidential stormwater component is $10.30 per 1,000 square feet of impermeable surface and $1.03 per 1,000 square feet of permeable surface. Those are parcel-area charges, not monthly water-use charges. Qualifying on-site green infrastructure can support a separate credit application, but eligibility and approval must be verified.
Private fire protection and taxes or account adjustments can add other lines. The adopted schedule also provides for a drought surcharge only if the Commission activates it. This article does not treat that conditional surcharge as currently active.
Commercial implication
A credible budget needs customer, wastewater, and parcel evidence
Restaurants, hotels, laundries, healthcare facilities, offices, multifamily common areas, campuses, and industrial sites should reconcile at least three different records: the water account and meter, the wastewater discharge basis and pollutant profile, and the parcel surface used for stormwater.
Only then should a team model controllable volume. That prevents a useful efficiency project from being measured against meter service, wastewater fixed service, strength, stormwater, private fire, taxes, or another line it may not change.
Smart Valve analysis — not an SFPUC bill quote
A nonresidential 100-to-80 CCF base-volume example
Assume one nonresidential account using 100 CCF, reduced to 80 CCF, with wastewater volume at the standard 90% discharge basis. Include only water and base wastewater volume. Exclude pollutant pounds, water and wastewater service, parcel stormwater, private fire, drought surcharge, taxes, adjustments, credits, and all other account-specific lines.
Scroll the table horizontally to compare all columns.
| Included line | 100 CCF | 80 CCF | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water commodity | $1,313.00 | $1,050.40 | −$262.60 |
| Wastewater volume | $1,020.60 | $816.48 | −$204.12 |
| Included variable total | $2,333.60 | $1,866.88 | −$466.72 |
The starting case is 100 × $13.13 plus 90 × $11.34 = $2,333.60. The reduced case is 80 × $13.13 plus 72 × $11.34 = $1,866.88. The $466.72 difference applies only to the two included base-volume lines.
20% usage check
$466.72
Qualified 20% base-volume reduction exposure
In the declared example, billed water falls from 100 to 80 CCF and assumed wastewater discharge falls from 90 to 72 units. The included water and base-wastewater lines decline by $466.72 for that model month.
Boundary: This is reproducible analysis, not a savings guarantee or an all-in SFPUC bill estimate. Pollutant strength, fixed service, parcel stormwater, private fire, inactive drought surcharge, taxes, credits, adjustments, and every account-specific line remain outside the figure.
Decision checklist
What to check first on the bill
- 1Confirm the account is on the nonresidential W-1C water schedule and match the billed volume to the meter-reading period.
- 2Verify the wastewater discharge percentage; do not assume the default 90% basis if SFPUC has approved an account adjustment.
- 3Separate water and wastewater service charges from the two usage-linked lines in the model.
- 4Collect pollutant-strength and sampling details for COD, suspended solids, and oil and grease before estimating wastewater exposure.
- 5Verify parcel permeable and impermeable area, stormwater credits, private fire, drought status, taxes, and other account adjustments separately.
Scope boundary
Where Smart Valve realistically fits
Smart Valve can be screened against controllable metered volume and the applicable water and base-wastewater volume attached to it. It does not change SFPUC’s customer class, meter-size service, wastewater fixed service, pollutant rules, parcel stormwater, fire protection, drought policy, taxes, credits, or account adjustments.
A credible assessment starts with at least 12 months of bills, meter details, the approved wastewater basis, pollutant records where applicable, and the property’s operating profile. The calculator is directional and does not reproduce SFPUC’s 90% discharge or strength-billing mechanics.
Related commercial water decisions
Track California commercial rate changes
Follow Prop. 218, wastewater, drought, meter, and infrastructure signals.
Compare Bay Area wastewater-strength billing
See another local schedule that separates flow and pollutant loading.
Separate volume, fixed, strength, and parcel charges
Build a bill map before applying any reduction assumption.
Review restaurant water and wastewater drivers
Connect kitchen volume with wastewater-strength exposure.
Prepare an SFPUC bill audit
Collect meter, discharge, strength, parcel, fire, and adjustment evidence.
Review estimate and source boundaries
See how source facts, assumptions, and analysis are separated.
Frequently asked questions
Did SFPUC adopt the FY2027 water and sewer rates?
Yes. The Commission adopted the FY2027 and FY2028 schedules at the April 28, 2026 hearing. The FY2027 rates apply to meter readings on or after July 1, 2026.
How is San Francisco nonresidential wastewater volume calculated?
The base FY2027 wastewater rate is $11.34 per discharge unit, generally applied to 90% of billed water unless SFPUC has approved a different account basis. Pollutant-strength charges and fixed service are separate.
Does lower water use reduce San Francisco’s commercial stormwater charge?
Not directly. The cited nonresidential stormwater component is based on permeable and impermeable parcel area. Qualifying green infrastructure may support a separate credit application.
Is an SFPUC drought surcharge included in this model?
No. The adopted schedule makes a drought surcharge conditional on Commission activation. This article does not claim it is active, and the model excludes it along with fixed, strength, stormwater, fire, tax, and adjustment lines.
Primary source trail
Sources and retrieval details
Published: Created June 30, 2026Effective: Meter readings on or after July 1, 2026Retrieved: July 12, 2026
Current adopted schedule controlling nonresidential water, wastewater flow and strength, fixed service, stormwater, fire, and conditional drought provisions.
Source URL: https://www.sfpuc.gov/sites/default/files/accounts-and-services/Rates_Schedule_Water_Sewer_2026-7.pdf
Published: Updated after the April 28, 2026 hearingEffective: July 1, 2026Retrieved: July 12, 2026
Official landing page confirming Commission adoption, July 1 effectiveness, and the utility’s stated infrastructure and capital drivers. The historical URL remains the agency’s adoption-status page.
Source URL: https://www.sfpuc.gov/accounts-services/water-power-sewer-rates/proposed-water-sewer-rates-2026
Published: April 30, 2026Effective: July 1, 2026Retrieved: July 12, 2026
Commission record providing durable adoption proof for the April 28 action and the FY2027–FY2028 schedules.
Source URL: https://www.sfpuc.gov/sites/default/files/about-us/commission/PostHN_4.30.2026.pdf
Published: Current program pageEffective: Current account programRetrieved: July 12, 2026
Official source for parcel-surface stormwater mechanics and the separate green-infrastructure credit application path.
Source URL: https://www.sfpuc.gov/accounts-services/water-power-sewer-rates/stormwater-component-and-credits
Screen only water and base wastewater volume
The calculator does not reproduce the 90% discharge basis, pollutant-strength charges, fixed service, parcel stormwater, credits, fire protection, drought surcharge, taxes, or account adjustments.