Residential water rates

IRWD uses a budget-based rate structure to calculate your monthly bill. Each customer is assigned a monthly water budget, and your water use rates will depend upon whether you stay within the monthly budget. Customers who use water efficiently get our lowest rates based on our actual costs to provide the service to you. Customers who waste water get higher rates based on our need to buy additional water from our most expensive source—imported water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

To estimate your bill and learn how saving water helps keep your rates low, use a rate calculator.

How do budget-based rates work? See this resource guide.

View complete rates and charges

What is on your monthly bill?

  • Monthly indoor and outdoor water use charges based on your monthly water budget and actual water used.
  • Applicable water and sewer fixed service charges, which are different than water use charges.
  • Applicable pumping surcharge.
  • Applicable credits and unpaid balances from the previous billing period.
  • Applicable setup and shut-off reconnection fees.
  • Your billing period is about 1 month but may vary depending upon when the meter is read. The billing period and number of days are printed on your bill.
  • Please see the FAQ below for specific information about each of these bill components

Understanding monthly residential water budget tiers

Understanding monthly residential water budget tiers
Tier 1: Low VolumeUp to 40% of monthly water budgetWater use within monthly budget
Tier 2: BaseFrom 41% to 100% of monthly water budgetWater use within monthly budget
Tier 3: Inefficient101% to 140% of monthly water budgetWater use over monthly budget
Tier 4: Wasteful141% and over of monthly water budgetWater use over monthly budget
  • Each residence is assigned a monthly water budget, which is based on several things, including the number of residents in the home, the square footage of the outdoor landscaped area, and the weather. For more details and specific formulas for single-family homes, condos, and apartments, see the FAQ below.
  • Your monthly water budget is printed on your monthly bill and can vary each month.
  • Residences are charged for water use based on the percentage of water use of the assigned total monthly water budget for the household. See the monthly water rate chart below.
  • Tier 1 and Tier 2 represent your total monthly water budget. If all your water is charged at the Tier 1 Low Volume and Tier 2 Base Rate, that indicates you have stayed within your water budget.
  • Water usage in Tier 3 Inefficient or Tier 4 Wasteful indicates you have gone over your monthly water budget, and IRWD was required to buy additional water from more expensive sources.

Monthly water rates beginning July 1, 2025

Tier% of monthly water budgetRates per CCF
(1 CCF = 748 gallons)
Tier 1 Low Volume0 – 40%$2.07
Tier 2 Base41 – 100%$2.72
Tier 3 Inefficient101 – 140%$7.51
Tier 4 Wasteful141+$18.60

Sample bills:

View a sample bill

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Type of home: single family home, attached home (condo), or apartment
  • Outdoor landscape area
  • Number of residents living in the home
  • The weather (Visit the Weather Center to learn more)
  • The number of days in a monthly billing cycle.  This can vary depending on when your meter is read. The number of days will be printed on your bill.
  • Your outdoor water budget is based on the square footage of irrigated landscaping and the amount of water necessary to maintain a healthy landscape that is composed of 60% warm-season turf and 40% drought-tolerant landscaping.
  • Outdoor square footage can vary for each residence.  When IRWD does not know your actual landscape square footage, we use a default square footage as noted below. The square footage used to calculate your outdoor budget is printed on your bill.
  • You can request a variance if your outside landscape area differs from the amount printed on your bill.
  • Single-family home default for outdoor: 1,300 square feet of landscape area
  • Attached home (condo) default for outdoor: 435 square feet of landscape area
  • Apartment: No landscape area (no variance available)
  • Your indoor water budget is based on the number of residents in your home.  You are assigned 50 gallons per person per day for your indoor water budget.
  • When IRWD does not know the actual number of people living in the home, we assign a default number of residents as noted below.
  • You can request a variance if the number of people living in the home differs from the default number. Variances must be renewed every year.
  • Single-family home default number of residents: 4 people
  • Attached home (condo) default number of residents: 3 people
  • Apartment default number of residents: 2 people
  • Your outdoor landscape needs more or less water depending on the weather.  For example, during the summer months, plants need more water, so you will have a slightly increased monthly water budget.  In the winter, your water budget will be reduced as you will need less water to maintain a healthy landscape.
  • IRWD uses weather monitoring stations situated throughout the service area to determine how to adjust your monthly water budget due to local weather conditions. Visit IRWD.com/commercial/et-weather-center for details.
If you are someone who likes to dig into details, we have them! Click here to see the technical formula used to determine your monthly water budget.  
  • The default billing cycle is 30 days, but it may be more or less depending upon when your meter is read.
  • For billing cycles that are longer or shorter than 30 days, the fixed service charges and water conservation credit will be billed on a proportional number of days. So, you may see small differences in the fixed charges from billing period to billing period
  • There is a separate water fixed service charge that does not include the cost of water used by the customer.
  • The water fixed service charge pays for IRWD operations, maintenance, and infrastructure costs.
  • This water fixed charge is based on your meter size, which appears on your monthly bill. Most residential properties have a 5/8 x 3/4 inch meter and incur a fixed per-month charge. See the full list of meter sizes and fixed charges
  • The monthly water fixed service charge for water is based on a 30-day period. Billing cycles that are longer or shorter than 30 days are billed on a proportional number of days. So, you may see small differences in the water fixed service charges from billing period to billing period.
  • The water conservation credit recognizes that low-volume users don’t fully use their reserved capacity in the system.
  • IRWD provides a two-dollar water conservation credit to users who are underutilizing the system and effectively “leasing back” to the system for use by other customers.  This prevents the District from having to upsize infrastructure as quickly as capacity is exhausted.
  • Customers who remain in the Low Volume Tier (tier 1) for 9 out of 12 months for the previous calendar year will receive a two-dollar water conservation credit for each month in the following year.
  • New customers must be with the District for a full calendar year before they can receive a water conservation credit.
  • The monthly water conservation credit is based on a 30-day period. Billing cycles that are longer or shorter than 30 days are billed on a proportional number of days. So, you may see small differences in the credit from billing period to billing period.
  • The sewer fixed service charge pays IRWD to operate and maintain the sewer system.
  • The monthly sewage service charge is based on a 30-day period. Billing cycles that are longer or shorter than 30 days are billed on a proportional number of days. So, you may see small differences in the fixed charges from billing period to billing period.
  • Customers with less than a full calendar year of history are charged the 90% rate.
  • See a chart itemizing the sewer fixed service charge.
  • A pumping surcharge is added for customers in locations that cause IRWD to incur additional pumping costs to supply their water.
  • The surcharge is based on the actual prevailing energy costs and varies depending upon the cost to pump water to the area served.
  • In 2023, IRWD completed a pumping surcharge cost-of-service study, resulting in changes to pumping surcharge areas and costs for some customers.
  • If you live in an area affected by a pumping surcharge, it is itemized on your monthly water bill.
  • See pumping surcharge maps with associated charges for:
  • Variances are given for additional occupants, special medical needs, and larger outdoor landscape areas, among other things.
  • IRWD encourages residential customers who feel they qualify to apply for a variance by completing a variance application.
  • All new customers receive a variance application with instructions.
  • Variances are effective on the date that the request is received by the District and are only good for a year. Customers must complete a variance renewal application every year. You will receive this renewal application in the mail on your one-year anniversary.
  • A one-time setup fee for new accounts is $30. For residential customers, a deposit of $75 may be required until a one-year payment history is established.
  • The shutoff reconnection fees are:
    • $57-$78 during business hours (certain exceptions may apply)
    • $172-$208 during non-business hours