Sacramento County Utilities
Sacramento County utilities customers may receive charges for garbage collection, sewer service, stormwater drainage, and water supply on a consolidated bill. This article explains which offices handle those services, how to manage an account and make payments, what to expect after a property changes ownership, and where to direct collection, sewer, water, and drainage requests.
Which Office Handles Your Utilities?
Consolidated Utilities Billing & Service, commonly called CUBS, is part of the Sacramento County Department of Finance. It provides billing and collection services for agencies responsible for refuse, water, sewer, and stormwater drainage. CUBS also bills for certain rental housing compliance programs, so a consolidated account may include charges beyond the utility services themselves.
The billing office and the agency providing a service have different responsibilities. CUBS handles account balances, payments, billing histories, mailing address changes, and customer service for County residential curbside collection. A sewer problem belongs with the Sacramento Area Sewer District, while questions about water service or drainage responsibility require the appropriate water or drainage agency.
The services billed to a property depend on its location. Having a Sacramento County address does not mean every utility comes from the County or appears on the same statement. Confirm the service address and the individual charges on your bill before choosing an office or submitting a request.
Residential Garbage Service Boundaries
The Department of Waste Management and Recycling provides residential curbside collection in unincorporated Sacramento County. Its residential service information excludes multifamily apartment complexes and mobile home parks served by commercial franchised haulers. Cities within the county have their own collection arrangements.
For County residential customers, CUBS provides billing and customer service for cart delivery, repairs, replacements, exchanges, and bulky waste appointments. A missed collection requires a different reporting route when the cart was already out by the required time. Those distinctions are explained below.
Water, Sewer and Drainage Providers
The Sacramento County Water Agency website offers a “Find My Water Company” tool, along with options for starting, stopping, or transferring service. Identify your water company before proceeding with a service request. The Water Agency’s countywide boundaries do not, by themselves, establish which company supplies water to a particular address.
For sewer service, the Sacramento Area Sewer District service lookup accepts an address and identifies the services and billing agency associated with that location. It distinguishes sewage collection from treatment and resource recovery. A property outside SacSewer’s service area may receive service from another agency or have a septic system.
Drainage responsibility also varies. The County Department of Water Resources primarily handles drainage and flood control in urbanized and urbanizing portions of unincorporated Sacramento County. Municipalities and local reclamation and flood control districts provide additional services within their jurisdictions. The County’s drainage responsibility lookup helps determine whether an address falls within the Stormwater Utility service area for drainage maintenance services and advice.
Your Account and Online Access
My Utilities is the County’s online portal for managing consolidated utility accounts. To establish a My Utilities profile, have a current invoice available. You will need both the utility account number and the parcel number shown on that invoice.
These numbers identify different things: the account number identifies the utility billing account, while the parcel number identifies the property. Use the number requested by the particular screen or form rather than treating them as interchangeable.
The sign-in page uses the County’s Single Sign On system, which also supports several other County services. New users can select “Register” to create online access. Once the utility account is connected, My Utilities allows customers to:
View bills and payments.
Manage bank account information.
Arrange one-time or recurring payments.
Manage payment reminders.
Change a mailing address.
Set up paperless billing.
Before contacting customer service about an account, gather the current bill, service address, account number, and parcel number. For a payment question, also have the payment date and amount available. These details help distinguish a billing issue from a service request involving the same property.
Reading a Consolidated Utility Bill
The County’s utility billing information explains the statement’s account details, service charges, adjustments, and payment options. Begin with the total amount due, prior balance, last payment, and current charges.
The total amount due includes past-due amounts, current charges, and adjustments. The printed due date applies to current charges only; it does not extend the deadline for an unpaid balance from an earlier statement. This distinction matters when a bill contains both a new billing period and an older delinquent amount.
Confirm that the service address matches the property you are reviewing. The customer’s mailing address may be different, especially when an owner receives bills somewhere other than the property receiving service.
Charges by Service Type
The detailed statement separates services and their billing periods. Sewer charges can include a local sewer charge for maintaining sewer pipelines and a regional sewer charge for wastewater treatment. Stormwater drainage appears separately from sewer service.
Waste collection details identify the type of service, collection commodities, and number of carts associated with the parcel. If a cart change appears to have affected the bill, compare the service description and cart count with the service you requested.
Water details identify metered or flat service. For metered accounts, the statement can show beginning and ending readings, consumption in cubic feet and gallons, and average daily use. Water charges may also include a pipe charge, capital development charge, and a usage discount where applicable. Review those components before assuming the total represents water consumption alone.
Billing Histories and Missing Statements
A billing history is useful when you need a missing statement, want to review an account dispute, or need a record covering a particular period. It provides a chronological record of financial activity, billed services, service periods, due dates, and a running balance.
Customers can request a billing history through My Utilities, by emailing SacUtilities@SacCounty.gov, or by contacting CUBS. Specify the period you need. A request for the last 12 months, for example, gives the office a clearer scope than a general request for account records.
Payment Options and Processing Times
The County offers recurring bank withdrawals, one-time bank payments, online and telephone e-check or credit card payments, mailed payments, and payment counters. Processing times and restrictions differ by method, so allow time for the payment to appear on the utility account.
Recurring Bank Payments
Recurring Electronic Funds Transfer, or EFT, deducts payment from a designated checking or savings account. In My Utilities, select “My Profile,” then “Auto Pay” to enroll. Continue paying your bill until you receive the confirmation email stating that EFT enrollment is active.
You will continue receiving a regular utility bill. The County states that withdrawals are processed on or about the due date, generally within one to two days before or after it. Payment information appears on the bank statement and the next utility billing statement.
There is a separate cutoff for stopping an upcoming recurring payment. EFT payments post to utility accounts by 6 a.m. on the Friday before the due date. A stop request received after that time cannot stop the current payment posting. Customers can request cancellation through CUBS or use “My Profile” and “Manage Bank Account” in My Utilities. Recurring EFT funds cannot be drafted from a credit card or ATM card.
One-Time Bank Payments
The “Pay now” option in My Utilities lets customers choose a one-time payment amount from a checking or savings account. The County describes withdrawal as occurring within one to two business days.
Submitted bank details undergo validation. If the County detects an issue, it responds by email within one to two business days so the information can be corrected. When the information passes validation, the County sends a confirmation email and submits the requested amount to the bank within one business day.
Review the bank information before submitting the request and monitor the confirmation email. A submitted request, the withdrawal from your bank, and the payment shown on a utility statement are separate stages of the transaction.
E-Check and Credit Card Payments
The County billing page also provides online and telephone payment options for e-checks and credit cards. E-check payments can use personal or business checking or savings accounts, although customers should verify that their bank participates. There is no customer charge for this payment option.
E-check payments may take up to three business days to process and appear in the account balance. Incorrect bank information can result in a returned payment fee of $53, so verify the account details before authorizing payment.
Accepted credit cards are Visa, Mastercard, Discover/Novus, and American Express. The credit card option carries a $4.95 processing fee per transaction. The payment limit is $500 per transaction, excluding that fee. To pay more than $500, the County’s instructions require additional transactions with a three-day waiting period between transactions. Credit card payments may also take up to three business days to appear in the account balance.
Mailed and In-Person Payments
Include the remittance stub when mailing a payment so it can be credited to the correct account. If you do not have the stub, write the utility account number on the check. The payment mailing address appears in the office list at the end of this article.
Payments are also accepted at the Mather payment counter and the Sacramento County Administration Building cashier’s window. Both accept cash, checks, and money orders. The Mather counter is on the first floor in Suite 100 and operates Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Administration Building cashier’s window is on the first floor and operates Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monthly Billing and Rate Assistance
Customers can request a change from a bill issued every two months to monthly billing. The monthly option adds a charge of 42 cents each month. Requests can be made by emailing SacUtilities@SacCounty.gov or contacting CUBS.
The billing page also provides access to rate assistance information. Review the applicable program’s application instructions and supporting-document requirements before submitting a request. SacSewer separately identifies a Sewer Lifeline Rate Assistance Program on its website; use the program associated with the service for which you are seeking assistance.
Property Ownership and Mailing Changes
Payment for County utility services is the responsibility of the property owner receiving those services. Sending a bill to a tenant or another mailing address does not transfer that responsibility.
After a Property Transfer
The County’s utility ownership change process relies on recorded ownership information and updates to County databases. CUBS imports that information to establish the new owner’s account and end the former owner’s account. This process can take up to three weeks after the ownership transfer.
In most cases, the new owner should receive a welcome letter within four weeks and a first bill within six to eight weeks of the transfer. Contact CUBS if the first bill has not arrived after eight weeks from the effective ownership date.
The former owner should generally receive a final bill within four weeks. If that statement has not arrived after four weeks, contact CUBS. Keep the effective transfer date available when asking about either a first or final bill.
Two Mailing Address Options
The County’s mailing address change instructions distinguish “All Correspondence” from “Utility Bill Only.” Selecting “All Correspondence” sends bills and other account notices to the new address. Selecting “Utility Bill Only” redirects just the bill; other correspondence continues to the existing address on file.
That choice affects where rate increase notices, lien notices, and other account correspondence are delivered. In My Utilities, select “My Profile,” then “Manage Mailing Address.” Contact CUBS for an APO/FPO address, a foreign address, or an address change involving someone added in care of.
Delinquent Charges and Property Responsibility
The County’s address-change instructions state that unpaid amounts incur an initial 10% delinquent fee, with continued delinquency resulting in an additional 3% fee applied to the initial charge. Charges constitute a lien on the parcel, and accounts unpaid for more than 120 days cause a lien to be recorded.
Charges remaining delinquent after March 1 may be transferred to the property tax bill and assessed an additional 10% penalty. After an account is brought current, the owner of record can request a release of lien document; recording the release involves a Clerk-Recorder fee. The County also states that vacancy credit is prohibited. Owners should continue monitoring account notices even when someone else receives the utility bill.
Garbage Collection and Cart Requests
The County’s residential collection service information describes weekly garbage and organics collection, recycling collection every two weeks, and monthly street sweeping. Available garbage and organics cart sizes are 30, 60, and 90 gallons. Recycling carts are available in 60- and 90-gallon sizes.
CUBS customer service handles cart delivery, replacement, repairs, exchanges, and billing questions. The County Utilities page provides separate request options for a broken or missing cart, adding or removing a cart, changing cart size, missed service, and bulky waste scheduling. Choose the request that matches the problem.
Missed Collection or Late Set-Out?
If a cart was set out by 6 a.m. on its regular collection day and service was missed, report the missed collection through County 311. CUBS customer service handles situations in which a customer forgot to set out a cart. Explain which situation occurred so the request reaches the appropriate service route.
When considering a cart change to reduce charges, distinguish garbage from recycling and organics. The County states that only the garbage cart’s size affects billing. Changing the size of an organics or recycling cart will not lower the bill.
Bulky Waste Appointment Limits
Standard residential curbside service includes one bulky waste pickup appointment for up to five cubic yards of acceptable material every 12 months. The 12-month period begins on the date the service is used; it does not reset each January.
Five cubic yards is approximately a pile measuring 8 feet by 4 feet by 4 feet. Additional appointments and material exceeding the included amount carry charges. The maximum accepted amount for a pickup is 15 cubic yards.
Appointments can be requested through customer service, the online appointment request, or the County’s SacGreenTeam app. When scheduling, identify appliances, electronics, fluorescent tubes, clean lumber or trimmings, and tires. Those materials must be separated to one side for recycling and may be collected by a different truck.
Materials and Placement Requirements
Accepted material includes bulky household items such as furniture and mattresses. Tires are limited to four. Pipes, lumber, and tree or shrub trimmings must be no more than four inches in diameter and five feet long. Appliances must be empty, with large doors removed or securely taped or tied closed.
Excluded materials include business-generated waste, concrete, dirt, rocks, bricks, tree stumps, glass panes and mirrors, liquids, household hazardous waste, treated wood, and household material accepted in regular curbside carts.
Place material out by 6 a.m. on the appointment day, but no earlier than 24 hours before pickup. Keep it in front of your property on the same side of the street, one foot from the curb or pavement edge on a flat, hard surface. Leave six feet from surrounding objects and 14.5 feet of overhead clearance. Do not block sidewalks, traffic, or gutters.
To add special items or cancel or reschedule an appointment, speak with a customer service representative at least one day beforehand. The County does not accept email or voicemail for these appointment changes.
Sewer, Water and Drainage Requests
Sewer Problems Need Direct Reporting
Report a sewer problem directly to SacSewer’s 24-hour response line rather than submitting a general utility billing inquiry. SacSewer responds to sewer emergencies seven days a week. Its address lookup helps establish service responsibility, while CUBS handles consolidated account questions and payments.
When preparing to report the issue, identify the affected property and describe the problem, such as a backup or slow drain. Keep the operational report separate from a question about sewer charges on the bill so each concern reaches the responsible office.
Water Service and Usage Questions
The Water Agency website offers service transfer options, rates and fees, irrigation schedules, water waste reporting, and information about water metering. Use its provider lookup before requesting a start, stop, or transfer.
For questions about measured consumption, compare the bill’s beginning and ending readings, consumption totals, and average daily use. The Water Agency also offers a free Water Wise House Call to assess irrigation system performance and check indoor plumbing. Its program information explains that service separately from billing and payment functions.
Drainage Maintenance and Storm Preparation
The Department of Water Resources drainage page provides a drainage service request option, sandbag location information, and flood alert enrollment. Confirm drainage responsibility for the address before submitting a maintenance request.
Stormwater utility charges support drainage engineering, operations, maintenance, and stormwater quality management in the County service area. They are separate from sewage collection and treatment charges. Matching the concern to drainage, drinking water, or sewer service helps avoid sending an operational problem to the billing office.
Utility Offices and Contacts
Consolidated Utilities Billing & Service 10481 Armstrong Avenue, Suite 210
Mather, CA 95655
10481 Armstrong Avenue, Suite 100
Mather, CA 95655
700 H Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
P.O. Box 1804
Sacramento, CA 95812
916-875-5555
Sacramento Area Sewer District 10060 Goethe Road
Sacramento, CA 95827
916-875-6730