Fort Lauderdale Utilities Guide: Water, Sewer, Trash and Power

The city supplies water and sewer, WM collects trash as the city's environmental services provider, and the power lines belong to Florida Power & Light (FPL) (City of Fort Lauderdale Utility Services) (City of Fort Lauderdale) (City of Fort Lauderdale undergrounding).

The City of Fort Lauderdale Utility Services Department says it provides water to 176,000 Neighbors, 300,000 visitors and six neighboring municipalities (City of Fort Lauderdale). Its wastewater system collects and treats an average of 36.3 million gallons per day at the George T. Lohmeyer (GTL) plant (City of Fort Lauderdale). Through Large User Agreements, that plant also treats wastewater for Oakland Park, Wilton Manors, Port Everglades and parts of Davie and Tamarac (City of Fort Lauderdale). Questions about water service and the new rates go to the city's Customer Service Center at 954-828-8000 (City of Fort Lauderdale).

WM (Waste Management) has been Fort Lauderdale's environmental services provider since Monday, July 31, 2023, collecting trash, recycling, yard waste and bulk trash (City of Fort Lauderdale). Sanitation is billed by the city on the same utility bill as water (City of Fort Lauderdale). Electricity is a separate FPL account; FPL's customer line is 1-888-988-8249, open Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and whose outage line, 1-800-468-8243, answers anytime (FPL).

Table sources: City of Fort Lauderdale (Utility Services) (Utility Billing) (Sanitation); FPL (contact page).

For the city's average customer using 5,000 gallons a month on a 5/8 inch meter, the city's water and sewer charges rose from $116.79 to $124.62 a month on October 1, 2026, an increase of $7.83 (City of Fort Lauderdale).

In the city's example, the water charge goes from $49.88 to $54.36 and the sewer charge from $66.91 to $70.26 (City of Fort Lauderdale). The City Commission approved the increase at its September 15, 2026 public meeting (City of Fort Lauderdale). Sanitation charges rose 5 percent on the same date (City of Fort Lauderdale).

Table source: City of Fort Lauderdale New Utility Rates (City of Fort Lauderdale).

The city's own page words the wastewater increase two ways. Its opening list says a 9% increase applies to fixed and commodity charges for both water and wastewater, while its footnote says the Water and Wastewater Comprehensive Rate Study creates an overall impact of 9% for water and 5% for wastewater, and its answer for commercial properties also gives 5% for wastewater (City of Fort Lauderdale). The sample bill matches the 5% figure: the Fort Lauderdale sewer line rises $3.35 on $66.91.

A second stale figure is still posted. The city's explainer written for its September 2023 rate hearings projected a 6.7% combined water and wastewater increase for FY 27, the year that began October 1, 2026 (City of Fort Lauderdale). The adopted FY 2027 figures above replace that projection. The city ties the increases to a June 2, 2026 rate study and to rising electricity, fuel and treatment chemical costs, and says the Water and Sewer Fund is an enterprise fund spent only on water and wastewater (City of Fort Lauderdale).

Since March 1, 2026, only property owners can open a new City of Fort Lauderdale utility billing account; existing tenant accounts stay in place unless service is disconnected (City of Fort Lauderdale Utility Billing).

If a tenant account is disconnected, only the property owner can reestablish service, and once an owner holds the account a tenant can receive bills in care of the owner (City of Fort Lauderdale). New service starts with a Utility Service Application and Agreement, sent by email to [email protected], by fax to (954) 828-5880, by mail, or in person at the Development Services Department, 700 N.W. 19th Avenue (City of Fort Lauderdale). New or reconnected account holders must provide a copy of settlement papers, the deposit and picture identification (City of Fort Lauderdale).

The Fort Lauderdale Utility Billing and Collections Office answers at (954) 828-5150 and is open in person Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and keeps office hours to 5:00 p.m. (City of Fort Lauderdale). Bills are due within 25 days of the billing date, and a one percent per month late penalty applies to outstanding balances (City of Fort Lauderdale). Paying by credit or debit card has carried a merchant fee of $1.95 to 2.95% since May 1, 2024, while recurring ACH and one-time EFT payments carry no fee (City of Fort Lauderdale).

The practical consequence for renters moving within Fort Lauderdale: a unit that needs a new account after March 1, 2026 has to have it opened by the owner, so the move-in date is best coordinated with the owner in advance (City of Fort Lauderdale).

Homes on city curbside service get trash pickup twice a week, recycling and yard waste once a week, and bulk once a month (City of Fort Lauderdale Sanitation).

Curbside service covers single family homes and multi-family properties with three or fewer units, each on the scheduled day shown on the city's collection map (City of Fort Lauderdale). Trash goes bagged in the black cart, and only household trash and food waste belong in it (City of Fort Lauderdale). The blue recycling cart takes only paper, glass containers, plastic containers numbered 1 to 7, metal cans and cardboard, and items are not bagged (City of Fort Lauderdale). Yard waste goes loose in the green cart, with larger cuttings accepted up to 12 feet long and 12 inches in diameter (City of Fort Lauderdale).

Carts go to the curb by 7:00 AM on collection day; the city's cart rule words the evening limit as no later than 6:00 PM the night before, while its electronics rule on the same page says no earlier than 6 PM the night before (City of Fort Lauderdale). Bulk trash goes out by 7 a.m. on the pickup day but no earlier than 24 hours in advance, in a pile no larger than 10 cubic yards, away from parked cars, fences, storm drains and power lines (City of Fort Lauderdale).

The City of Fort Lauderdale posts its 2025 Water Quality Report, based on monitoring from January 1 to December 31, 2025, and says its drinking water meets or exceeds local, state and federal requirements (City of Fort Lauderdale).

Federal rules require community water systems to deliver the report, also called a Consumer Confidence Report, by July 1 each year, and Fort Lauderdale's covers the water source, supply, treatment process and what the water contains (City of Fort Lauderdale). Questions about the report go to the Customer Support Center at 954-828-8000 or through FixIt FTL (City of Fort Lauderdale).

What is changing is where the water is treated. The city says the City Commission approved construction of the Prospect Lake Clean Water Center, which will replace the aging Fiveash water treatment facility, and that the rate increases since October 1, 2023 support it (City of Fort Lauderdale). The same page says customers gain automated water meters that show usage in real time and send leak notifications (City of Fort Lauderdale). Water and wastewater infrastructure and the Prospect Lake project are covered in the Fort Lauderdale water service guide, the one deeper guide in this utilities section.

Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods can bury overhead FPL, AT&T and Comcast lines through the city's Utility Undergrounding Program, which starts with an application from a neighborhood association (City of Fort Lauderdale).

A neighborhood association representative submits an application and fee to Public Works with a map, boundaries and required documents (City of Fort Lauderdale). The city then coordinates with FPL and the other utilities to confirm eligibility and get initial cost estimates, and a consultant prepares a conceptual study with preliminary costs for the association (City of Fort Lauderdale). Two ballots of property owners follow, and each needs at least 70% approval of returned ballots; the cost is repaid through a special assessment on the tax bills of property owners inside the boundaries, under City Ordinance Section 25-129, which the city revised in fall 2025 (City of Fort Lauderdale). In October 2026 the city listed Idlewyld and Riviera Isles in design, applications from Harbor Beach, Harbour Inlet, Rio Vista, Seven Isles and Sunrise Key, and Las Olas Isles as completed (City of Fort Lauderdale). When a project is finished, the city says the area is restored with new decorative street lighting and resurfaced roadways (City of Fort Lauderdale).

The city page cites FPL as saying undergrounding raises day-to-day reliability by 50% and reliability during storms by 85% (City of Fort Lauderdale). For outages before or after any such project, FPL's outage line is 1-800-468-8243 (FPL).

Last verified: October 18, 2026, on the City of Fort Lauderdale Utility Services, Utility Billing, New Utility Rates and Sanitation pages, and on the FPL contact page.