Malabar Utilities Guide: Water and Sewer Rates, Trash Pickup and Stormwater

Palm Bay Utilities is the water and sewer provider for the Town of Malabar, which sold its own water utility to Palm Bay in 2012, though the town plan says most Malabar homes use private wells and septic systems (Public Facilities Element, page 1).

The 2012 sale came with three conditions recorded in the Malabar plan: Malabar customers would be billed no differently than Palm Bay customers, the Palm Bay Utilities Department could operate in Malabar rights of way and utility easements, and Palm Bay would pay Malabar a 6% franchise fee. The town budget for 2026-2027 counts $8,500 in water franchise fee revenue (FY 26/27 revenue detail).

Septic tanks in Malabar are regulated by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Department of Health in Brevard County (Public Facilities Element, page 5). Four private package treatment plants serve three Malabar mobile home parks and the Harris Corporation, with permitted capacities from 10,000 to 35,000 gallons per day (page 4). Along the lagoon, the Malabar plan says public sewer and water do not extend into the Coastal Area, where all development uses a private well and septic system (Coastal Management Element, page 5).

A Town of Malabar home on the smallest residential meter pays Palm Bay Utilities a monthly water base charge of $18.08 and a sewer base charge of $28.85, plus usage, under rates effective October 1, 2026 (Palm Bay Utilities residential rates).

The posted Palm Bay schedule runs from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027, and the smallest residential meter it lists is the 5/8 x 3/4 inch size.

Palm Bay posts its water rates with Malabar in the same column as outside city customers, while sewer has a separate Town of Malabar column that sits between the inside rate of $26.23 and the outside rate of $32.79. The two official sources do not match on their face: the town plan records a 2012 condition that Malabar customers be billed no differently than Palm Bay customers, while the posted Palm Bay schedule charges Malabar more than inside city customers. A new Malabar account for a 3/4 inch meter needs a $100 water deposit and a $100 wastewater deposit, refundable after 36 months of timely payments, or a $5 credit screening.

Palm Bay says its utility is an enterprise fund with no property tax money, adjusts rates every October 1, and runs a formal rate study every five years or as warranted (Palm Bay Utilities service page). Malabar customers reach Palm Bay Utilities at 120 Malabar Road in Palm Bay, (321) 952-3400.

A Malabar household starting water or sewer service opens an account with Palm Bay Utilities, which requires either a deposit based on meter size or a $5 credit screening (Palm Bay Utilities deposits).

For a 3/4 inch meter on a Malabar home, the Palm Bay deposit is $100 for water and $100 for wastewater, held in a non interest bearing account and returned after 36 continuous months of timely payment. Credit screenings are offered only to individuals, not business accounts, and need the last four digits of a Social Security number. Larger meters carry larger deposits: $135 and $165 for a 1 1/2 inch meter, $225 and $265 for a 2 inch meter.

Trash service in Malabar is different: Waste Pro handles service, billing and cart size questions directly at (321) 837-0055 (Town of Malabar Solid Waste). Disposal is a county job, not a town one. The Malabar plan notes that Brevard County's Solid Waste Department owns and operates the Central Disposal Facility, the Sarno Transfer Station and Landfill, the Mockingbird Mulching Facility and the Titusville Transfer Station (Public Facilities Element, page 5).

Waste Pro USA has collected Malabar garbage, recycling and yard waste under a town contract since January 1, 2022, and service, billing and cart size questions go to Waste Pro at (321) 837-0055 (Town of Malabar Solid Waste).

The Malabar solid waste page needs a careful read. Its summary line still lists Wednesday for recycling, while a notice on the same page says recycling moved to Thursday beginning July 13, with July 5 the last Wednesday pickup, and no year is given. Waste Pro is the place to confirm the current day. The page also records why Malabar changed haulers: Waste Management told the Town Council in May 2021 that renewing would bring a significant increase, the town issued RFP 2021-01, and an evaluation committee recommended negotiating with Waste Pro of Florida.

For big piles after a storm, the town tells residents to call Waste Pro to schedule a claw truck (Town of Malabar News Flash), and it warns that rechargeable batteries must never go in the trash because they can start fires. The solid waste franchise fee is budgeted at $38,000 for 2026-2027 (FY 26/27 revenue detail).

Malabar pays for stormwater through a non ad valorem assessment on the Brevard County property tax bill, under the Brevard County Stormwater Utility Program the town joined in 2000 (Public Facilities Element, page 6).

The Malabar plan records the fee at $52 per ERU from 2017, with an increase to $64 per ERU planned for 2020. The Brevard County Tax Collector lists the Town of Malabar stormwater assessment with the town phone number, (321) 727-7764, and explains that non ad valorem assessments are set amounts rather than value based (Brevard County Tax Collector). The town budgets $129,000 in stormwater assessment revenue for 2026-2027 (FY 26/27 revenue detail).

One gap to flag: the town Stormwater page lists no current per ERU rate, and the $64 figure is a 2019 plan projection, so the tax bill itself is the record of what a Malabar parcel pays. Most rain that falls in Malabar reaches the Indian River Lagoon through Turkey Creek, Goat Creek or direct discharge (Town of Malabar Stormwater), including through two town outfalls, one about a quarter mile south of Malabar Road and one near U.S. 1 and Rocky Point Road (Public Facilities Element, page 8). The Stormwater and Drainage in Malabar guide covers the projects and permits.

Malabar collects franchise fees from its utility providers, and the 2026-2027 budget workshop revenue detail counts $296,455 from electricity, $38,000 from solid waste and $8,500 from water (FY 26/27 revenue detail).

Those fees sit in the Malabar general fund revenue detail, which also lists the $129,000 stormwater assessment, while the budget summary carries that assessment in a separate stormwater fund for stormwater projects (FY 2026-2027 budget summary). The town's own service provider table, dated July 2018, still names Waste Management Inc. for household trash and yard pickup (Public Facilities Element, page 1), so it predates the 2022 switch to Waste Pro; the Solid Waste page is the current record. The same table lists the Melbourne Tillman Drainage District and the St. Johns River Water Management District alongside Malabar Public Works for drainage.

The Stormwater and Drainage in Malabar guide is the one deep guide in this section today, and the table points each Malabar utilities question to its key fact and the official page that answers it.

Last verified: October 15, 2026, on the Town of Malabar, City of Palm Bay and Brevard County Tax Collector websites. Rates shown are as posted with an effective date of October 1, 2026.