St. Petersburg Water Utility: Rates, Watering Rules and Service

The City of St. Petersburg Water Resources Department delivers and bills tap water inside the city, and the water itself comes wholesale from Tampa Bay Water, a regional utility the city helps govern.

St. Pete drinking water comes from a combination of ground and surface water and passes through a three-step treatment process before it reaches homes, and all of it is disinfected with chloramines (City of St. Petersburg). Questions about water quality go to the Water Resources Department at 727-893-7261.

Tampa Bay Water supplies wholesale drinking water to Hillsborough County, Pasco County, Pinellas County, New Port Richey, St. Petersburg and Tampa, reaching more than 2.6 million people through those governments (Tampa Bay Water). A nine-member board sets its policies, with one elected representative from each member city, so St. Petersburg holds a seat. The agency was created in 1998 out of the West Coast Regional Water Supply Authority, and its Tampa Bay Seawater Desalination Plant, added in late 2007, can supply up to 25 mgd.

One change since 2025: starting the week of June 16, 2025, St. Petersburg stopped adding fluoride to its drinking water to comply with a Florida law signed May 15, 2025, and the naturally occurring fluoride in Tampa Bay Water sources generally ranges between 0.15 and 0.50 ppm (City of St. Petersburg).

Under rates that started October 1, 2026, a St. Petersburg house pays $11.83 a month for the standard meter, four rising usage tiers that start at $4.68 per thousand gallons, and $2.66 per thousand for Tampa Bay Water.

The rates cover Oct. 1, 2026 to Sept. 30, 2027, and the $2.66 Tampa Bay Water charge is billed on every gallon in addition to the city tiers (City of St. Petersburg rates). Inside city limits every one of these water charges is subject to the 10% utility tax, and outside St. Petersburg the rates run 25% higher except where City Council has approved a different arrangement.

An example from the posted figures: a house on the standard meter that runs 6,000 gallons in one billing period pays $11.83 for the meter, $16.38 in tier 1, $17.85 in tier 2 and $15.96 passed through for Tampa Bay Water, a water subtotal of $62.02 ahead of the 10% tax. The third block jumps to $16.93 per thousand, so every gallon beyond 7,000 in a month costs more than double the tier 2 price.

A new connection for a 5/8 x 3/4 meter costs $1,493.60, and the Utility Customer Service Center answers billing calls at 727-893-7341, option 0, on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. (City of St. Petersburg rates).

St. Petersburg bills wastewater on the same water meter reading: $30.40 a month for the standard meter and $11.72 for every thousand gallons the meter records.

The city says no economical method exists to measure how much water a home sends down the drain, so sewage disposal is charged by the water registered on the meter, with a base charge set by meter size (City of St. Petersburg rates). For the same 6,000 gallon month, sewer adds $30.40 plus $70.32, or $100.72, which outweighs the $62.02 water subtotal on a St. Pete bill.

Not every address on a St. Petersburg water bill pays city sewer rates. In South Pasadena and St. Pete Beach, the sewer rate on a city water account is set by that town, and in most unincorporated pockets Pinellas County sets it (City of St. Petersburg rates). Customers with an in-ground irrigation system can use an irrigation-only water meter, which carries higher volume rates but no sewer charges.

St. Petersburg is under a Modified Phase 3 water shortage order that limits lawn watering with city water to one day a week, Saturday for even addresses and Sunday for odd addresses.

The city order allows watering of established lawns from 5 to 9 a.m. or from 7 to 11 p.m., using only one 4-hour slot (the city FAQ lets properties of one acre or larger use both), and hand watering of non-lawn landscape any day before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m. (City of St. Petersburg). The same limits apply to private wells and lakes or ponds inside city limits.

The order comes from the Southwest Florida Water Management District, which extended its Modified Phase III one-day-per-week restrictions through March 31, 2027 after below-average rainfall in the 2025 and 2026 rainy seasons and a 12-month rainfall deficit of 15.4 inches through August 2026 (SWFWMD). The district rules cover all of Pinellas County and allow a 60-day establishment period for new lawns and plants, but the district tells residents to check city rules first, and inside St. Petersburg new plants and sod on city water need a 30-day variance from the Water Resources Department at 727-893-7261 (City of St. Petersburg).

The two official pages also differ on the end date. The SWFWMD page says the restrictions run through March 31, 2027, while the city watering page, checked October 15, 2026, still answers that the restrictions last until October 1, 2026 unless extended, modified or rescinded by the SWFWMD; the district extension is the later statement (City of St. Petersburg).

The local insight from the district page: Tampa Bay Water's C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir, part of the supply behind St. Petersburg taps, held only 7.87 billion gallons as of Sept. 20, about half its storage capacity, and the district says area rivers, lakes and public supplies were not replenished by the summer rains, the reason the once-a-week limit stays in force (SWFWMD).

Reclaimed water in St. Petersburg is treated wastewater piped back for irrigation in purple lines, with a monthly unmetered charge of $46.36 on lots up to an acre in the neighborhoods the purple network reaches.

St. Petersburg built the earliest water reclamation system in the United States, according to the city, and it still ranks among the largest anywhere, and marks reclaimed pipes and fixtures with the color purple (City of St. Petersburg). A lot up to one acre pays $46.36 a month unmetered, each acre beyond that adds $26.57, and metered service is $1.28 per 1,000 gallons with a $46.36 minimum, plus the 10% city tax (City of St. Petersburg rates).

A dry weather protocol is in effect: the city has temporarily lowered reclaimed pressure, so customers may notice decreased pressure from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., to keep enough water for overnight and early morning irrigation, and reclaimed users are asked to keep to three days a week, even addresses Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and odd addresses Wednesday, Friday and Sunday (City of St. Petersburg). The Water Resources Dispatch Line, 727-893-7261, takes pressure questions, and 727-892-5111 handles new reclaimed or irrigation-only service.

New St. Petersburg customers start City utility service by calling 727-893-7341, option 0, or visiting the utility office at 325 Central Ave., with a deposit that begins at $100.

The deposit depends on property location, and the city asks for a name, date of birth, Social Security number, phone number and the service address (City of St. Petersburg). Single-family customers can offer a utility reference letter instead of a cash deposit, and multi-family and commercial customers can use a surety bond or irrevocable letter of credit.

A useful step before moving in: residents may request a usage average for the address based on the prior resident, which, paired with the rate table above, gives a fair estimate of the first St. Pete bill (City of St. Petersburg). Residents who fall behind can arrange payment plans through the same 727-893-7341 line, and 211 Tampa Bay Cares lists other assistance (City of St. Petersburg rates).

Last verified: October 15, 2026, on the City of St. Petersburg, Tampa Bay Water and Southwest Florida Water Management District websites, for the St. Petersburg water rates and rules above.