Utility Billing

Wastewater Billing Error - Adjustments & Additional Information

We’ve identified an error in the calculation of wastewater rates for some of our customers. Rates for spring 2024 were mistakenly based on Winter 2023–2024 water use data instead of the Council-approved Winter 2022–2023 data. As a result, some customers were overcharged or undercharged.

  • Adjustments are being made to correct this issue, and all overcharged customers will receive a check in the mail. Checks will be issued starting in October. 
  •  On September 17, the Council voted to back bill customers $10 per unit, per month until each account is paid in full. 

If residents have questions, please contact Utility Billing at 760-839-4682 or UBCustomerservice@escondido.gov.

  1. What happened?
  2. How is wastewater flow estimated?
  3. Why did I receive a check in the mail?
View All FAQs

Utility Billing Payment Options

The fastest and easiest way to securely pay your City of Escondido utility bill is on the Payment Portal.

Visit the Payment Portal.

More Ways to Pay

  • Pay by Phone: Call 855-608-2480 to make a payment or check your balance 24/7
  • Pay by Text: Receive text notifications about your bill and have the option to pay via text message with stored payment. Sign up in your account or when you make an online payment.
  • Learn more about utility billing payment options

Utility Billing, which is a division of the Finance Department, is responsible for performing all accounting functions related to water billing. Presently, approximately 29,800 accounts are maintained through this office, with each of these accounts assigned to one of six billing cycles. The accounts are billed as follows:

  • Cycle 1 - Billed on the 1st of every month
  • Cycle 3 - Billed on the 15th of every other month: February, April, June, August, October and December. This cycle bills our non-water accounts.
  • Cycle 51 - Billed on the 4th of each month
  • Cycle 52 - Billed on the 11th of each month
  • Cycle 54 - Billed on the 18th of each month
  • Cycle 55 - Billed on the 25th of each month

Your bill cycle can be located on your Utility Bill in the top portion of your bill, under the due date. If you do not receive your bill within three days of the bill date, please call or log on to our website to get a copy. All bills are mailed so that you receive them by the bill date.

The monies for water services are maintained in a special water fund from which all water-related costs are expended. This fund segregation is used to enable the water section to be treated as a unique entity for accounting purposes. The water fund is a complete self-supporting fund with no tax money of any kind used for operating expenses.