RATES, CHARGES AND FEES

Current Rates, Charges, and Fees

The District is committed to cost-efficient operations and financial planning to maintain its award-winning wastewater and stormwater utility and to protect public health and the environment. District rates, charges, and fees are typically billed and collected by the City of Fairfield and City of Suisun City. 

For current wastewater rates, charges, and fees please see the Fee Schedule below and related Resolutions and Ordinances. 

FSSD Fee Schedule Effective 07/01/2023

Additional Information

Sewer Service Charges

  • Homeowners are charged a flat monthly Sewer Service Charge per dwelling unit, which applies to single-family homes; individual units in multi-family structures such as duplexes, condominium units, apartment buildings, and individual units in mobile home parks.
  • Sewer Service Charges pay for collection, conveyance, and treatment of the wastewater that homes and businesses in our service area generate. Monthly service fees also fund necessary repairs or replacement of damaged sewer lines as well as ongoing maintenance of the wastewater treatment plant. 
  • The monthly Sewer Service Charges for commercial customers are based upon the volume of wastewater discharged during each billing period, measured in Hundred Cubic Feet. 
  • Commercial customers are grouped into “Regular Strength” users that produce effluent containing modest percentages of contaminants, and “High Strength” users that place greater demands on the District’s treatment system. For example, offices, schools, nursing homes, motels, and hotels pay less per hundred cubic feet of discharged water than do commercial laundries, restaurants, bakeries, and commercial food processing operations. 

Sewer Capacity Charges

  • Capacity Charges are one-time fees charged to new or expanded connections to the District’s sewer system designed to help recover the costs of infrastructure and assets benefiting new development. 
  • Capacity Charges are calculated using the Buy-In approach. Under this methodology, new customers are entitled to service at the same price as existing customers and pay an amount based on the current system value by taking the value of existing assets and netting the value of depreciation. 
  • Capacity Charges are typically calculated based on the use and square footage of the building. For more information, please refer to the Fee Schedule or Ordinance 2022-02. 
  • The building and planning departments of the City of Fairfield and City of Suisun City collect most Sewer Capacity Charges for the District. 

Storm Drain Maintenance

  • Working with the cities it serves, the District provides supplemental funding to maintain the regional and local drainage facilities within our jurisdiction. That includes facilities constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as part of the Fairfield Vicinity Streams Project. 
  • In 1988, the federal and state governments, as well as the cities of Fairfield and Suisun City, agreed that the Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District would be the agency responsible for the operation and maintenance of drainage facilities constructed as part of the federal Fairfield Vicinity Streams Project. This work includes (1) operating and maintaining such storm drain facilities as stormwater pumping stations, pipelines, channels, natural creeks, detention basins, bridge foundations, sloughs, culverts, etc., and (2) working with the Regional Water Quality Control Board, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other agencies in promulgating non-point source pollution control regulations.  
  • To fund such activities, costs are analyzed annually, and fees are imposed to recover such costs. Fees are based on the amount of runoff contributed to the storm drain system, based on a 1988 drainage study that allocated runoff factors for different types of land uses.  
  • The cities of Fairfield and Suisun City manage all other stormwater maintenance issues within their boundaries.  The Cities hold NPDES permits and are responsible for compliance with the NPDES permits.  District storm drain maintenance fees do not cover those costs. 
  • Rates have remained unchanged since 2001. 

Cost of Service and Rate Study

Every five years the Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District works with an independent consultant to complete a Cost of Service and Rate Study which reviews and analyzes the District’s historical and budgeted operating costs, multi-year capital program, outstanding debt service obligations, financial plans and policies, and operating and capital reserve targets. 

Resolutions and Ordinances

See the links below for the Ordinances and Resolutions related to Rates, Charges, and Fees.

Frequently Asked Questions

How will I be billed for Sewer Service Charges?

The cities of Fairfield and Suisun City collect Sewer Service Charges for the District, as part of their municipal utility bill. Certain residents living in unincorporated areas may be billed through the Solano County Property Tax Roll.

Please visit the city websites for additional information, including online bill payment.

How will I be billed for Storm Drain Maintenance Charges?

Storm Drain Maintenance Charges are billed through the Solano County Property Tax Roll,. The Storm Drain Maintenance Charges will appear on Secured Property Tax Statements with the description”F-S SD Drainage Maintenance.”

Does the District have a permit counter?

The District does not have a permit counter. Permits are issued through the cities of Fairfield and Suisun City, who also collect the Sewer Capacity Charges.

For more information, please visit the city websites below:

Does the District offer discounted rates for seniors or low-income households?

The District is constrained by voter-approved Proposition 218 requirements as well as state laws and regulations that mandate that all customers must pay their proportional share of the cost to provide wastewater service. The District is not allowed to subsidize one portion our of customer base by charging higher Sewer Service Charges for other customers.

The District’s Cost of Service and Rate Study provides the methodology to determine the proportional share of wastewater services and related Sewer Service Charges for customers.