By opening an account with the City of Tuscaloosa Water & Sewer Department a customer accepts full responsibility for the account and any amounts due on that account until such time as the customer contacts the City to close the account or until the account is transferred to another individual.
A customer who feels that there is a billing error must notify the Water Business Office either in person or in writing prior to the delinquent date of the bill. This does not exempt the customer from paying the bill by the delinquent date.
Payments made by check or money order should be made payable to the City of Tuscaloosa. Please include the customer number on the check or money order. Allow at least five days for mail payments to post.
Payments made in our offices or drive-thru using a credit or debit card require proper identification. The person presenting the credit / debit card must be the person in the photo ID, and the name on the photo ID must match the name on the credit / debit card.
For proper credit, please return the bill stub with the payment in the envelope provided. Please also present the payment stub with payments made in person.
Please do not enclose correspondence with payments.
Checks
Please be advised that the City of Tuscaloosa processes check payments through an “electronic check debit system.” When a customer pays a water bill using a check, the City will electronically debit the customer’s bank account on the day we receive that payment or on the next business day. We will also create an electronic image of the customer’s check and destroy the check itself.
Paying a water bill using a check authorizes the City to process the check through the electronic check debit system described above.
Personal checks cannot be accepted on disconnected accounts with a balance on the disconnect date in excess of $200. The full balance must be paid with cash, certified check or debit/credit card before service will be restored.
Checks returned to the City by the customer's financial institution for any reason will result in the assessment of additional charges and possible service termination.
If a customer has two or more checks returned within a 12-month period this will result in suspension of a customer’s check-writing privileges.
If water service is disconnected for non-payment, the customer must pay the outstanding balance in full, including fees, before service will be restored.
Making a payment after service has been disconnected does not automatically schedule the reconnection of service. Customers should contact the Water Business Office either in person, by email at ubcontact@tuscaloosa.com or by phone during business hours at 205-248-5500 to request service reconnection.
Customers who have made payment and filed for service reconnection should insure that all faucets and fixtures are turned off at the service address. Technicians cannot leave a meter on at an address where water is believed to be left running. If this occurs then the technician will leave notice at the address and the customer will need to contact the Water Business Office to reschedule reconnection.
Disconnected or inactive accounts that continue to use water without properly reactivating the account may result in the meter being locked or pulled and additional fees being added to the account without further notice to the customer.
Delinquent Accounts and Service Restoration
Payments must be received in our office by the bill delinquent date. Otherwise, the account is subject to service interruption and additional fees.
If water service is disconnected for non-payment, the customer must pay the outstanding balance in full, including fees, before service will be restored.
Making a payment after service has been disconnected does not automatically schedule the reconnection of service. Customers should contact the Water Business Office either in person, by email at ubcontact@tuscaloosa.com or by phone during business hours at 205-248-5500 to request service reconnection.
Customers who have made payment and filed for service reconnection should insure that all faucets and fixtures are turned off at the service address. Technicians cannot leave a meter on at an address where water is believed to be left running. If this occurs then the technician will leave notice at the address and the customer will need to contact the Water Business Office to reschedule reconnection.
Disconnected or inactive accounts that continue to use water without properly reactivating the account may result in the meter being locked or pulled and additional fees being added to the account without further notice to the customer.
Rates and Consumption
Residential customers’ water consumption is billed in units of ten cubic feet. Ten cubic feet of water equals 74.8 gallons.
Sewer charges are based on a customer’s water consumption.
