Utility Billing
City utility bills (not to be confused with private utility bills), include charges for water usage, sanitary sewer, street lights, storm drainage, and recycling.
Utility Billing: Moving In & Moving Out
Moving In
Customers moving into the city must contact utility billing at 763-593-8016 to set up an account. Note: New customers must wait for their first bill to arrive by mail before setting up an online account.
Moving Out (Final Meter Reading)
Anywhere from four weeks to two days before closing, fill out the Final Meter Reading For Closing Bill (PDF) form and submit it in person, by mail, or by email at finance@goldenvalleymn.gov and provide name(s), phone number, and a forwarding address for your final bill.
Paying Your Bill
Residential utility bills cover three months and are mailed quarterly. Commercial, industrial, and multi-family utility bills are sent monthly. You can pay online, by mail, or in person.
Online
Visit our Online Bill Pay Portal. No fees, it's free! View or pay bill online anytime. Multiple payment options are available. Pay multiple accounts in one transaction. Sign up for email or text reminders.
By Mail Or In Person
Tear off the top half of your bill and mail it to the City of Golden Valley (see address on the right side of the bill) or put it in the drop box located near the front door of City Hall along with a check or cash (no credit cards). Payment must be received on or before the date listed (postmark date is not acceptable) to avoid a 10 percent penalty fee.
Delinquent Utility Bill Assessments
Residents who don't pay their City utility bills are charged an administrative fee, which is added to the amount owed and certified to their property tax bills as a special assessment. Certification occurs at a public hearing in October for bills delinquent more than 45 days.
For more information about utility bill assessment, call the Accounting Manager at 763-593-8033.
Water Assistance Program
MN Benefits will help with utility bills when households are threatened by disconnection. Households would need an active disconnection notice to receive help.
If this describes your situation, please apply for assistance online through MNbenefits.mn.gov or call 612-596-1900.
Understanding Your Bill
The information in the "Account Summary" box on your bill is an itemized report of the amount you owe:
- Billing: This is the amount of your last utility bill. If your bill is higher this time, you are using more water.
- Errors: If errors are discovered from your meter read, Minn. Stat. §444.075, subd. 3 requires the City to impose “just and equitable charges for the use” and availability of metered water. Minn. Stat. §541.05, subd. 1 allows the City to go back up to six years to correct billing errors. Minn. Stat. §216B.098 outlines terms of the payback period for customers.
- Payments: This is the amount you paid on your last bill. More than likely, you have paid the bill in full and your payment will be equal to your previous bill.
- Adjustments and Penalties: If there are any adjustments to your bill, or if you were late with your last payment, the amount you are penalized or credited will show up here.
- Balance Forward: This is the total amount due since your previous bill, including payments, adjustments or penalties.
- Current Charges: This is the amount you owe for current services used.
- Total Amount Due: This is the amount you need to pay by the due date printed on your bill.
EyeOnWater allows customers to not only view, but understand their water usage easily throughout their billing cycle with consumption graphs. It also provides the opportunity to track usage and establish alerts to detect high usage caused by a leaky toilet, sprinkler system, or something similar. Please note, since the reading system was only recently installed, readings prior to 2021 are not available.
EyeOnWater can be accessed online or via a mobile app. For best results online, use the browsers Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, or Safari.
Signing Up
- Visit the EyeOnWater Signup page
- Enter your service or billing Postal Code and your customer number, which can be found on your utility bill
- Enter your email and create a password
Besides the actual service (such as delivery of water), your fees fund maintenance and improvement of the City's utilities systems as a whole. The fees below are effective as of April 1, 2025.
Water
Golden Valley buys its water from the City of Minneapolis. The amount you owe for water depends on the number of gallons you used during the billing period:
- There is a minimum charge of $24.15 per quarter (meter size 1 inch or smaller) based on meter size for the first 1,000 gallons used
- After that, water rates are $7.80 per 1,000 gallons of water per quarter up to 79,000 gallons used
- For usage over 79,000 gallons, the rate is $7.83 per 1,000 gallons per quarter
Sewer
Residents are charged for each billing period to cover costs for the disposal and treatment of sewage via metrowide sewage treatment plants operated by Metropolitan Council Environmental Services. Sewer rates are based on how much wastewater residents put into the system, which is measured by winter water consumption. Rates are:
- $91.03 for those that use 5,000 gallons of water or less
- $94.39 for those that use 6,000 to 15,000 gallons
- $103.81 for 16,000 to 19,000 gallons
- $118.36 for 20,000 to 25,000 gallons
- $155.08 for 26,000 to 39,000 gallons
- $178.58 for 40,000 to 59,000 gallons
- $192.10 for 60,000 to 79,000 gallons
- $217.19 for 80,000 to 99,000 gallons
- $257.76 for 100,000 gallons or more
Irrigation Accounts
Accounts are billed monthly, from April through November. For all accounts, any water usage will be billed with the water rates listed above.
Recycling
Traditional Recycling Rates are $19 per quarter for citywide biweekly recycling service. This fee also covers the annual Spring Brush Pick-Up and Fall Leaf Drop-Off.
Organic Recycling
Organic Recycling Rates are $20 per quarter for citywide weekly service.
Storm Drainage
This $30 quarterly fee is based on acreage and type of property use (typical residential lot is 1/3 acre). It covers the cost for water quality ponds, storm drainage, street cleaning, projects included in the City's surface water management plan, and improvements made to the City systems that coincide with the pavement management program.
Scheduled Water On/Off
Scheduled Water On/Off is $25 per event. Emergency service (same day shut-off) is $175.
State Light Rates
Street Light Rates pay for one-half of the maintenance for the city-wide street light system that includes Xcel costs.
- Ornamental rate: $14.39
- Overhead rate: $9.92
State Testing Fees
The State charges Golden Valley to test its water for impurities. This $2.43 fee is set by the Minnesota Department of Health and sent to them as a pass-through.
Note: Commercial and multi-family housing customers are billed monthly.
Additional Fee Resources
How To Read Your Water Meter
- Current Reading: Your meter measures the water you use in thousand gallon units. If your current reading is 1200, that means you have used 1,200,000 gallons of water since your meter was installed. Your water meter is the most accurate source for readings.
- Previous Reading: The difference between your previous reading and your current reading is the amount of water you have used during the billing period.
- Estimate Read: This only shows on the bill when the City is unable to get an actual read.
- Read Date: The date that the read is taken on the meter.
- Meter Number: The meter number is the actual serial number of the meter.
- Usage: This is the amount of water you have used in the three-month billing period (measured in thousand gallon units). For example, usage of 15 units equals 15,000 gallons of water.
- Other Consumption: This is reserved for businesses; most homes won't have any other consumption.
- Total Consumption: This is the total amount of water you used during the billing period.
- Total Water Consumption: This is the actual number of 1,000 gallons the user is billed.