[1]
Cross Reference: As to discontinuation of service for non-payment and liability for payment, Sections 705.240 and 705.250.
[R.O. 2011 § 700.150; R.O. 2009 § 51.40; Ord. No. 08-89, 5-9-2008; Ord. No. 09-144, 8-5-2009; Ord. No. 10-110 § 2, 5-26-2010; Ord. No. 10-235 § 1, 11-10-2010; Ord. No. 15-302 § 1, 12-15-2015; Ord. No. 16-251 § 1, 12-6-2016; Ord. No. 17-252, 11-21-2017; Ord. No. 18-160, 7-17-2018; Ord. No. 21-087, 6-1-2021; Ord. No. 22-023, 2-22-2022; Ord. No. 22-167, 12-20-2022; Ord. No. 25-041, 5-6-2025; Ord. No. 25-088, 12-2-2025]
A. 
Rates, deposits, fees and charges for water service shall be recommended by the Director of Public Works and/or the Director of Finance and established by ordinance. The rates and charges for water service as set forth herein are hereby established and shall be in full force and effect at 12:01 A.M. on January 1, 2026, and January 1 of each succeeding year as follows:
2026
2027
2028
2029
2030
Customer Classification:
City resident or commercial bi-monthly charge
$8.24
$8.65
$9.09
$9.54
$10.02
City resident rate per 1,000 gallons:
Tier 1 (0 - 7,000)
$5.11
$5.37
$5.64
$5.92
$6.22
Tier 2 (8,000 - 25,000)
$5.48
$5.76
$6.04
$6.34
$6.66
Tier 3 (< 26,000)
$5.93
$6.23
$6.54
$6.87
$7.21
County resident or commercial bi-monthly charge
$9.894$10.39
$10.90
$11.45
$12.02
County resident rate per 1,000 gallons:
Tier 1 (0 - 7,000)
$8.35
$8.76
$9.20
$9.66
$10.15
Tier 2 (8,000 - 25,000)
$8.94
$9.38
$9.85
$10.34
$10.86
Tier 3 (> 26,000)
$9.67
$10.15
$10.66
$11.19
$11.75
City commercial rate per 1,000 gallons
$5.39
$5.66
$5.94
$6.24
$6.55
County commercial rate 1,000 gallons
$8.78
$9.22
$9.68
$10.16
$10.67
Special bi-monthly charge
$8.24
$8.65
$9.09
$9.54
$10.02
Special rate per l,000 gallons
$4.86
$5.10
$5.36
$5.63
$5.91
B. 
Effective January 1, 2026, the minimum water meter charges for City residents and for County residents, based upon meter size, were established and are set forth in Section 150.030.
C. 
New Customer Deposit.
1. 
Each new owner-occupied water service customer and each new tenant water service customer shall pay to the City an initial deposit in the amounts stated in Section 150.030. The deposit shall be returned to the customer when:
a. 
The customer discontinues water service, in which case the City shall refund the deposit by first crediting the customer's account to offset the final bill and then issuing a check for any remaining amount due to the customer; or
b. 
The customer has no delinquent water bills during a two-year period, in which case the City shall refund the deposit by crediting the customer's account to offset subsequent bills.
2. 
No customer shall be required to pay a deposit who has previously owned or leased property in the City within the preceding five (5) years, paid the deposit, and had the deposit returned after the two-year period.
D. 
There is established an additional deposit requirement and a reconnection fee for all water service reconnections made during regular business hours; and for reconnections not made during regular business hours, an additional fee shall be charged. These fees are stated in Section 150.030. At the time a reconnection is made, the customer is required to pay to the City the full amount due on the delinquent bill, the additional deposit requirement and the reconnection fee. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no owner-occupied deposit account shall exceed one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) and no tenant water service customer account shall exceed two hundred dollars ($200.00). For purposes of this Section, regular business hours are Monday through Friday on days City Hall is open for business and between the hours of 8:00 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. There shall be no fee charged for emergency reconnection of water service.
E. 
Tap Reschedule Fee.
1. 
Forty eight (48) hours notice is required for scheduling taps.
2. 
The contractor is responsible for all excavations, shoring or sloping if needed and site restoration. The City of St. Charles Water Division reserves the right to deny tapping procedure if unsafe or hazardous conditions are present.
3. 
Upon arrival to the site, all material will be inspected by water division personnel to ensure compliance with material specifications. If materials are not in compliance or on site and ready for inspection, the tap must be rescheduled when materials are in compliance or on site ready for inspection and excavation is deemed acceptable. A one hundred dollar ($100.00) rescheduling fee must be paid prior to an appointment being rescheduled, to avoid any additional charges, the appointment must be cancelled two (2) hours prior to the scheduled time.
F. 
Meter Test Fee. Customers may request a water meter to be tested. The customer can make one (1) request during the life of the meter at no cost to the customer. Routine testing or testing to confirm any abnormalities will be done at the discretion of the Water Department. Customers may be charged the amount stated in Section 150.030 for additional tests requested by the customer if the meter testing shows the meter is within AWWA accuracy limits. Customers may witness the meter test by scheduled appointment only at the Public Works Facility.
G. 
There is established an additional fee equal to ten percent (10%) of the water service bill, or a minimum of five dollars ($5.00), for the late payment of the water service bill.
H. 
Effective September 1, 2009, water tap-on fees for City residents and for County residents, based upon water meter size, were established and are set forth in Section 150.030. Rates for unmetered and main extensions also are listed therein. Sprinkler systems that run off a domestic tap with more than twenty (20) sprinkler heads are subject to a fifty percent (50%) increase in the listed rates.
I. 
Water tap-on fees shall not be assessed for construction projects of the City.
J. 
Effective January 1, 2018, the annual fee for customers with unmetered fire protection based on the size of the fire line shall be the amounts set forth in Section 150.030, with reference to the tap size at a water main.
K. 
Failure of the City to submit a service bill or a delinquent notice shall not excuse the water customer from the obligation to pay for water service when the bill is submitted.
L. 
Whenever, for any cause, a water meter fails to operate, or for some reason a meter cannot be or is not read by the City, a reasonable estimate shall be made by the City of the amount of water supplied during such period and the customer/user shall be liable for payment based on the estimated amount of water.
[R.O. 2011 § 700.155; Ord. No. 19-074, 3-19-2019]
The Department of Finance is authorized to collect on behalf of the State of Missouri the annual Missouri primacy fee as imposed by Section 640.100.5(2), RSMo., as amended. The Department of Finance shall collect the applicable fee from each customer and shall remit the fee to the State of Missouri as required by law.
[R.O. 2011 § 700.160; R.O. 2009 § 51.03; Ord. No. 94-273, 10-19-1994; Ord. No. 19-074, 3-19-2019; Ord. No. 22-167, 12-20-2022]
A water main inspection fee shall be deposited with the City prior to the commencement of construction. This fee shall be charged at the rate of three hundred (300) linear feet of water main per day. In addition to the inspection fee, the contractor shall also obtain a construction permit. This charge is not refundable. Such fees shall be in the amounts stated in Section 150.030 and, upon collection, shall be deposited in the Street Maintenance and Improvement Fund of the City.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Section 700.160, Repair and Replacement of Water Lines, was renumbered 3-19-2019 by Ord. No. 19-074. See now Section 700.390.
[R.O. 2011 § 700.170; R.O. 2009 § 51.05; Ord. No. 99-408, 12-9-1999; Ord. No. 06-129, 5-18-2006; Ord. No. 19-074, 3-19-2019]
A. 
A fire hydrant permit shall be required for the jetting of streets in subdivisions and construction projects, for jetting sewer lines, storm sewers, etc.
B. 
A fire hydrant permit shall also be required for watering newly placed sod and/or grass seed in all residential, commercial and industrial developments and for filling swimming pools.
C. 
A fire hydrant permit shall be issued only to contractors who are licensed in and by the City of St. Charles and residents of the City of St. Charles. Notification of connection to fire hydrant must be provided twenty-four (24) hours in advance.
D. 
The permit fees are in the amounts stated in Section 150.030, and the following shall also apply
[Ord. No. 22-167, 12-20-2022]
1. 
For activities in Subsections (A) and (B) of this Section, the permit fee shall be non-refundable/non-transferable, per day.
2. 
For larger developments, the fees are as follows:
a. 
Residential areas: a per day permit fee plus five dollars ($5.00) per lot.
b. 
Industrial and commercial areas: a per day permit fee plus five dollars ($5.00) per ten thousand (10,000) square feet of land being developed.
3. 
For swimming pools to be filled by the City at the request of residential property owners, the permit fee is the amount stated in Section 150.030 per pool plus the cost per one thousand (1,000) gallons of water to fill the pool as calculated by the resident providing dimensions of the pool.
a. 
Scheduling depends on availability and work load, but requires forty-eight (48) hours' notice.
b. 
The resident must complete a waiver of liability for damages form prior to filling.
c. 
Pool filling will only occur during normal weekday working hours.
E. 
The City will waive the permit fee for licensed contractors who work under contract with the City performing work on a City-funded project.
F. 
An approved reduced-pressure-principle backflow prevention device must be provided by the contractor, and proof of testing within the last twelve (12) months must be submitted before a permit will be issued.
[R.O. 2011 § 700.175; Ord. No. 21-050, 3-2-2021]
A. 
Legislative Findings. The City Council finds that aid to the senior citizens, infirm residents and to the homeless located within the City benefits the public health and welfare. As such, the Council has determined that voluntary contributions by City water service customers to provide funding for elderly and infirm meal delivery services, homeless services and other services to benefit the senior citizens of the community provide a public benefit.
B. 
Voluntary Contribution Authorized. City water service customers may support meal delivery services, homeless social services and senior services (the "Program") by voluntarily contributing money by checking a box on the water service bill.
C. 
Segregation Of Funds; Annual Appropriations. All funds contributed to the Program shall be maintained in a separate fund. Subject to appropriation, each year's operating budget may contain a line item for each activity in the Program. No other City funds shall be used for the Program.
D. 
Priority Use Of Funds. On the effective date of this Section, the amount of money previously donated and not distributed for meal delivery services shall be used exclusively for meal delivery services, and subject to appropriation, at the rate of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00) per year until the previously donated money has been spent. In addition, on the effective date of this Section, all monies thereafter donated shall be used exclusively for homeless or senior citizen services until the amount of money previously donated for meal delivery services is expended. Thereafter, subject to appropriation, the first twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00) of monies donated each year shall be used exclusively for meal delivery services and the remaining monies donated that year shall be used for homeless or senior citizen services.