Pay Your Bill Online — Now with No Fees
You can now pay your utility bill online without any processing fees. Whether you choose to use a credit/debit card or an electronic check, online payments are completely free.
With the online billing portal, you can pay your bill or enroll in Auto Pay, sign up for email billing, view your balance, billing history, statements, and water usage, and manage multiple accounts in one place.
The Town of Crested Butte provides monthly utility billing for water, sewer, and trash/recycling services.
- Meters are read around the 22nd of each month
- Bills are issued on the last day of each month. If this falls on a weekend, bills will be issued the following business day.
- Payments are due on the 20th each month.
- Late payments are subject to a 3% monthly penalty and additional fees
Utility Billing FAQs
- How is water consumption billed?
We use a tiered billing structure based on metered water consumption:
Base Allotment: Each property has a base allotment determined by multiplying its Equivalent Residential Use (EQR) times 4,000 gallons. Water usage within this allotment is billed at a fixed rate.
Excess Usage: Consumption beyond the base allotment is billed using a tiered rate structure.
Example:
A property with 1 EQR uses 10,000 gallons in a billing period. The first 4,000 gallons are included in the base rate.
- Charges:
- Water Base Rate: $48.32
- Sewer Base Rate: $62.51
- Trash Service: $28.97
- Excess Water Usage (6,000 gallons):
- Tier 1 (5,000 gallons at $5.40/1,000 gallons): $27.00
- Tier 2 (1,000 gallons at $6.02/1,000 gallons): $6.02
- Total Bill: $172.82
- Charges:
- What is the base allotment and why did it change?
The base allotment is now 4,000 gallons per EQR to encourage water conservation. Analysis showed that 72% of users consume less than 4,000 gallons monthly in winter (38% in summer).
- What does EQR stand for?
EQR stands for Equivalent Residential Use. EQR is the estimated use of the Town's water and sewer systems by a single-family residence of up to 1,875 square feet. Nonresidential uses and larger residential uses are calculated using the equivalent residential use as a basis. For more information on EQR see Town Code Section 13-1-170.
- Why did rates increase for 2025?
Town Council approved a utility rate increase to support revenue generation for critical improvements to the Town’s waterworks infrastructure. A financial analysis of the Enterprise Fund that provisions the Town’s water and wastewater operations reveled a significant gap in the projected cash flow required to support over $100 million in necessary maintenance and improvements over the next 20 years.