How Do I? - FAQ
Contact Information
The Main number to the City of Friendswood is 281-996-3200.
The non-emergency number to the Police Department is 281-996-3300
To see a list of department contact #s or see a locator map, click here
How do I
How do I get mosquito spraying in my neighborhood?
The county in which you reside sprays for mosquitoes. Please contact the appropriate office at the following number.
Harris County Mosquito Control
713.440.4800
Galveston County Mosquito Control
281.534.2726
How do I report a streetlight that is out?
The City of Friendswood provides the electricity for the streetlights in your neighborhood. However, the lights are maintained by either CenterPoint Energy in Harris County or Texas-New Mexico Power Company in Galveston County. To report any problems, please refer to the information below.
Harris County
CenterPoint Energy
713.207.2222
Press Option No. 4
Galveston County
Texas-New Mexico Power Company
1.888.866.7456
Code Enforcement
1. Inoperable and has an expired license plate or an expired inspection sticker and which is wrecked, dismantled, partially dismantled, or discarded; or
2. Has remained inoperable for a continuous period of more than:
a. Seventy-two consecutive hours if the vehicle is on public
property; or
b. Thirty consecutive days, if the vehicle is on private property.
A violation for having an unauthorized junk vehicle on your property visible from any city street is punishable by a fine.
The City of Friendswood has two separate departments that enforce the City’s junk vehicle ordinance depending on where the vehicle is located.
For vehicles on a city street [public right of way] please call the Friendswood Police Department: (281) 996-3300.
For vehicles on a yard or private residence visible from any city street please call the Community Development Division, Code Enforcement: (281) 996-3201.
Vehicles on city streets: During the time a complaint is filed with the dispatcher, the caller will be asked to provide the license plate, make, model and vehicle color if available, and the street or address where it is parked. An officer will respond and investigate. If it is determined that the vehiclemeets the criteria of a junk vehicle, a notice is attached to the vehicle and attempts are made to notify the owner. After 72 hours, vehicles still on city right of way are subject to immediate removal and disposal by the City. A city-approved tow company will then remove the vehicle.
Vehicles on property visible from city streets: Once the Code Enforcement division of Community Development Dept. receives a complaint regarding a junk vehicle on private property visible from any city street, Code Enforcement will respond to the location and investigate the complaint. If it is determined that the vehicle meets the criteria of a junk vehicle and is visible from any city street,
Code Enforcement will attempt to locate the last known address of the registered and legal owner of the vehicle.
Notices will then be sent to the registered owner of the vehicle, as well as the owner of the property on which the vehicle resides and must be removed within 10 days. After notice has been sent and if no hearing has been requested, if the vehicle remains on the residence after the 10-day period, the owner will be subject to a fine. If the vehicle continues to remain, the City seeks to remove the vehicle, dispose of it by a licensed vehicle wrecker, and recover any costs from the owner.
Water and Utilities
Utility customers must complete an application for service and deliver to our office at
The utility services provided by the City are Water, Sewer and Refuse (Garbage). Services. For details on setting up Utilities with the City of
The City of
As payment for your deposit, we accept cash, check, money order, Cashier’s check, MasterCard or Visa. Checks are made payable to City of
Deposits paid to initiate water service are held for a period of two years. Within that two year period, the account must reflect no more than two late payments and no disconnects. The deposit will then be credited to the bill at the two year mark.
A letter of credit or payment history is accepted in lieu of the $100 deposit. It is a letter or payment history that indicates the payment status on the water account. This is provided by the previous water company. The City of Friendswood Utility Billing department accepts letters of credit that are of a two year payment history and show that payments were made in a timely manner with no more than two late payments and no disconnections.
To obtain a letter of credit or payment history, contact either your current or previous water company.
Once the application for utility service and deposit is paid, water can be restored the next business day, excluding holidays.
There are various reasons for a high water bill. Each bill represents the previous two months of water, sewer and trash service. The water meter is read every two months through a contractor (Southwest Water Company). High bills may be due to more water usage, pool fillings, irrigating lawns more often or during dry spells and leaks that are on the property.
The City of
Reasons vary as to why your bill indicates a balance forward. Either a late penalty was applied after the bill was paid, a penalty fee was applied due to disconnection of water service or a returned check, an unpaid balance from the previous bill, or if the balance was rounded down leaving an unpaid balance.
The utility billing department bills four different billing cycles; two cycles per month. Although the City’s Ordinance is written in monthly terms, the City of Friendswood bills bimonthly. At this time, there is not an expected change on billing; therefore, the City will continue to bill on a bimonthly basis.
Payments can be made over the phone by using either a MasterCard or Visa.
Contact the Utility Billing office at 281-996-3232.
Payments can be made online through our website using a MasterCard or Visa.
To get set up,
click on Online Services
Select Utility Billing Online.
Select Create Password if you have your current bill and enter the requested information. (or click here now)
Another option is to select Email Us and submit an email to us requesting a temporary PIN.
Depending on the severity of the leak, sometimes the leak is noticeable and sometimes not. A running toilet is an indication of a toilet leak, although, some toilets may incur a “silent” leak, which is harder to detect. A recommended way to check for a leak is to allow at least 4-5 hours where no water is being used, or no toilets flushed. Read the water meter before the duration and read it again after the duration. The read should be the same; if the read is higher at the end of the duration, then that is a possible indication there could be a leak present (if no water was used or toilets flushed during the duration.)
Food coloring can be used to test toilet leaks. Just place a few drops of food coloring in the tank of the toilet. Allow a couple of hours to pass without flushing the toilet. If the food coloring has moved from the tank to the bowl of the toilet, then that is an indication the toilet has a leak.
Once a leak is detected and is confirmed it is on your property, then a plumber must be contacted to repair the leak. For toilets, you can purchase a toilet repair kit which will include materials needed for the repair.
The City of
The City of
1) a letter from the pool company who constructed the pool; the letter must state the nature of the pool filling, gallons that filled the pool and the dates the pool was filled;
2) a Request for Pool Adjustment form must be completed by the homeowner requesting the adjustment, which is available in our office.
