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Water & Utilities

Show All Answers

1. How do I set up water service?

Utility customers must complete an application for service and deliver to our office at 910 S Friendswood Drive at least one business day before services are initiated or transferred, for details visit our City Rates and Services page.

For contact information and a links to application forms, visit our Utility Billing page.

2. What utility services does the city offer?

The utility services provided by the City are water, sewer and refuse (garbage) services. For details on setting up Utilities with the City of Friendswood, visit our City Services and Rates page.

3. How much is the deposit and what is it for?

The City of Friendswood requires an Application for Utility Service and a deposit. To have your deposit waived, we require a two year "payment history" or "Letter of Credit" from your current water utility provider current within last 90 days, which shows no more than one late payments. Apartment complex water payments do not apply.

For more details on current deposit rates, visit our Establish Service page.

4. How can I pay for the deposit?

As payment for your deposit, we accept:

• Cash
• Cashier’s check
• Check
• Credit/Debit cards (MasterCard, Visa or Discover)
• Money order

Checks are made payable to City of Friendswood. For more details, visit our City Services and Rates page.

5. How long do you keep the deposit?

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 one late payment and no disconnects. The deposit will then be credited to the account at the two year mark or upon termination if account closed before 2 years.

6. What is a letter of credit?

A letter of credit or payment history is accepted in lieu of the 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 within last 90 days and show that payments were made in a timely manner with no more than one late payments and no disconnections.

7. How do I obtain a letter of credit?

To obtain a letter of credit or payment history, contact either your current or previous water company.

8. How soon can I get water service?

Once the application for utility service and deposit is paid, water can be restored the next business day, excluding holidays.

9. Why is my bill so high?

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 (Severn Trent).

• High bills may be due to:
• More water usage
• Pool fillings
• Irrigating lawns more often or during dry spells
• Leaks that are on the property

10. How often do you bill?

The City of Friendswood bills water, sewer and trash services on a bimonthly (every-other-month) basis.

11. Why do I have a balance forward on my bill?

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, or an unpaid balance from the previous bill.

12. Can I get a bill every month versus every other month?

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.

13. Can I pay my bill over the phone?

Payments can be made over the phone by using either a MasterCard, Visa or Discover.

Contact the Utility Billing office at 281-996-3232.

14. Can I pay my bill online?

Payments can be made online through our website using a MasterCard, Visa, or Discover.

To get set up, visit our Utility Billing website, and select Quick Pay or Register/Login Account if you have your current bill and enter the requested information.

15. How do I sign up for the City of Friendswood Watersmart Portal?

The Watersmart portal is now live.  Click on https://friendswoodtx.watersmart.com/index.php/welcome to sign in or create an account. 

16. Do I have a leak?

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. 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.

A recommended way to check for a leak is to allow at least 4 to 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.)

17. How can I fix my 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.

18. Will the city adjust my bill because of a leak?

The City of Friendswood does offer a one-time adjustment due to a leak. This does not apply to defective or out-of-repair faucets or other plumbing fixtures such as toilets.

You must complete an Application for Excusable Defect and return to the billing office after you receive your bill reflecting the leak. The process can take up to two weeks and the due date of the bill does not change.

19. Do I get a 'break' on filling my swimming pool?

The City of Friendswood calculates sewer charges based on Winter Quarter Average (WQA) so pool adjustments are not offered. The water consumption from the December through February or November through January bills are combined and divided by two to obtain the WQA for sewer charges.

The WQA is recalculated every year and this is the figure used for the upcoming year. If you are filling a new pool or draining and refilling a pool due to repairs during the billing periods listed above, please provide a letter from the pool company stating the dates of the fill and the gallons used so this can be taken into consideration when recalculating the WQA for the upcoming year.