Sanitary Sewer

The City of Lakewood provides sanitary sewer services to 7,000 customers in north Lakewood, taking wastewater from toilets, showers and sinks to a treatment plant. Sewer bills for these customers begin with the number 2 and are sent at the end of every other month in the odd months (January, March, May, etc.). All other properties in Lakewood receive their sewer service from other sewer providers.

Find your sewer provider:

Enter your address in My Neighborhood

Or see the map of sewer boundaries

What is a sewer?

A sewer system is a network of pipes located within your home, behind walls and under floors that carry all your home’s wastewater to an underground lateral line. This lateral line connects your home to the city’s main sewer system. All pipes within your home, including the main lateral line, are your drainage system and your responsibility to maintain. However, any pipes located in the street are part of the city’s main sewer system and are the city’s responsibility to maintain.

If you ever face a problem with your home's sewer system, it could be a result of a clogged drain in a specific area of your house. However, the main lateral line that connects your house to the city's sewer system can also sag, leak, or rupture. In such a scenario, you may notice a backup of water in the lowest level of your house, in your yard, or near the sidewalk. It's important to note that this issue is still a part of your system, and it's your responsibility to fix it.

See sewer responsibilities and tips

Learn more about sanitary sewer utility and maintenance as well as sanitary sewer engineering for new buildings from the Public Works Department. 

Sewer Utility Rates and Charges

Every year, the Lakewood City Council approves the rates for  the city’s sanitary sewer system customers. To calculate the bills sent every other month, the city uses water usage data received from your water provider for December and January, usually the lowest usage months of the year. The amount of fresh water flowing into your property is equal to the amount of water that flows out through the sanitary sewer system. The usage data is then multiplied by the current year’s sewer rate, which for 2025 is $5.89 for every 1,000 gallons. Check your usage on your current bill. The bill also includes a service charge of $10.16 per bimonthly billing. These changes to the 2025 sewer rates become effective April 1, 2025, and will appear on bills mailed in May 2025. For a single-family home with a winter water usage of 8,000 gallons of water every two months, the rate increase will add $7.01 to the total for a two-month sewer bill.

The City of Lakewood does not own or operate wastewater treatment facilities. All collected wastewater is sent to the Metro Water Recovery District for treatment. Payment to the Metro Water Recovery District to treat the wastewater accounts for approximately 71 percent of the Lakewood sewer utility’s operating and maintenance costs.

Increases in the City of Lakewood sewer rates are necessary to fund the increasing cost of treating wastewater as well as operating, maintaining and ultimately replacing city-owned sewer lines that collect sewage from homes and businesses while providing an adequate fund balance to cover any unexpected expenses.

Miscellaneous Charges

*Please be aware that fees change periodically.