Utilities

A written application is required for any water and/or sewer service to be initiated at a property address. The application and required documents can be emailed, mailed or brought into our office.  The email address, mailing address and physical address are all listed at the bottom of this page.  Please make sure all required documents are provided. 

Please allow for at least one (1) business day for processing of application. Starting or stopping services is scheduled during regular business hours, Monday through Friday only and requires a one (1) business day notice.

 Applicants need to provide the following:

1. Completed and signed application.
2. If leasing the property, you will need to provide either a signed copy of the lease that states you are responsible for utilities or the Owner Authorization Form (which needs to be filled out by the owner of the property).  A copy of the entire lease is not necessary. The page that lists the owners and renters, the address and the start date (usually the first page) and the signature page are both needed.  All names listed on the lease are required to be on the water and sewer account.
3. If you are buying or own the property, you will need to provide proof of ownership. (A closing disclosure is an acceptable document.)  If you have owned the property for a year or more, we should be able to use Commissioner of Revenue records to validate your ownership of the property. 
4. Please note all persons listed as property owners or as tenants must complete and sign the water/sewer application.

 There is an $170.00 fee required to obtain water and sewer service. This fee is not a deposit.  It covers the following:

$10.00 Administrative fee for water service (non-refundable).

 $10.00 Administrative fee for sewer service (non-refundable).

 $75.00 Water advance service fee.

 $75.00 Sewer advance service fee.

 The water and sewer service advance payments are applied towards your final bill.  The $75.00 advance service fees apply to 5/8" and 3/4" meters.  Larger meters will require higher advance service fees.

 The administrative fees will be on your first monthly bill. The advance payments will be divided equally amongst your first five monthly bills.

 Office Location:

1300 Courthouse Road, #249 Stafford, VA 22554
   Hours:    Monday          8:00am - 4:30pm
               Tuesday          8:00am - 4:30pm
               Wednesday     8:00am - 4:30pm
               Thursday         9:00am - 4:30pm
                Friday             8:00am - 4:30pm
Fax (540)658-4082

E-mail: utilcustservice@staffordcountyva.gov 

If you send the documents by email, you will receive a reply once the documents have been received.

Accounts may be closed by telephone (540) 658-8616 or in person. It is important to provide us with your forwarding address. Your water meter will be read on the date that you have requested your service to be terminated. A final bill will be sent to your new address. If your final bill is less than your advance payment, a refund will be sent to your new address. Please allow approximately three weeks for this to happen.

You have several options to pay your bill:

•GO PAPERLESS – CREATE YOUR mySTAFFORD ACCOUNT. Register your Utilities account to enroll in electronic notifications and view billing and payment history. Visit http://staffordcountyva.gov/mystafford. •Water and sewer bills may be paid by telephoning 1-844-817-9045 and following the prompts. Please note: Payments made will be posted to county records the following business day. •You may make your payment by bank draft at no cost to you. To obtain a Bank Draft Authorization Form, contact the Utilities Department at 658-8625 or 658-8616 or go to staffordcountyva.gov/departments/Utilities/forms to download the form. •You may make your payment by mail. (See bill for address). •You may make your payment at the Treasurer’s Office on the second floor of the Stafford Administration Center. A computer terminal is also available in the Treasurer’s office to make payments. If county offices are closed, you may place your payment in the drop-box located on the wall at the main entrance of the building. •You may make payments online, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at: staffordcountyva.gov/treasurer. Payments must be received in the Treasurer’s Office by 12:00 noon on the due date to be considered paid on time. Please allow for a few days for the delivery if paying by mail. Bills for water and sewer service are mailed each month and are due and payable when you receive them. They become past due 25 days from the billing date shown on the bill. A late payment, or no payment at all, will result in the following: •A penalty of ten percent (10%) will be applied to your bill. •Service may be discontinued if bills are not paid within the 60 days after the bill becomes past due. •If service is discontinued because the bill was not paid within the time limit, the amount the account is in arrears must be paid plus an additional fee of $30.00 to have service reinstated. An additional $25 fee is charged if water is required to be turned back on after 4:30p.m.

You may have a water leak. There are several ways to check for a leak. One way is to check the indicator on your water meter. Make sure you have nothing inside using water when you do this. If the indicator is turning, then water is flowing through the meter. This could indicate a leak in the water service line between the meter and your home or building. Or it could indicate that water is being used inside the home or building.

To determine if you have a leak in your water service line, close off the main valve to your house and look at your water meter. If the indicator on the meter is turning, this is an indication that you have a leak in the pipe between your water meter and the main valve (though it could also mean that the main valve is not shutting off the water completely).

If the indicator on your water meter was turning but stopped when you shut the main valve, this indicates that something inside is using water. With the main valve open (and the indicator on the meter turning), turn off the valve to individual fixtures (toilets, sinks, etc.) one at a time. Check the indicator each time you turn off a fixture valve to see if it stops turning. If it does, the last fixture turned off is the culprit!

Toilets can often be the cause of a "mystery" water leak. Open the cover on the tank. If the water level is above the overflow tube, there is a problem. The water level should be approximately 1/2- inch or so below the top of the overflow pipe. Adjust the float level, so that the water is turned off at that level. If the valve controlled by the float is leaking, it may need to be replaced.

Toilet leaks can also be due to a leak at the flapper valve that lets water flow into the toilet bowl. To test for this, put a drop or two of food coloring into the tank (not the bowl). Wait for about 10 minutes and see if the colored water shows up in the bowl. If it does, your flapper valve may need to be replaced.

Normal business hours are 7:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Should a water or sewer- related emergency occur during those hours, call 658-8695. Should a water or sewer-related emergency occur during the evening, on weekends, or on holidays, call the Stafford Emergency Communications Center at 658-4857. The Department of Utilities has a crew on call at all times which can be dispatched by the Emergency Communications Center to respond to your emergency.

Yes. The Treasurer’s Office will accept Discover, Master Card and Visa cards.

Call the Department of Utilities first! During normal working hours, call 658-8695. After normal working hours and on weekends and holidays, call 658-4857. We will send someone out to determine where the problem is. There is no charge for this service, and it may save you a plumber’s bill.

Usually the main water valve is located where the water supply pipe enters your home or office. It may be near your clothes washer or hot water heater. In some cases, it may be located under the house in the crawl space. Be sure to locate and mark the main water valve before you need it. That way, you will be able to find and close it quickly should a water leak occur.

Yes. Fluoride is added at the water treatment facilities. We try to maintain an average fluoride concentration between 0.7 parts per million. This is the level generally recommended to protect against tooth decay.

The plumbing code requires a pressure reducing valve (PRV) if your water pressure is over 80 psi. The builder should have installed a PRV, if needed, in homes. If one was not installed, you will need to have one installed at your cost.

Periodic high pressure may be caused by a backflow preventer installed at your water meter or inside your building. As the water heater heats the water, the water expands. Since the expanding water can’t flow backwards through the backflow preventer, the water pressure increases. If the water pressure returns to normal shortly after turning on a faucet, this is most likely the cause of your high water pressure. You may need to reduce the temperature somewhat on your hot water heater and/or you may need to have an expansion tank installed. For more information, call your plumber or call us at 658-8695.

Yes. We allow a maximum of one leak adjustment every three years. For the water portion of your bill, we charge you for no more than twice your normal water usage. If your water usage is less than twice your normal usage, we split the volume in excess of your normal water usage. Your sewer bill is adjusted to your normal usage, since none of the leak entered the sewer system.

Yes. We allow a maximum of one leak adjustment every three years. For the water portion of your bill, we charge you for no more than twice your normal water usage. The same applies to the sewer portion of your bill, since water from a toilet leak does enter the sewer system. If your usage is less than twice your normal usage, we split the volume in excess of your normal usage for both water and sewer.

Stafford’s water and sewer rates take outside water usage into consideration. The sewer portion of your bill is calculated based upon the lower of your actual usage or 120% of your November through April average water consumption. Therefore an adjustment would not be necessary.

First thing in the morning. The air temperature is cooler, so less water evaporates. Also, the grass and other plantings can use the water to help withstand the hotter temperatures later in the day.

In general, it is illegal to draw water from a fire hydrant. However, arrangements can be made through our office to use a fire hydrant for some purposes. For additional information, call our office at 658-8616.

Please call an Engineer at (540) 658-8630.

Please call the Health Department at (540) 288-9018.