The City of El Cajon, like most cities in our region, bills for sewer services on an annual basis as part of the County of San Diego property tax bill.
What do I need to do?
The annual property tax bill, which includes billing for sewer service, will be mailed by the County of San Diego in September of each year. If you pay your property tax bill through an escrow account, you can contact your bank / account holder to withhold enough funds to cover the sewer services added to the property tax bill. You can review your annual sewer service charges through the “Sewer Account Lookup Tool”. Additional details are provided for landlords, renters, and HOAs at: www.elcajon.gov/sewer.
Without an impound account, paying my sewer charges will create a significant financial burden. What can you do to help?
If you do not have an impound account, and will face significant challenges in paying your sewer charges with your property taxes (2 equal payments), please contact our office for assistance. You can reach us at 619-441-6203, or by email at sewerbilling@elcajon.gov.
Can I pay my sewer bill and my water bill with one check?
No. Whether you are billed for sewer services via manual billing or via the San Diego County property tax invoice, both processes are through separate entities from the water districts; therefore, the bills need to be paid separately.
For most sewer customers, sewer service charges are paid with the County property tax bill, which is due in two (2) equal installments by December and April.
If you have received a manual bill from the City of El Cajon for sewer charges, please refer to your invoice for payment options or contact us by email at sewerbilling@elcajon.gov. You can also reach us at 619-441-6203.
How can property owners and tenants plan for sewer charges in advance of the property tax invoice?
Each year, before July, a notification will be sent to current property owners summarizing the upcoming annual sewer charges for the 12-month billing period from July to June.
The annual charge can be divided by 12 to establish a monthly rate. Additionally, the new enhanced sewer lookup tool can be used any time of year to obtain the annual charge for the property. To use the Sewer Account Lookup Tool, please visit www.elcajon.gov/sewer.
How do I request a copy of my sewer invoice?
The City of El Cajon no longer sends direct-invoicing to customers. The new, enhanced sewer lookup tool can be used any time of year to obtain the annual charge for the property. Please visit www.elcajon.gov/sewer.
How do I start or end my service?
Starting Service:
No action is required to establish a sewer utility account. Sewer service charges are assessed to the current property owner via the San Diego County Tax invoice. Each year, before July, a notification will be sent to current property owners summarizing the annual sewer charges for the 12-month billing period from July to June.
Stopping Service:
Sewer services are assessed to the property owner via the San Diego County Tax invoice.
If you are a property owner who has sold their home, your prorated charges are settled in escrow based on the amount of the charges already included in the property tax bill and the date of the property transfer. No further action is required.
If you are a tenant who pays sewer reimbursement charges to your landlord, please contact your landlord to determine any outstanding reimbursement charges.
How does this affect my escrow impound account?
The City recommends notifying your escrow company of the amount of sewer charges being added to your tax bill if this amount is significantly different than the previous year. This will allow the escrow company to adjust the amount that is collected each month with your mortgage payment.
How does this affect my renters?
Property owners must work with tenants to be reimbursed for the assessed sewer charges by collecting directly from renters, as warranted through rental agreements.
How often do I get a sewer bill?
Sewer service charges are assessed annually to the current property owner via the San Diego County Tax invoice. Each year, before July, a notification will be sent to current property owners summarizing the annual sewer charges for the 12-month billing period from July to June.
I am an HOA where all the units own their property. We bill them their water, sewer, and trash in their HOA fees. How will the bill be calculated for our usage for the year when all units share one single watermeter and have been based on consumption?
For the initial transition period there was not sufficient data available to appropriately split the sewer charges per individual condo owner within the property.
Therefore, instead of putting sewer billing on the tax roll the first year a majority of all HOAs, mobile home parks, and condominiums had received a single annual invoice with 2 pay-by dates for the for the 12-month billing period.
Many of the HOAs have been fully transitioned to tax bill collection, but we have not received the necessary information to determine if many of the HOAs cannot be transitioned. We request that each HOA fill out an online questionnaire at https://www.cityofelcajon.us/your-government/departments/hoa-questionnaire.
This form will assist with faster communication from HOA customers to the City and from the City to customers, in addition to helping the City determine the proper billing method for future invoices.
I’m a landlord having tenants move out, how would I calculate a final bill?
Each year, before July, a notification will be sent to current property owners summarizing the annual sewer charges for the upcoming 12-month billing period from July to June.
This annual amount can be divided by 12 to obtain the appropriate monthly amount to be collected from tenants.
If I move out/sell my house in the middle of the tax roll year and paid in full, how will this affect me? Will I be refunded?
The division and credit of any tax bill payments, including the future sewer fees, is part of the process already conducted during the final calculation of escrow fees. Make sure to provide a copy of the notification of charges to escrow to ensure they have all the information they need.
The meter number listed on my Tax Roll billing notice does not match the meter number on my Helix water bill. What should I do?
No need for action! The meter number used for the Tax Roll billing notices are expected to be different from what is listed on the Helix water bills. The number listed on the notice is the Helix’ “Location” number as the “Meter” number, with the addition of 01 at the end.
What are the Current Sewer Rates?
On October 8, 2019, El Cajon City Council adopted new sewer service rates effective November 22, 2019. You can see the current Sewer Service Rates on the Sewer Rates page.
What does "FY" on the Tax Roll billing notice mean?
FY stands for fiscal year. A fiscal year is a period of time lasting one year but not necessarily starting at the beginning of the calendar year. For the City of El Cajon, this includes dates from July 1st to June 30th.
What happens when my rental property becomes vacant and I don't require service at the property?
Sewer services cannot be adjusted prior to determining the length of a vacancy. Owners can request an adjustment, which will be reviewed each April using your actual annual sewer usage to evaluate and apply any applicable reductions based on the vacancy duration. Please know that all base charges will still apply, as sewer services are still available to the property regardless of occupancy.
What is "Flow"?
Flow is how usage is billed. Flow is measured in units. 100 CF (Cubic Feet) = 748 gallons = 1 unit
If your flow rate is 10, you are using 10 units, which is the equivalent of 7480 gallons.
What is the base charge that is shown on my bill?
The base charge is used to pay “fixed” costs; those expenditures that are not affected by sewage flow such as regular sewer line maintenance. The annual base charge for residential customers is $240.84 and for non-residential customers is $328.44 per bi-monthly billing. For multi-family residential units, the annual base charge is $240.84 for the first dwelling unit plus $120.42 per additional dwelling unit.
What is the Late Payment Policy?
For most sewer customers, sewer service charges are paid with the County property tax bill, which is due in two (2) equal installments by December and April. Please refer to the County of San Diego Treasurer-Tax Collector for details on due dates, late payments, and penalty charges.
For Manually Billed customers, your sewer bill is due in two (2) equal installments by the dates listed on your invoice. Late payments are assessed a 10% penalty and accrue interest at 1.5% per month. If you are paying your bill on or near the due date, it is recommended that you pay your bill in person to avoid the late penalty as payments may take up to 3 business days to post to your account.
Why did my bill increase?
On October 8, 2019, El Cajon City Council adopted new sewer service rates effective November 22, 2019. You can see the current Sewer Service Rates here.
In addition, Fixed Winter Averages (FWA) are updated on an annual basis are reflected in the Notice of Annual Service Charges that are sent to Property owners before July.
For a sample of how your bi-monthly sewer bill is calculated click here.
Will my water bill be included on the Tax Roll?
No. The City of El Cajon has only provided sewer service charges to be listed as a fixed assessment charge on your San Diego County Property Tax invoice. Water companies are a separate entity and provide their own billing services.
