How do I start or transfer water service when I move in Phoenix?

Apply through the City of Phoenix, either online or by phone. The City handles water, sewer, and trash as a single "city services" account, so one application covers all three for most homes. Online, you start at phoenix.gov and follow the link to set up a new account, or you use the City's myPHX311 service portal. By phone, you call the City's customer service line during business hours. Have these ready before you start:

• The full service address, including unit number.
• A photo ID such as a driver's license, and sometimes a Social Security number for the credit check.
• Your move-in date and the date you want service turned on.
• A mailing address for the bill if it differs from the service address.
• For renters, the City may ask for lease information.

You also pick a turn-on date during the application. Apply a few business days ahead of your move so the account is active when you arrive. If you are leaving a current Phoenix address, you can ask the City to transfer service, which stops billing at the old address and starts it at the new one on the dates you set. That saves you from running two accounts at once or paying for water at a home you have already left.

A few practical tips smooth the process. Apply during business hours so a representative can answer questions about deposits or your service area on the spot. Double-check the spelling of your service address and the unit number, since a typo can route the account to the wrong meter. If you rent, confirm with your landlord whether the lease puts water in your name or theirs, because some Phoenix rentals bill water back to tenants through the landlord rather than a direct City account.

This trips up a lot of new Phoenix residents, so it is worth getting straight. In Phoenix, your drinking water and sewer come from the City of Phoenix, not from SRP. SRP is an electric utility that also manages raw, untreated water and runs flood irrigation. SRP does not sell treated tap water to homes. As SRP describes its role, it is "the largest provider of water to the greater Phoenix metropolitan area," delivering that supply to cities and treatment plants rather than to your kitchen faucet. The City then treats it and pipes it to your house.

So you call the City to start service, fix a billing question, or report a leak or no-water problem. You call SRP for flood irrigation if your property has it, and for electricity if SRP is your power company. Knowing which utility owns which problem saves you a wasted phone call and lost time when something goes wrong.

Some Phoenix-area addresses sit inside a neighboring utility or private water company instead of the City of Phoenix, especially near the edges of the metro and in unincorporated pockets. Confirm which utility serves your exact address before you assume it is the City. The City, the seller, the landlord, or a property manager can each tell you which provider bills the home, and a recent bill from the previous resident often names the utility directly. Getting this right up front means you set up the correct account and avoid showing up with no water on move-in day.

Setting up the account is step one. Before you rely on the plumbing, do a quick walk-through so a small problem does not become a flooded house on day one.

• Find your main shutoff. Locate the valve that turns off all water to the house, and make sure it turns, before you need it in an emergency. Our guide on the main water shutoff shows where to look and how to operate it.
• Run a meter leak test. With every fixture off, watch the water meter. If the low-flow indicator keeps moving, water is running somewhere even though nothing is in use. Walk through the steps in our water meter leak test guide. A leak you catch on the first day is far cheaper than one you find on a high bill.
• Check the water heater. Note its age, look for rust or moisture at the base, and confirm it makes hot water. Phoenix hard water shortens heater life, so an older unit may already be near the end.
• Test fixtures and pressure. Run each faucet, flush toilets, and watch for slow drains, drips, or weak flow that point to deferred maintenance.

A short inspection at move-in tells you whether the home was cared for and gives you a baseline before the first bill arrives.

Your first City of Phoenix statement combines water, sewer, and trash. The water portion has three parts: a fixed monthly service charge based on your meter size, a volume charge that rises in summer and falls in winter, and an environmental charge the City has applied since 1992. Understanding these parts helps you spot a billing surprise early.

The sewer line works differently and surprises many homeowners. Phoenix sets your monthly sewer charge from your average winter water use, measured roughly across January through March. The City uses winter use because that period approximates indoor water use, before summer irrigation and cooling inflate the meter. The practical effect: heavy summer watering raises your water charge but not your sewer charge, while a leak or high use during winter can push your sewer charge up for the rest of the year. Our deeper guide, how to read your Phoenix water and sewer bill, breaks down each line, and the difference between City billing and SRP is covered in SRP versus City water in Phoenix.

Plan for a deposit or account-setup fee. The City may require a deposit, often about one average month's bill, unless you have a good payment history with City utilities. The City refunds or credits the deposit after a set period of on-time payments. Build in lead time too, since the City generally needs a few business days to activate a new account, so apply before moving day rather than on it.

If your home has flood irrigation, that water is separate from your City account. Flood irrigation is delivered through SRP and the local irrigation district on a schedule, and it carries its own charges and rules. Ask the seller or landlord whether the property is in an irrigation district, and contact SRP for the watering schedule and account details. The valves and pipes for irrigation are also separate from your potable plumbing, so a problem there is an irrigation matter, not a City water-service one.

One caveat on the specifics: deposit amounts, fees, exact turn-on times, and rate figures change, and a few addresses fall outside City of Phoenix Water Services. Verify the current requirements and your service provider directly with the City of Phoenix when you set up the account, using phoenix.gov or myPHX311. If a move-in inspection turns up a leak, a failing water heater, or plumbing that needs work before you settle in, our licensed Phoenix team can take a look.