I Want To (FAQ)
Payments can be made online here or by calling 513-887-3066, option 3.
We accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover credit and debit cards. There is a $2.80 transaction fee for all credit and debit card transactions and a per transaction maximum payment amount of $350.00. BCWS does not receive the transaction fee and it is non-refundable. Our payment processor established the maximum per transaction payment amount.
Checking and savings accounts may also be used to make payments online or by phone. There is no transaction fee when using a bank account and no maximum payment amount limit.
AutoPay – SET IT AND FORGET IT! Never miss a payment or pay late fees again.
Automatically pay your bill on the due date with your checking or savings account at no charge and no maximum payment limit or use your credit or debit card. All credit and debit card transactions incur a $2.80 transaction fee and have a maximum transaction amount of $350.00. Register for autoPay by signing up for an online account.
Sign up by clicking the VIEW OR PAY UTILITY BILLS button at the top of the page. Click Register Now and follow the prompts. Once you sign in click My Profile to setup Payment Methods then easily set up autoPay from your homepage.
NOTE: Enter your account number exactly as shown on your bill. Enter only the last name of the account holder in the Customer Name field. The secure code box is requesting you to type the letters displayed beneath it in the text box.
Pay Online – No registration needed. Pay online anytime, day or night.
To make a one-time payment you will enter your account number exactly as shown on your invoice. Enter only the last name of the account holder. Enter the secure code. Select an invoice to pay and click the + Add selected invoices to your cart button. Follow the prompts to complete the transaction.
You may also choose to Register Selected Invoices. Registration gives you choices over how you receive and pay your bill, view bills online, and manage your account.
Pay By Phone – Quick and Easy. Pay by phone anytime, day or night.
Call (513) 887-3066 to use our automated system to pay your bill using checking/savings account or credit/debit card ($2.80 transaction fees apply to all credit/debit transactions).
Pay by Mail – We use an offsite payment processing center to efficiently process thousands of check payments each month.
Mail checks to:
BCWS
PO BOX 933356
Cleveland, OH 44193-0038
Pay in Person – We accept checks and cash at the payment window. We do not process credit/debit card payments at the payment window.
Butler County Water and Sewer
Administrative Center, 1st Floor
130 High Street
Hamilton, OH 45011
*Place after hours payments in our secure drop box located in the front of the building to the left of the main doors. Please deposit only checks or money orders.
The BCWS payment portal was updated March 1, 2018. Click here to view or pay bills online. If you created a new username and password after the payment portal update click Sign In. To create a new account click Register Now.
Hint: Enter the account number with the dash. For Customer Name enter only your last name.
I need copies of my invoices
To print copies of monthly invoices please register for an online account.
How can I easily manage multiple accounts?
Customers with multiple accounts can easily manage account preferences, view invoices, and pay multiple accounts under one username and password.
Meters are read once a month and we issue monthly bills. Residential water and sewer charges are calculated using an Increasing Block Rate Structure in which each block is charged at a higher rate than the previous block(s). This type of rate structure is used to promote water conservation.
See Rates for more information
At BCWS, we care about your health and understand that people with serious medical conditions need water at all times. That is why we make every effort to contact customers with documented serious medical issues during planned and unexpected water interruptions.
If you or someone in your household has a serious medical condition and it is critical that you have water at all times, please call us at (513) 887-3066 so that we can add you to our “critical water user” list. We will require written documentation from a medical provider in order to place you on the list. Please know that inclusion on this list is not a guarantee of notification – as emergencies may occur without warning. However, it is our policy to notify critical water users personally, and as quickly as possible as conditions allow, in the event of water service interruption.
If you are already on the list, please call or email us to verify that the information we have on file is accurate and up-to-date. We are available to take your calls on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., and our email address is BCWS@butlercountyohio.org. We can answer your questions and record information specific to your medical needs.
As a critical water user, it is imperative that you are prepared for an unplanned water outage. Please ensure that you keep a supply of water on hand to meet your needs in the event that water supplied by BCWS is temporarily unavailable.
Ohio law establishes that the property owner is responsible for water and sewer bills.
BCWS will send bills directly to tenants once the Moving In/Out form is completed by both the tenant and the property owner. BCWS does not collect a deposit.
Submission of the form acknowledges the property owner/landlord understands and agrees to be financially responsible for unpaid charges. If we do not receive the form with appropriate signatures authorizing direct tenant billing we will send water and sewer bills to the property owner. Copies of tenant bills and delinquent notices are mailed to the property owner each month unless the owner requests not to receive copies.
Property Owner and Tenant Account Numbers
The property owner and tenant will each be assigned a unique customer number (the 1st set of 7 numbers are the unique customer ID and the 2nd set of 7 numbers are the location ID, 3NNNNNN-2NNNNNN) for the property.
Easily Manage Multiple Accounts
Property owners with rental property may now easily manage multiple account numbers and keep up-to-date on the status of tenant accounts using our online payment portal.
Check for payments, view invoices, or pay multiple account invoices in one transaction using one username and password.
If you created a new username and password after the payment portal update March 1, 2018, click Sign In or create a new account by Registering Now.
We follow normal collections procedures.
- The invoice will have a past due message and a disconnect date on any past due account.
- Charges 25 days past due trigger a Disconnect Notice insert with the next invoice.
- A few days later a phone call is initiated to accounts with correct phone numbers.
- If payment has not been received by the next read date the service is disconnected.
The full past due amount is required for water service to be restored.
Technicians must have access to the meter.
Please keep meter pits and curb-stops cleaned out and accessible.
Unpaid balances 60 or more days past will be certified to property taxes for the service location.
The owner or landlord does not have the right to call for termination of service on any property that is occupied by a tenant. The owner or landlord may be required to provide a signed statement that the property is not occupied in order to have service disconnected.
Information regarding landlord and tenant rights, homecincy.org
Locating Your Meter
The majority of water meters installed in the BCWS water service area are located outside of the home. They are located inside a meter pit or meter box usually within the public easement. The top of the meter pit or meter box is round.
The property owner is responsible for the meter box sleeve, collar, and lid or the curb stop and the water service line from the meter or curb stop to the building.
While the meter and transmitter are owned by Butler County Water and Sewer, you are responsible for protecting the equipment. If the equipment is damaged, you must pay for repair or replacement.
Note: Please avoid cutting over the meter box lid with lawn mowers. Charges for damage to radio read equipment installed on the meter box lid will be applied to your monthly bill.
If you have an inside meter they are usually installed in the basement or in a utility room. You are responsible for maintenance of the curb stop located outside and the service line from the curb stop to the building.
The meter must be accessible at all times for reading, inspection, and replacement. If you have an inside meter BCWS may contact you from time to time to set up an appointment to access the equipment as necessary. It is important that you contact us to set up an appointment at your earliest convenience.
Residential Meter Reading Information
Our water meters measure water usage in gallons. Residential meters consist of 3 basic components: main case, measuring chamber and sealed register. Water meters are designed and engineered to be precise and to meet rigorous industry standards.
Monthly readings are recorded by Automated Meter Reading (AMR) radio read drive-by devices that increase accuracy, efficiency, and control. The AMR system sends a radio signal from a transmitter connected to your water meter to the mobile unit.
Usage is calculated in hundreds of gallons, rounding down to the hundreds position.
Can I read my meter?
Yes. Reading your meter will give you valuable information regarding your daily water usage and help you check for leaks.
The register on your water meter will be one of the registers pictured below.
If your meter is outside, carefully remove the lid by loosening the lock nut. The radio transmitter will be attached to the lid by wires, slowly lift the lid. Visually inspect the pit for insects or other animals before reaching in with your hand.
Like an odometer in a car, the register is “straight-reading”. For an odometer to register mileage the wheels turn and move the car forward. For a water meter to register usage water moves through the measuring chamber.
Register 1 has never been used. This model register comes from the manufacturer with the reading 9999970. The zero is static and represents the ones place. The digit in red indicates the number of times the meter has “turned over”. The red sweep hand in the circle measures one gallon of water as the hand moves from one number to the next. One complete rotation of the red hand equals 10 gallons of water. The black triangle is a low-flow indicator that turns as water moves through the water meter.
This is a used register like Register 1 with a reading of 720571. When usage is calculated and the bill is produced the reading is shortened to 7205. The zero on the red dial lets us know this register has not turned over.
Register 2 reads 0282695.9. The digit after the decimal equals one-tenth of a gallon of water for each number increment. Once the dial returns to zero one gallon of water has passed through the meter and the 5 will roll to 6.
When usage is calculated and the bill is produced the reading is shortened to 2826.
Register 3 is a digital register. The lid of the digital register has a magnet that when the lid is opened or closed the magnet triggers the display to show the actual reading or to show the rate of flow.
To activate the register, open the lid. The actual reading will appear for 30 seconds. To see the rate of flow close the lid within in 30 seconds and reopen. The rate of flow is measured in gallons per minute. To return to reading mode, close the lid and reopen.
The reading displayed on the digital register in figure 2 is 217988.81. The lines above 2179 indicate those are the digits read and used to calculate usage. The digits to the right of the decimal read low flow.