High Water Bill in Wake Forest? Read It Line by Line

Who bills Wake Forest water

Since the 2005 merger, the City of Raleigh has billed the water and sewer accounts formerly billed by the Town of Wake Forest, according to the town. Raleigh's billing FAQ says the billing cycle is monthly for all customers, payments are due 20 days from the bill date, and in-person payments should be made only at official payment sites, which include Wake Forest Town Hall.

Raleigh Water's rate sheet applies to Raleigh, Garner, Rolesville, Wake Forest, Knightdale, Wendell and Zebulon. Rates are reviewed each year and any increases take effect July 1, per the billing FAQ; the rates on this page took effect July 1, 2026.

The charges on the bill

Residential water is billed in three tiers per CCF, where one CCF is 748 gallons. Wastewater, or sewer, usage is billed per CCF, and a watershed protection fee of $0.1122 per CCF applies to all potable water. Each account also pays fixed base charges and infrastructure replacement charges based on meter size, shown in the table below for a standard 5/8-inch meter.

Because the tiers step up, a month with extra use costs more per CCF at the top end. Raleigh explains that if you use 5 CCF, the first four are billed at Tier 1 and only the fifth at Tier 2. Irrigation meters are not tiered; all irrigation consumption is billed at the Tier 3 rate.

Check the reading first

Raleigh's billing FAQ says meter readings are estimated on rare occasions, less than one percent of the time, and an estimated reading is marked with an E next to it on the bill. An estimate followed by an actual read can make one month look high. The billing system also prorates tiers when a billing cycle runs longer than 33 days.

If you think the reading is wrong, Raleigh will re-read the meter, but its rate schedule sets a $75 meter re-read charge when the original reading is confirmed as correct; if the original reading was invalid, there is no charge. Before asking, do the meter test in our leak detection guide.

Leaks and adjustments

Raleigh's billing FAQ says a high bill may well mean a leak, noting the EPA's point that most household leaks go undetected. If you find and fix a leak, you may qualify for an adjustment: it is granted only after the repair, may require a verified meter read, generally needs a plumber's receipt or other proof of repair, and covers no more than two consecutive months. Administrative fees are not adjusted.

The city lists reasons for denial: seasonal use such as watering sod or washing vehicles, leaks caused by a third party who can be recovered from or that are covered by insurance, and leaks that continue for three or more months. Our leak cost calculator shows what a leak adds at current rates.

Pools, outdoor use and other surprises

Raleigh's water service FAQ says filling a pool through your residential connection is billed for water and sewer because it passes through the meter, but residential customers may request an adjustment for the excess sewer portion. Raleigh also says all water taken from the public system must be metered except for fire emergencies, and unmetered use can bring a fine of up to $500 a day plus usage.

The EPA notes that outdoor water use averages more than 30 percent of household use nationally. If summer bills are high, irrigation is the first suspect, and irrigation systems also carry backflow testing duties; see backflow testing. For the utility's other rules, see Raleigh Water rules for Wake Forest.