County water, sewer rates going up Sept. 1
Johnston County water and sewer customers will pay more starting Sept. 1.
Retail water and sewer rates in Johnston County are going up in the new budget year. Here’s a look at the numbers.
Water
Johnston County's retail water customers will pay more for the water they use beginning September 1, although the monthly service charge will remain unchanged.
A household using 4,000 gallons of water a month currently pays $45.80. Under the new rate, that bill will increase to $48 per month, which equates to a 4.8% increase. The service charge will remain $24, while the cost of the water consumed would rise from $21.80 to $24.
The new residential water rates are:
- First 4,000 gallons: $6 per 1,000 gallons, up from $5.45, an increase of 10.1%.
- 5,000-9,000 gallons: $7.35 per 1,000 gallons, up from $6.65, an increase of 10.5%.
- 10,000-14,000 gallons: $8.75 per 1,000 gallons, up from $7.95, an increase of 10.1%.
- 15,000 gallons or more: $9.65 per 1,000 gallons, up from $8.75, an increase of 10.3%.
Commercial, institutional and industrial customers will pay the same rate as residential customers for the first 4,000 gallons. Metered irrigation service will increase from $7 to $7.70 per 1,000 gallons, a 10% increase.
Tap, system development and meter fees
For most new homes, the total cost to connect to Johnston County's public water system will increase from $10,280 to $10,480. That’s based on a ¾-inch water service, which is the size for most single-family homes. The total cost for existing homes to connect to public water increased from $3,675 to $3,875.
The total cost includes the application fee, deposit, tap fee, meter fee and system-development fee. Of those, only tap fees are increasing:
- ¾-inch: $1,000, up from $800.
- 1-inch: $1,200, up from $1,000.
- 1.5-inch: $3,250, unchanged.
- 2-inch: $3,370, unchanged.
Sewer
Johnston County's retail sewer customers will also pay more beginning September 1.
While the monthly base charge will remain unchanged, the usage rate will increase from $8.85 to $9.75 per 1,000 gallons, a 10.2% increase.
A typical residential sewer bill that averaged $68.40 per month during the current fiscal year would increase to about $72 per month under the proposed rates, an increase of $3.60, or 5.3%, monthly.
Sewer-system development fees will remain unchanged.
For many homeowners, tax cut beats water hike
Will County Government add to your cost of living in the year ahead?
After Commissioners adopted a budget that lowered the tax rate but raised water rates, one Facebook commenter said yes. He argued that a higher water bill would offset his lower tax bill.
But whether that’s true for homeowners who are County water customers depends on two things: the value of their home and how much water they use.
According to Zillow, the average value of a home in Johnston County is $344,260.
At that value, the County property tax bill this past year was $1,790.15. In the year ahead, with a one-cent drop in the tax rate, the bill for that home will be $1,755.73, a savings of $34.42 over the prior year.
The question is whether the tax savings will offset higher monthly water bills.
In fiscal 2027, the typical household will see its water bill climb from $45.80 a month to $48. Because the increase takes effect Sept. 1, that household will pay about $22 more for water during the fiscal year than it did the year before.
So for the owner of that $344,260 home with a typical water bill, the year ahead will actually end in a total savings of $12.42. That’s not a lot, but it’s not an increase.
Owners of more valuable homes will save more, assuming they use the typical 4,500 gallons of water a month. Take a house valued at $444,260, or $100,000 more than the Zillow average. That home’s tax savings in the year ahead will be $47.42. Assuming about $22 more for water, the total savings in 2026-27 will be $25.42.
On the other hand, owners of homes that are below the County average value will see less savings or even a net increase in expense. The break-even home value is about $220,000; at that point, the tax savings and water increase are the same. Anything below $220,000 will result in a higher total expense.
Homes with both County water and sewer would fare the worst. Because the sewer rate increase also takes effect Sept. 1, customers would pay about $58 more during the fiscal year for combined water and sewer service. Their home value would have to be about $580,000 for the tax cut to offset the rate increases. Johnston has about 9,000 residential sewer customers and 47,300 residential water customers.
Page last updated on: July 13, 2026