Explanation of LASAN Charges and Fees

Sewer Service Charges (SSC), per Section 64.41 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC), are based on metered water usage, as measured per one hundred cubic feet (HCF) of water, and includes reduced rates for low-income households and a compensating surcharge for non-low income households and commercial customers. SSC revenue is used to cover the costs of wastewater operation and maintenance, capital improvements, and debt coverage of the wastewater conveyance and treatment system.. This SSC fee is typically found on your Department of Water and Power (DWP) bill.

The determination of the SSC for residential customers, including single family residences and multiple family dwellings up to four units, is based on winter water usage, which is established annually to determine each residential customer's minimum daily water consumption. The typical customer’s minimum daily water consumption is determined by first identifying the lowest water usage during the Rainy Season Review Period (RSRP) and then reducing that HCF by application of the Dry Winter Compensation Factor (DWCF). Once established, each residential customer's minimum daily water consumption is presumed to closely approximate the sewer discharge and will be used to compute the SSC for the ensuing Fiscal Year which runs from July 1 to June 30.

Qualifying low-income residential customers receive a 31 percent discount on the first 18 HCF of bimonthly wastewater volume.

The winter water use method does not apply to: multiple family dwellings of five or more units, commercial, industrial, governmental, and other non-residential users, who are all billed at the current HCF rate multiplied by a sewer return factor during fiscal year 2025-26 of 92 percent of total metered water usage.

For FY 2025-26:
The current SSC rate is $9.28 per HCF.
For premises that discharge to the wastewater system but the sewage is not treated by theCity, the rate paid for conveyance without treatment is $2.38 per HCF.
The RSRP is from November 26, 2024 to April 10, 2025.
The DWCF is 0.88.
 

The Solid Resources Fee (Trash Fee) not only funds the collection of solid waste, it pays for salaries, direct and indirect overhead, equipment, ancillary equipment, refuse and recycling containers and vehicles, landfill costs, whether for disposal or for resource recovery facilities or refuse to energy and fuel facilities or closure of City owned facilities, development, acquisition, construction, operation and maintenance of equipment, alternative fuel infrastructure, buildings or facilities used in the collection, recycling, recovery of waste resources and/or disposal of solid waste or storage of solid waste related equipment, transfer facilities, resource recovery facilities or transfer equipment, maintenance of transfer facilities or equipment, or for facilities and equipment used in the recovery of waste resources in the form of energy, alternative fuels or manufacturing feedstocks.

Since the Solid Resources Fee funds more than just refuse collection, the fee is still applied - even if your dwelling produces little or no refuse waste. Solid Resources fees are applied to your DWP utility bill or may even be billed separately through the Director of Finance in the case of non-DWP utility customers. If applied via the DWP bill, the amount of the fee appearing on the bill would be the daily rate for the number of days that billing period encompassed. For most customers it is approximately equivalent to two months’ worth of Solid Resources Fee charges as a result of the bi-monthly distribution cycle of the DWP statements.

These charges are for optional additional services for trash, recycling, organics, and manure provided to residential solid resources customers. They are billed per each additional unit beyond what is provided under base service.

The Multi-Family Bulky Item Fee funds the collection of bulky items like couches and other furniture, mattresses, doors, carpet, toilets, electrical waste, and appliances. These bulky items are collected, transferred, recycled, and/or disposed of safely. Sufficient revenues are needed to operate and maintain a safe, reliable, and effective Multi-Family Bulky Item collection program, and to protect public health, the environment, and LA’s communities by reducing blight. This fee applies to dwelling units that are not subject to the Solid Resources Fee. Depending on the classification of the dwelling type Master-Metered or Separately Metered the owner of the property is responsible for 100% of the charges or the charges are shared between the owners and tenant(s) or resident(s) at 50% per dwelling unit.