Drinking Water Operating Permit Fees

Fee Increase in 2026 and 2027

In 2025, the Washington State Legislature approved a bill to raise the operating permit fee for public water systems. We have adopted rule changes to carry out this legislative requirement.

The fee increase allows us to continue helping water systems meet their responsibilities to provide safe and reliable drinking water, now and into the future.

Reducing the Fee Increase Impact

We know this is a bad economic time to raise fees. To help ease the impact, the base fee and per connection fee will increase by just 10 percent in 2026 to the full fee in 2027 to allow water systems time to budget for this increase.

For more details about the change, check out Operating Permit Fees FAQ. 

How Operating Renewal Fees are Calculated

The total due to renew the Operating Permit is calculated by adding the PWS Annual Operating Permit and Operator Certification fees. 

PWS Annual Operating Permit Fees

In 2026, the fee structure includes a $110 base fee for all systems and per-connection fees based on the size of the system.

In 2027, the fee structure includes a $200 base fee and $1.50 per connection fee for all systems, regardless of size.

Classification 2025 2026 2027
Base fee for all water systems $100 $110 $200
Per-connection fee  
14 or fewer services $1.30 $1.43 $1.50
15 - 99 services $1.25 $1.38 $1.50
100 - 499 services $1.20 $1.32 $1.50
500 - 999 services $1.15 $1.27 $1.50
1,000 - 9,999 services $1,10 $1.21 $1.50
10,000 - 95,000 services $1.05 $1.16 $1.50
95,001 or more services $100,000 per year $110,000 per year $1.50

SMA
Use the per connection fee amount above to calculate the fee based on total number of all service connections owned plus a $100.00 base fee
 		 Use the per connection fee amount above to calculate the fee based on total number of all service connection owned plus a $110 base fee. Use the per connection fee amount above to calculate the fee based on total number of all service connection owned plus a $200 base fee.

Late Fee (we charge a late fee 70 days after we mail the renewal application).
Add 10% to applicable fee or $25, whichever is greater
 		 Add 10% to applicable fee or $27.50, whichever is greater. Add 10% to applicable fee or $50, whichever is greater.

PWS Annual Operator Certification Fees

By law, each water system that is required to have a certified operator must pay a yearly operator certification system fee. The fees must cover 100% of the cost of administering the program and cannot be used for anything else. This fee covers the public water system’s share of the costs of running the operator certification program. Operators pay the remaining costs. SMAs are charged one fee based on their total service connections and equivalents. 

In 2026, the following fee structure changed. It will stay the same in 2027.

Public Water System Size
(Number of Service Connections on WFI form)		 2025
Public Water System Certification Fee		 2025 Late Fee 2026
Public Water System Certification Fee		 2026 Late Fee
Less than 601 $132 $35 $214 $57
601-6,000 $403 $40.30 $653 $65
6,001-20,000 $536 $53.60 $868 $87
More than 20,000 $809 $80.90 $1,311 $131

Fee Structure for Satellite Management Agencies

The fee structure provides a break to satellite management agencies (SMAs) for the systems they own. An SMA would only be charged a single $110 base fee to cover all the systems it owns, plus a per-connection fee based on the total number of connections for all systems.

Systems managed but not owned by an SMA will pay the same fees as individual systems. 

How Service Connections are Counted for the Operating Permit

Connections are counted differently based on the water system type: Community or Non-Community. Both service connections and population from the Water Facilities Inventory (WFI) form is used to determine each system’s connection count. We use this information to calculate operating permit fees and set monitoring and other regulatory requirements. 

Community Systems

The fields on the WFI used in determining the total number of connections include:

  • 25A – full-time single family residences (this total should include mobile homes occupied full time)
  • 25B – part-time single family residences (this total should include mobile homes occupied part time)
  • 26B – full time residential units in an apartment building, condo, duplex, and so forth
  • 26C – part time residential units in an apartment building, condo, duplex, and so forth
  • 27B – institutional, commercial/business, school, day care, industrial, and so forth

The total population served isn't used to calculate an operating permit fee for a community water system. However, it remains very important to accurately estimate the total residential and non-residential population served, and to report these totals on the WFI, to assure the appropriate population-based standards are applied (such as water quality monitoring and operator certification).

Non-Community Water Systems

The operating permit fee is based on the populations reported on the WFI. The population is converted to equivalent service connections and then the fee is calculated. The fee calculation no longer includes any physical service connections reported on the WFI.
The fields on the WFI used in determining the population served include:

  • 29A – full-time residential population
  • 30A and 30B – part-time residential population
  • 31A and 31B – temporary and transient users (non-residents with access to the water system less than 180 days per year)
  • 32A and 32B – regular non-residential users (non-residents with access to the water system 180 or more days per year)

Please contact wfi@doh.wa.gov if you have questions about the connections or population. 

When do I need to renew my Operating Permit?

Operating permit renewals are split into four quarters throughout the calendar year. Systems are grouped by their type and size. Check out the full schedule here: Operating Permit Renewal Quarterly Schedule

Pay Your Operating Permit Fees Online

Click the link below and follow the instructions to register your account through Secure Access Washington (SAW).

Online Annual Invoice Permit Renewal Guide 331-688 (PDF)

Once you register your account, you will need your Owner Number to access your invoice. You will find it at the top right of your Annual Fee Statement. If you can't find your Owner Number or need help registering your account, contact OpPermit@doh.wa.gov, 360-236-3042.

Please note:

  • Electronic payments are processed immediately, and the Operating Permit will be available within 5 business days in Sentry.
  • Mail-in payments are processed by hand, and the Operating Permit will be available within 45 days of the payment being received.

View the Current Operating Permit

We put together easy-to-follow tutorials to help you learn how to view and download a copy of your operating permit.

To download a copy of your Operating Permit:

  1. Click this link: Operating Permit from Sentry.
  2. Accept the terms and conditions.
  3. Enter your Water System ID number.
  4. Click Submit.
  5. Save or print a copy of your permit.

If you need additional help, check these out:

Frequently Asked Questions

Contact Us