Frequently Asked Questions

No, Missoula Water does not have any watering restrictions. We do, however, suggest that our customers water their lawns during the cooler times of the day—6:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. or 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.—to get the best results from their water usage.

We offer multiple options for paying your bill. Please visit our Pay Your Utility Bill web page.

Moving In:  Please contact our customer service representatives at (406) 552-6700. We will need your name, your number from a government-issued form of identification (driver's license number, passport number, etc.), telephone number, name of spouse or roommates, mailing address, and landlord information to establish service. You may also be required to pay a deposit.

Moving Out: The person whose name appears on the utility account is responsible for notifying us of the move out date. A final billing will be mailed after the account is closed. We are unable to make billing adjustments for late notification. All deposits are refunded to the account when you call to close your utility account.

Assistance is available for our water customers who may need help paying this bill.

Eligibility:  The water utility assistance program is offered through the state’s Dept. of Public Health and Human Services and is administered by Missoula's Human Resource Council (HRC). Information is available at https://dphhs.mt.gov/hcsd/energyassistance/. People who qualify for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) may also qualify for a reduction in their water bill.

Discount:  Eligible LIEAP utility customers will receive a $7.00 reduction in their monthly water portion of their utility bill. The discounts apply only to services provided during the current billing period and do not cover overdue balances from prior billing periods.

Changes to our utility bill collection process.

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You can pay your utility bill with a VISA or MasterCard, check, cash, money order, direct debit payment, or ACH payment (bill pay). Please visit our Pay Your Utility Bill web page for all payment options.

To view and manage your utility bill account online, you will need to create an online account at the Utilities Account & Payment Portal. Through this portal you will be able to view your billing and payment history, pay your bill online, set up e-Billing, choose to receive electronic notices about your account, see detailed usage charts, and more!

No. There is no late fee charge for any utility account. 

No, ADUs do not require additional parking. However, any required parking for the existing primary dwelling unit must be maintained.

No. There are no longer any design standards for ADUs. However, there is still a size maximum. Zoning standards for ADUs can be found in Title 20, 20.45.060 – Accessory Dwelling Units.

Generally speaking, yes. Accessory dwelling units are allowed only on parcels occupied by a single detached house or lot line house. ADUs are not allowed in a Townhome Exemption Development. There is only one ADU allowed per parcel. 

If your parcel meets all the above criteria, you can write to zoningdesk@ci.missoula.mt.us with your parcel address. Zoning desk can help determine the existing structure’s compliance with the current standards in our Municipal Zoning Code, Title 20.

No, that law is no longer in effect. 

No, if the structure meets all zoning ADU standards and the permit is approved, the applicant can proceed with construction. There is also a requirement that applicants submit a notarized statement that the ADU does not violate any neighborhood covenants. The city does not keep, nor enforce neighborhood covenants. 

After you have confirmed your parcel to have met the criteria, you may want to contact a design and/or land use professional.  

You can also reach out to zoningdesk@ci.missoula.mt.us and schedule a Project Review Team (PRT) meeting, which is a one-hour virtual meeting with the planning, engineering and building departments to determine a project’s feasibility. Please submit a permit intake form, which can be found here, along with a site plan, design details and list of questions. 

Yes. An ADU can share utility infrastructure with a primary residence. The infrastructure must have the capacity to handle an additional dwelling unit. The property owner should contact utility agencies (natural gas, electricity, water, sewer) for information about utility requirements. 

Development Services can determine the status of a dwelling unit and whether the general standards of the zoning district or the nonconforming uses standards apply. If the second dwelling unit is illegal, building permits must be obtained retroactively to make the unit legal. 

 In Missoula, the homeowner owns and is responsible to maintain the water and sewer services lines from the point of connection at the main (typically in the street or alley) all the way into the house.

Missoula’s rules allow a primary residence and one accessory structure to share a water service line, but only if there is adequate capacity as determined by the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC). UPC requires a fixture count to be completed for all fixtures that will receive water from the shared service line (i.e. including the existing primary structure and the accessory structure). 

Most existing water service lines in Missoula are ¾” galvanized pipes and very rarely (if ever) will a ¾” line meet the total fixture count demand of a house plus an accessory structure. In addition, many existing galvanized service lines are already beyond their expected useful life and should be evaluated for replacement.  Anyone planning to build an accessory structure on a property with only a single ¾” service line should plan to replace the service with a modern 1-inch polyethylene (PE) service.

Accessory structures are not allowed on properties that have flat rate accounts. If you want to add an accessory structure, you will need to install a meter on the service line for the primary residence. You will need to read the other FAQ’s on this page which deal with sharing service lines and meters. 

Missoula’s rules allow a primary residence and one accessory structure (ADU, garage, workshop, etc.) to share a sewer service line, but only if there is adequate capacity as determined by the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC). UPC requires a drainage fixture count to be completed for all fixtures that will contribute drainage to the shared sewer service line (i.e. including the existing primary 2 structure and the accessory structure. The sewer service line would need to be a minimum of 4” in diameter.

Missoula Water has electronic ditch cards and sewer connection records available for most addresses. These are being made available over time at the City of Missoula Maps website at:  City of Missoula Public Utility Map located on www.MissoulaMaps.com. If you can’t find your water ditch card at that website, you can contact Missoula Water dispatch at: dispatchw@ci.missoula.mt.us. If you can't find your sewer ditch card at that website, you can contact the Public Works & Mobility Engineering department at: engdesk@ci.missoula.mt.us. 

The City of Missoula has required a tool to assist with calculating water supply fixture counts for residential properties. Guidance for completing water supply fixture counts for commercial applications and drainage fixture counts for all applications is provided in the UPC. Any questions about fixture counts can be directed to Tony Sauro, the City’s plumbing inspector, at (406)239-1385.

No, Missoula Water does not require a separate meter for an accessory structure , as long as the accessory structure’s water service is connected downstream of the meter for the primary residence. 

Yes, the customer can choose to install a separate water meter in a pit for a new accessory structure. If the customer chooses to install a separate meter, curb boxes must be installed that will allow each meter to be shut off independently, or a separate line to the main can be installed for the accessory structure. The meter pit and curb box should be placed as shown in the Typical Residential Water Service Detail (STD-404). 

The customer should be aware of the costs associated with metering the accessory structure separately, including the cost of installing the pit and curb boxes that will allow each account to be shut off separately, the additional monthly fixed charge for the water meter, and the additional sewer development fee that is charged for each meter. In the future Missoula Water is also planning to institute a water development fee that will be charged for each meter. 

Yes. Two curb stops shall be installed such that each building served can be shutoff independently. In this instance the curb stops can be placed inside the private property as long as there is a curb stop near the right-of-way.