In Brentwood, the city itself supplies your water, treats your sewage and picks up your garbage, and all three arrive on one monthly bill. Electricity and gas come from PG&E, and unlike most of Contra Costa County, Brentwood is not part of a community choice energy program. Four utilities, three providers, and a couple of assumptions worth unlearning.
Across 460+ East Bay closings over twenty years, utility setup is the smallest task on moving week and the one most likely to be done wrong.
Who provides water in Brentwood?
The City of Brentwood does, directly.
Brentwood Public Works Water Operations is responsible for producing and delivering the city's drinking water, supplying roughly 20,000 service connections through about 345 miles of water mains. The supply is a mix of groundwater and surface water, treated at the City of Brentwood Water Treatment Plant and at the Randall-Bold Water Treatment Plant.
Contra Costa Water District is in the picture, but as a wholesale and treatment partner rather than your retail provider. You do not have a CCWD account. You have a City of Brentwood account.
Public Works Water is at (925) 516-6000. After hours, water emergencies go through police dispatch at (925) 809-7911.
Who handles sewer and garbage?
Also the city, and this is where two common assumptions go wrong.
Brentwood operates its own wastewater treatment plant at 2251 Elkins Way, a 5.0 million gallon per day extended aeration facility that discharges tertiary treated effluent into Marsh Creek. It is not Delta Diablo, which serves Antioch, Pittsburg and Bay Point. It is not Ironhouse Sanitary District, which serves Oakley.
Garbage is municipal too. The city states plainly that it has operated its own Solid Waste Division since 1994. There is no private franchise hauler to call, whatever a search result suggests. Solid Waste is at (925) 516-6090.
Water, sewer and garbage arrive together on one city utility bill, and which week you are billed depends on which of the city's four billing zones your address falls in.
The exception that matters. The city's own connection fee schedule includes a Northern De-annexation Area with separate fees referencing the Ironhouse Sanitation and Diablo Water areas, and Contra Costa LAFCO records both districts' spheres of influence overlapping the Brentwood area. Some northern-edge parcels are not on city water or city sewer. Verify by address with city Engineering at (925) 516-5420 rather than assuming.
Is Brentwood in a community choice energy program?
No, and this one catches people out.
Unincorporated Contra Costa County joined MCE, and so did Concord, Danville, Lafayette, Martinez, Moraga, Oakley, Pinole, Pittsburg, Pleasant Hill, Richmond, San Pablo, San Ramon, Walnut Creek, El Cerrito, Hercules and Benicia. Cities join individually. Brentwood is not on MCE's member list, and PG&E's own community choice aggregation page does not place Brentwood in any of the programs operating in its territory.
So a Brentwood home is a straight PG&E bundled account for both generation and delivery. There is no automatic enrollment and no opt-out decision to make. If a mailer or an article tells you otherwise, it is describing a neighboring city.
PG&E residential service is 1-877-660-6789. If you smell gas, leave the area first and call 911.
What does it cost to start service?
The city charges a one-time, non-refundable application fee of $51.84 for new utility customers, which appears on your first bill. A deposit may also be required, and the city does not publish an amount, so ask Utility Billing at (925) 516-5415.
Rates effective July 1, 2026 include a water base fee of $32.45 for a five-eighths to three-quarter inch meter, a sewer lateral maintenance charge of $4.34, and garbage service at $37.98 for a 32-gallon cart, $52.31 for 64 gallons and $68.94 for 96 gallons. Water usage is tiered, starting at $3.67 per unit for the first five units.
One distinction worth keeping straight. The city's connection fees are large, currently $16,192.60 for a water connection and $7,842.91 for sewer, but those apply to new connections in new construction. Buying an existing Brentwood home does not trigger them. You are transferring service, not connecting a new one.
If you're buying or selling in Brentwood
If you're buying: open the city utility account and the PG&E account separately, because they are separate providers, and do it a few days before close rather than on moving day. Ask the seller which billing zone the address is in so the first bill is not a surprise.
If you're selling: call Utility Billing to close the city account effective the recording date, not the day you move out, and do the same with PG&E. Leaving either open past close is the most common small mess in an otherwise clean file.
Frequently asked questions about Brentwood utilities
Who provides water to Brentwood homes?
The City of Brentwood provides retail water service directly, supplying about 20,000 connections through roughly 345 miles of mains from a mix of groundwater and surface water. Contra Costa Water District is a wholesale and treatment partner rather than the retail provider. Some northern-edge parcels may be served by Diablo Water District instead, so verify by address.
Who picks up garbage in Brentwood?
The City of Brentwood does. The city has operated its own Solid Waste Division since 1994, and there is no private franchise hauler. Solid Waste is at (925) 516-6090.
Is Brentwood served by Delta Diablo or Ironhouse Sanitary District?
Neither, for the city proper. Brentwood operates its own wastewater treatment plant at 2251 Elkins Way, a 5.0 million gallon per day facility discharging to Marsh Creek. Delta Diablo serves Antioch, Pittsburg and Bay Point; Ironhouse serves Oakley. Some parcels on Brentwood's northern edge may fall in the Ironhouse area, so confirm with city Engineering at (925) 516-5420.
Can I choose a different electricity provider in Brentwood?
Brentwood is not a member of MCE and does not appear on PG&E's list of community choice aggregation programs in its territory. A Brentwood home is a standard PG&E bundled account, so there is no automatic community choice enrollment and no opt-out decision.
Do I pay a connection fee when I buy an existing Brentwood home?
No. The city's water and sewer connection fees, currently $16,192.60 and $7,842.91, apply to new connections in new construction. Transferring service on an existing home triggers a one-time application fee of $51.84, and possibly a deposit.
The Bottom Line on Brentwood Utilities
City water, city sewer, city garbage, one bill. PG&E for electricity and gas, with no community choice program in the mix.
The two things to actually check are which billing zone your address sits in and, if you are buying on the city's northern edge, whether the property is on city services at all.
Moving to Brentwood?
Send me the address and I will tell you which services it is on before you start making calls.
See homes for sale in Brentwood
Selling and closing out accounts? Start with a valuation, or call or text 925-250-9611.
Sources
City of Brentwood, Water for retail water service, roughly 20,000 service connections, about 345 miles of water mains, the groundwater and surface water mix, the City of Brentwood and Randall-Bold treatment plants, and the (925) 516-6000 and (925) 809-7911 numbers.
City of Brentwood, Sewer and Wastewater for the 5.0 million gallon per day extended aeration plant at 2251 Elkins Way and its tertiary discharge to Marsh Creek, and City of Brentwood, Garbage for the city operating its own Solid Waste Division since 1994.
City of Brentwood, Utility Billing for the $51.84 application fee, the four billing zones, and the rates effective July 1, 2026 including the $32.45 water base fee, $3.67 first-tier usage rate, $4.34 sewer lateral maintenance charge and garbage rates of $37.98, $52.31 and $68.94.
City of Brentwood Sewer and Water Connection Fees schedule for the $16,192.60 water and $7,842.91 sewer connection fees and the Northern De-annexation Area fees referencing the Ironhouse Sanitation and Diablo Water areas.
MCE Clean Energy for its member community list, which does not include Brentwood, and PG&E for the community choice aggregation programs operating in its territory.
Utility rates, fees and service boundaries change. Confirm current figures and the servicing agency for any specific address with the City of Brentwood before relying on them.
Jaz Chand, Broker Associate | Homes With Accent
The Jaz Team at Merrill Signature Properties | DRE #01751823
Phone/Text: 925-250-9611 | Jaz@HomesWithAccent.com
General information only, not legal or financial advice. Service providers and rates are address-specific and change. Confirm with the City of Brentwood, PG&E and the relevant districts.