Utilities and Districts

• Bond Review
• Capacity Development
• Certificate of Convenience and Necessity
• Consumer and Utility Assistance
• Database
• District Creations
• Plan Review
• Regional Certification for Water and Sewer Utilities
• Reports
• Revenue and Regulatory Assessment Report
• Supervision

The TCEQ is responsible for the general supervision and oversight of districts and utilities, including the processing of petitions to create districts and applications to approve utility service areas. In addition, the agency maintains approval authority over many utility matters including the review of most district bond issues and of the rates charged by privately owned and member-owned utilities.

Under the jurisdiction granted by the Texas Legislature in these areas, TCEQ staff perform a variety of tasks including:

Bond Review—Evaluate the engineering and economic feasibility of all district applications on bond issues. This includes meeting with district staff, customers, consultants, and board members as well as with interested legislators.

Capacity Development—Assist with a utility’s financial, managerial and technical (FMT) capacities and provide technical assistance to make improvements in these areas. A request for assistance may be submitted by using the FMT Assistance Referral (TCEQ-20167) Forms are available as PDF/ Word

For more information, the Utility Publications, Applications and Checklists website is available.

Certificate of Convenience and Necessity (Service Areas)—Review and approve the area a utility is authorized and required to serve.

Consumer & Utility Assistance—Assist consumers and utilities with inquiries about customer service and protection rules. Please call 512/239-6100 or Contact us if you have any questions.

Database—The Water Utility Database, is a collection of data from Texas water districts, public drinking water systems, water and sewer utilities, and rental properties billing tenants for water or sewer service. This database may be used to search for the names of these entities, their addresses, the counties in which they are located, applications they have filed with the TCEQ, maps of their service areas, and other relevant information. For additional information the Water Utility Database Web Guide is available.

District Creations—For more information, the Publications, Forms, Rules and General Information on Districts is available.

Plan Review—Review proposed plans and specifications for public water systems to ensure proper design. A list of pending reviews, checklists, and rules are available related to public water systems.

Regional Certification for Water and Sewer Utilities—Certify “Regional Service Providers,” which are exempt from paying sales tax on water- and sewer-related equipment and materials. The TCEQ may provide regional certification for water and sewer utilities that meet any of the following criteria:

• One owner and one large system serves several different communities or subdivisions; or
• One owner and several isolated systems each provide service to one or more communities or subdivisions; or
• Several owners, each with individual systems operated through a centrally coordinated operating system; or
• Several owners, each with individual systems operated through a central wholesale provider.

Staff with the Office of the Comptroller at 800/252-5555 can answer questions about which equipment and materials qualify as tax exempt.

Questions about the certification process may be directed to Utilities & Districts Section staff at 512/239-4691. A sample letter to request certification and a list of providers already certified are available below.

• Sample Letter to Petition for Regional Certification (PDF)
• List of Certified Regional Service Providers (PDF)

Reports—Review audit, financial, and revenue reports submitted by districts and investor- or privately owned utilities. The following publications and forms contain information on reporting requirements. These are PDF files.

• On Financial Reporting for Districts and River Authorities:
  • Financial Reporting Requirements for Districts and River Authorities (TCEQ publication RG-378)
  • Water District Financial Management Guide (TCEQ Publication RG-080)
• On the Annual Report That Each Investor- or Privately Owned Utility Must File with the TCEQ before April 1 of Each Year:
  • TCEQ-20052 Water and Wastewater Utilities Annual Report
  • TCEQ-20052 General Requirements Water and Wastewater Utilities Annual Report
  • TCEQ-20052 General Instructions Water and Wastewater Utilities Annual Report

Revenue and Regulatory Assessment Report—Information on the regulatory assessment fee that investor-owned utilities, water districts, and water supply corporations collect from their retail customers. Also the related reporting forms.

• Regulatory Assessments Collected by Retail Public Utilities (TCEQ publication RG-199)
• Regulatory Assessment Fee Form
  • for public utilities
  • for districts or water supply/sewer service corporations

Supervision—Monitor water district activities and their compliance with state laws. Provide information to customers,consultants, board members, and employees. Review applications and petitions for appointment to district boards. For more information the following website is available.

Contact us if you have any questions.