Windsor CO Water Bills by Subdivision: Why Costs Differ

"We recognize that a 26% increase is significant, especially for residents on fixed or limited incomes."

Windsor Town Manager Shane Hale said that in December 2025, when the Town announced that its water, sewer and stormwater rates would go up on February 1, 2026. For an average single-family home using 5,000 gallons a month, the Town put the change at about 26% of the total bill. A $100 bill in 2025 would be about $126 in 2026.

The same announcement also says that Windsor residents who get their water from another provider, such as North Weld County Water District, are not affected by the Town's water rate changes. A Windsor address doesn't tell you whose utility system serves the house. Your monthly cost of ownership depends on which water provider, sewer provider and metropolitan district are tied to the parcel, and two listings at the same price can carry very different costs once you close.

Who Actually Got the 26%

The increase follows from how Colorado funds utilities. Windsor runs water, stormwater and wastewater as enterprise funds. That structure comes from the 1992 Taxpayers' Bill of Rights: rates paid by a system's own customers have to cover that system, and general tax dollars can't be moved in to soften a rate hike.

Two projects drove the 2026 jump. The Windsor Wastewater Treatment Facility is more than 30 years old, at full capacity and at the end of its service life. Five years ago, a 5-million-gallon-per-day replacement was estimated at about $50 million. Today a slightly smaller 4.2-MGD facility is estimated at about three times that. The second project is an unplanned replacement of a 24-inch water line under 15th Street south of Main Street, which the Town calls a central supply line for much of its system.

Because those costs stay inside the Town's customer base, each part of the increase lands on the households connected to that part of the Town's system. A home on another provider's water escapes the water rate change but can still be on Town sewer. The Town also says sewer rates are rising fastest, since the sewer fund has to pay for the new plant. So the part of the bill that grew most is the sewer charge, and sewer has its own provider map.

Three Water Tariffs Inside One Town

At least three retail water providers serve homes within Windsor. North Weld County Water District says it serves northern parts of Windsor. It also warns that parcels inside town boundaries may be served directly by the Town, and it recommends checking each address with the District. Fort Collins-Loveland Water District says its boundary includes parts of Windsor, and that being inside the boundary only means a parcel could receive service.

Here is what 5,000 gallons in a month costs under each provider's posted residential water rates, before sewer, stormwater or any other line items:

The rate structures diverge further at higher volumes. On the Town's schedule, use above 16,000 gallons moves to $12.45 per 1,000, and above 22,500 gallons it moves to $18.57. North Weld charges $5.19 per 1,000 gallons above its 6,000-gallon minimum. It can also add conditional surcharges for usage over a property's annual allotment: $6.50 per 1,000 gallons for water over-allocation and $4.50 for plant-investment over-allocation. Rates outside the Town's system are going up too. Fort Collins-Loveland approved a 10% increase for 2026 across monthly base rates and most usage charges. Its 2026 figures in the table already include that increase.

For a buyer with a big yard and a summer irrigation habit, the tier where each schedule gets expensive matters more than the base charge.

Sewer Runs on a Separate Map

Since sewer drove most of the Town's increase, the question that matters for a given house is who carries its wastewater. In Windsor, that provider doesn't always match the water provider.

The Town's own utility index for platted subdivisions, last updated as of March 31, 2017, lists every combination it recognized.

• Town water and Town sewer
• Town water and septic
• Fort Collins-Loveland water and South Fort Collins Sanitation District sewer
• Fort Collins-Loveland water and septic
• Fort Collins-Loveland water and Town sewer
• North Weld water and septic
• North Weld water and Town sewer
• North Weld water and Box Elder sewer

That index coded specific neighborhoods. Water Valley's filings and Poudre Heights 2nd Filing, also known as A River Place, were on Town water and Town sewer. Several Highland Meadows Golf Course phases were coded Fort Collins-Loveland water and South Fort Collins Sanitation. The Ranch at Highland Meadows, also called Steeplechase, was Fort Collins-Loveland water and septic. Hilltop Estates, listed as Pelican Hills, was Town water and septic. The Ridge at Harmony Road was coded North Weld water and Box Elder sewer.

That index is nearly a decade old, so treat it as a historical record, not a current service map. Use it to know which question to ask, and confirm service for the specific address. It does establish one point a buyer should keep in mind: a home on North Weld water can still be connected to Town sewer. In that case the Town's statement about water rates doesn't cover the sewer side of the bill. The Town's posted fee schedule lists a monthly sewer charge of $48.08 for a single-family dwelling.

The Levy Line That Shows Up in Escrow

Utilities are one layer. Many Windsor subdivisions also sit inside a metropolitan district, and its mill levy adds to the property tax bill alongside the Town's. Weld County's certification for budget year 2026 lists the Town of Windsor at 12.030 mills. Many metro district levies run about three times that.

• RainDance: Metro District No. 1 at 39.000 mills, No. 2 at 43.282 and No. 3 at 44.778 in Weld County's tax year 2025 table. District No. 1's draft 2026 budget proposes 39.000 mills again.
• Water Valley: Metro District No. 1's final 2026 budget shows 37.911 mills, down from 41.000 in its 2025 column.
• Windshire Park: the districts said their debt-service levy, 38.965 mills since 2021, would rise to 40.086 mills starting in 2026.
• Great Western: districts No. 2 through No. 11 range from 11.814 to 47.901 mills in the 2025 county table.
• Poudre Heights: Metropolitan District Nos. 1 through 5 show zero mills, and Poudre Heights Valley Metropolitan District shows 43.850.

These are levies for individual districts, not a parcel's total tax rate. Weld County explains that the levies of every overlapping district in a tax area are added together. The number to compare between two houses is the total for each parcel's tax area, which the county's mill levy report lets you trace.

Why This Matters More in a Slower Market

Windsor's detached market slowed through the summer. In August 2026, the detached median sale price was $615,000, down 3.1% from August 2025. There were 65 sales, homes averaged 83 days on market, and 240 homes in inventory equaled 3.6 months of supply. When prices are flat and buyers have weeks to decide, the recurring costs above become a bigger share of the real difference between two similar listings. Buyers also have time to check them before writing an offer.

New construction carries part of this cost differently. The Town says existing customers pay for replacing the old treatment plant, while expansion is funded by one-time fees charged to every new home or business that connects. The Town of Windsor's fee schedule lists a sewer plant investment fee of $7,454 for a ¾-inch meter. Raw-water fees vary by subdivision, and the Town refers applicants to its Engineering Department instead of publishing one townwide figure. With RainDance Subdivision 11th Filing under construction with 160 condominium units, and Prairie Song/Tacincala and Trevenna adding hundreds of lots on the Town's September 18, 2026 development map, these one-time fees will apply to a lot of new homes.

Checks Worth Running During Due Diligence

1. Enter the address in the North Weld County Water District service lookup and the Fort Collins-Loveland Water District system map. If neither serves it, confirm Town service.
2. Ask the seller who provides sewer, or whether the home is on septic. Request recent utility bills so you can see the actual charges.
3. Identify every taxing authority in the parcel's tax area and add up the total mill levy, instead of comparing one metro district figure.
4. For new construction, ask the builder how water and sewer tap fees and raw-water fees are reflected in the price.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a North Weld water customer in Windsor avoid the 2026 increase? They avoid the Town's water rate change, according to the Town. If the home is on Town sewer, the Town's sewer charge still applies.

Is the 2017 subdivision utility list still accurate? Treat it as a starting point. Service can change as land develops, so confirm with the providers for the specific address.

Is a metro district levy the same as my tax rate? No. Weld County adds together the levies of every overlapping district in a tax area, and the Town's 12.030 mills is one of them.

If you're comparing Windsor homes and want the utility and tax picture for each parcel side by side, Venna Hillman can pull those numbers into your comparison before you make an offer. If you already own in Windsor, start with Get Your Instant Home Valuation, and we'll look at what your home's provider setup means to buyers.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.