Pay Your Utility Bill Online
City Utilities
Water, sewer, and landfill (trash) are billed monthly by the City of Houghton to each residence.
Water
Water meters are read every month. The charge for water is $4.36 per 100 cubic feet.
Director of Public Works
Ryan Avendt, 906-482-1119 (email: ryan.avendt@cityofhoughton.com)
Utility Billing Questions
Cleo Ruonavaara, 906-483-4643 (email: cleo@cityofhoughton.com)
Sewer
Sewer is $6.83 per 100 cubic feet based upon water consumption. Lawn watering meters can be purchased at City Hall for $125. Sewer charges are then credited for water that does not enter the sanitary sewer system.
Automatic City Utility Payment Form
Pay your utility bills automatically on the due date by ACH. Print out the form and fill it out and send it to the City of Houghton, PO Box 606, Houghton, MI 49931. The City will then automatically take the amount of your bill out of your checking account on the due date. You will still receive your postcard bill every month showing you the amount due and informing you that it will be automatically deducted. If you have any questions, please call 483-4643 and ask for Cleo. ACH Form.
High Water Bill?
If you have a high water bill you may have a leak. Below is a link to instructions on how to look for leaks in your home.
How to check for water leaks (PDF Format)
Water Quality Consumer Confidence Report
Consumer Confidence Report 2021 for year 2020
Policies Regarding Frozen Water Pipes, Seasonal Let-Runs, and Catastrophic Water Bills
Other Utility Providers
City of Houghton Public Works
Natural Gas:
SEMCO Energy
800-624-2019
Electricity:
Upper Peninsula Power Company
800-562-7680
Telephone and Internet:
AT&T
All AT&T Services (link)
Landing Page
Cable Television, Telephone and Internet Service:
Spectrum (Charter) Communications
877-840-9914
Trash Collection & Recycling
Trash and recycling are collected on Tuesday mornings East of Bridge Street and Thursday mornings West of Bridge Street. Items to be picked up must be placed at the curb BEFORE 7:00 a.m. The City discourages placing trash out the night before due to the potential for wildlife getting to the trash. If you must for whatever reason put your trash out early, please place the bags in a can.
Waste Management honors the following holidays. Your trash pick-up will be delayed one day later after the following holidays for the week of the holiday:
- New Year’s Day
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Christmas Day
Please note that this also includes holidays that may not fall on your regular trash day as the holiday does throw the schedule off for the rest of the week. For example; if the holiday falls on a Wednesday, the trash picked up on Tuesday is not affected, but the Thursday trash day will be picked up on Friday.
If the holiday falls on the weekend, there is no disruption in service.
Trash
Trash must be placed in special city bags. The bags are sold for $10 for a package of 10 – 33 gallon bags and $5 for a package of 10 – 16 gallon bags.
These bags can be purchased at: the City of Houghton office, Swift Hardware, Surplus Outlet, Jim’s Foodmart, Econo Foods and Wal-Mart.
Recycling
Special bins are NOT required for recycling. Recyclables can be placed in any bin or tote that is marked “recyclables” to distinguish them from the trash.
Please read the attached pdf list of what can and cannot go into the recycle bin and how to prepare your recycling materials.
A lot of things not accepted curbside can be recycled elsewhere. The link below will bring you to the Copper Country Recycle/Reuse website for other information.
Resource Links
List of acceptable Recycling Items
Questions can be directed to the City of Houghton at 906-482-1700 or Waste Management at 800-963-4776 or www.wmsolutions.com/locations
