Rob Shelton | Lehi Free Press
Lehi residents and businesses will see another increase on their utility bills beginning in January 2026, due to higher sewer rates from the Timpanogos Special Service District. This increase is on top of several years of steady sewer rate increases from 2024 through 2026.
The sewer portion of utility fees is primarily driven by decisions made at the regional level. The Timpanogos Special Service District, which treats wastewater for much of northern Utah County, approved a long-term rate plan in 2023 based on a detailed financial study prepared by Zions Public Finance.
That plan has already reshaped monthly bills.
Sewer rates jumped 40% in 2024. They rose again by 15% in 2025. Another 15% increase is scheduled for 2026. This continued pattern of increases is anticipated to lead to an over 100% increase in TSSD sewer fees over the course of four years and has caught the attention of residents and users.
According to the Zions Bank study, the increases are tied to a combination of rapid growth, inflation-driven operating costs and a massive slate of capital projects needed to expand and modernize the sewer system. The district is managing hundreds of millions of dollars in planned construction over the next several years, along with long-term debt obligations stretching into the 2040s.
Table 6 in the Zions Bank study, which the TSSD board used as a guide, indicates that increases won’t stop in 2026. Under this option, the district sewer rates are expected to rise by another 15% in 2027. After that, the study anticipates more modest increases of about 3% per year to keep pace with costs and to maintain required financial reserves.
For the average household, those percentages translate into noticeable monthly changes. The Zions analysis projects typical residential sewer bills rising from roughly $18 a month before the increases to more than $39 a month by 2027, even before more minor annual adjustments in later years.
Lehi City officials stress that Lehi does not control the district’s sewer rates. The city acts as a billing agent, collecting sewer charges on its utility bills and passing the funds to TSSD. The city, however, does have an appointed representative who is a voting member of the TSSD board.
As January 2026 approaches, Lehi residents may want to plan. The sewer rate increase and other potential utility increases are converging into a broader conversation about how the city and other utility entities pay for growth, infrastructure, and the systems most people only notice when the bill arrives.