Journal ·
Burbank Water and Power vs LADWP: What Changes When You Buy Across the City Line
Burbank owns its own utility, so a house inside the city limits gets electricity and water from a City department rather than from Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Two consequences matter at closing. An unpaid Burbank water or electric bill can become a lien on the property under the Burbank Municipal Code, and the retail electric rate carries transfers to the City General Fund that Burbank voters wrote into the City Charter. Across the line in Sherman Oaks or North Hollywood, the supplier is LADWP and the city tax on residential electricity is 10 percent.
Who supplies water and power in Burbank?
The Burbank Municipal Code answers this directly. In the electric article of the code, "Department" is defined as the Burbank Water and Power Department, and Section 610 of the City Charter creates that department and puts the General Manager under the City Manager. Rates are not filed with a state regulator. They are set by the City Council in the Utility Rate Resolution, under Sections 8-2-102 and 8-2-202.
Sherman Oaks, North Hollywood, Studio City and Encino are neighborhoods of Los Angeles, not separate cities, so they are LADWP territory. Glendale runs its own utility as well, and the differences there are covered in the Glendale Water and Power guide. Toluca Lake is split between Burbank and Los Angeles, which means two houses on the same street can have different utility providers, different watering rules and different tax lines.
What is on a Burbank electric bill that is not on a DWP bill?
Two separate charges, and both trace back to voter decisions.
BWP's own bill glossary describes an In-Lieu Transfer of 7 percent on retail electric sales, split as 5.5 percent to the General Fund for street maintenance and 1.5 percent for street lights. It also describes a Utility Users Tax of 7 percent of electric revenues going to the General Fund for police, fire, library and parks.
The Charter history behind the first one is unusual. Section 610 authorizes a transfer of up to 2 percent of gross electricity sales plus up to 5 percent of gross water and electricity sales in lieu of taxes. After the City's practice was challenged in court in 2016, Burbank voters added Section 610A on June 5, 2018, which explicitly authorizes BWP to include the cost of the transfers in retail electric rates or as a surcharge, and authorizes the Council to move up to 7 percent of gross electricity sales from retail ratepayers to the General Fund. The same section records that the Council had been authorizing 6.5 percent in the preceding decade.
Los Angeles reaches the same money through a plain tax instead. Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 21.1.4 sets the electricity users tax at 10 percent of charges for residential users and 12.5 percent for commercial or industrial users.
Can an unpaid utility bill become a lien on the house?
In Burbank, water and electric bills can. Section 8-2-106 says an unpaid water bill "may become a lien upon the property and be collected at the same time and in the same manner as all taxes on real property in the City." Section 8-2-213 repeats that language for electric service. Both sections also make a bill delinquent 15 days after presentation, after which service may be turned off without further notice.
Refuse charges sit in a different chapter and carry a different remedy. Section 4-2-112 makes solid waste charges a debt due to the City, with attorney fees awarded if the City sues and wins. The lien language lives in the utility articles of Title 8, not in the solid waste article.
Treat this as an escrow item. Ask escrow to confirm in writing that the seller's final utility account is cleared before recording.
How much is the deposit to start service in Burbank?
Section 8-2-212 requires an applicant for electric service to furnish a cash deposit "in the probable amount of two (2) months' charges" for the electricity to be supplied, as estimated by the General Manager, or in the amount set in the Utility Rate Resolution.
BWP also warns that unpaid bills can trigger collection activity up to disconnection and an additional security deposit.
Is trash service optional in Burbank?
No. Section 4-2-113 requires every generator in the city, including single-family households, to subscribe to a collection service covering garbage, organic waste and recyclable materials from an authorized collector. There is no opt-out for a house that produces little waste.
Duplex and small multi-unit buyers should read Section 4-2-112 closely. Where premises with more than one dwelling unit are served by a single electric meter, the City may bill the owner or landlord, who collects from the occupants and remits. If the owner fails to collect, the owner remains liable to the City.
Billing is flexible in the code. The Public Works Director issues the bills or may delegate collection to Burbank Water and Power, so confirm which arrangement applies to your address.
How is the sewer charge calculated on each side of the line?
Los Angeles ties it to metered water use. LA Sanitation explains that the Sewer Service Charge comes from Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 64.41 and is billed per hundred cubic feet, at $9.28 per HCF for FY 2025-26. Single-family and small multi-family sewer volume is estimated from winter water usage through a Rainy Season Review Period and a Dry Winter Compensation Factor of 0.88, so a wet January can shape a bill six months later. The Solid Resources Fee also rides on the DWP bill and applies even to a dwelling that produces almost no refuse.
Burbank runs its sewer service charge as its own article of the sewer chapter, at Sections 8-1-703 through 8-1-710, with separate sections for imposition, determination, collection, joint occupancy, an application for exemption, and an appeal for adjustment.
Are watering days different in Burbank?
Burbank's are written into the code and do not depend on a drought declaration. Section 8-2-304 sets six stages, and Stage I is in effect at all times: no more than 15 minutes per day per station, no more than three days a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and no sprinklers between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Attended hand watering is allowed any day. Enforcement runs through an administrative citation under Section 8-2-306, after one courtesy notice.
Los Angeles runs a phased ordinance instead, and LADWP publishes the phase in force. The city is in Phase 2, three days a week, with days set by the last digit of the street address. Odd addresses water Monday, Wednesday and Friday, even addresses Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Sprinklers run one cycle of up to 8 minutes per station, and nothing runs outdoors between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. The first violation is a written warning, and a second brings a fine.
| Burbank | Los Angeles side | |
|---|---|---|
| Water and power | Burbank Water and Power | LADWP |
| City tax on electricity | 7% utility users tax | 10% residential, LAMC 21.1.4 |
| Extra transfer in the rate | up to 7% in lieu, Charter 610A | none of this form |
| Unpaid water or power bill | may become a lien, BMC 8-2-106, 8-2-213 | not governed by Burbank code |
| Electric deposit | about two months of estimated charges | set by LADWP |
| Trash | mandatory subscription, BMC 4-2-113 | Solid Resources Fee on DWP bill |
| Sprinkler days | Tue, Thu, Sat, always in force | Phase 2, three days by odd or even address |
| Sprinkler curfew | 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. | 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. |
What should a buyer check before writing an offer?
All five are answerable during the contingency period.
- Confirm the city, not the mailing address. A Burbank postal address is not proof of Burbank city limits, and Toluca Lake is split.
- Ask the seller for twelve months of utility statements, not one. Summer and winter differ, and in Los Angeles the winter reading sets the following year's sewer charge.
- Budget the deposit as a closing cost rather than a surprise.
- Ask escrow to confirm the final utility balance is cleared, given the lien language in Sections 8-2-106 and 8-2-213.
- On the Los Angeles side, ask who handles the water fixture retrofit that City Ordinance No. 172075 requires before the close of escrow, and who pulls the certificate of compliance. The wider pre-sale list is in the Los Angeles retrofit guide.
Q: Does Burbank Water and Power serve Toluca Lake? Part of Toluca Lake is inside Burbank and part is inside Los Angeles. Verify the parcel, not the neighborhood name.
Q: Can I keep the seller's utility account to avoid a deposit? No. Service is rendered to the person named on the application, under the definitions in Sections 8-2-101 and 8-2-201, so a new owner opens a new account.
This article describes municipal billing and utility rules as published by the City of Burbank and the City of Los Angeles, and is general information rather than legal advice. Rates and code sections change. Verify current figures with the utility before relying on them. Call Alla at (818) 699-5367 or use the enquiry form.
Neighborhood context for buyers is in the Burbank area guide, and the retrofit rules that come with older Burbank buildings are in the soft-story retrofit guide.