Utility service in Oregon is not handled by one agency. Your electric bill may come from a large investor-owned company, a member-owned cooperative, a people's utility district or a city department. Water and sewer usually come from a city bureau or a local special district. This page explains who is who, so you can reach the right office on the first call.

Who Regulates Utilities in Oregon, and Who Answers to Local Boards

The Oregon Public Utility Commission, based in Salem, regulates investor-owned utilities under ORS chapter 757. That covers Portland General Electric and Pacific Power for electricity, and NW Natural and Cascade Natural Gas for gas. Idaho Power serves part of eastern Oregon, and the Commission also oversees telephone carriers and some small private water companies.

The Commission reviews rate requests in public proceedings and takes complaints about billing, disconnection notices and service quality. Contact your utility first. If the problem is not resolved, ask the Commission's consumer services staff to open a complaint. Keep your account number, bills, dates and any letters together before you call.

Many providers sit outside that process. Umatilla Electric Cooperative in Boardman and Blachly-Lane Electric Cooperative near Eugene answer to elected member boards. Central Lincoln Peoples Utility District in Newport answers to a locally elected board. City departments, such as Salem Utility Billing and Albany Water Billing, answer to their city councils. For these providers, your first appeal is the board or council, not the state.

Water districts, sanitary districts and people's utility districts are local governments with their own elected directors. Their meetings are open to the public and agendas are posted ahead of time. If rates are rising, attend the budget hearing before the vote rather than after it.

Other agencies cover other pieces. The Oregon Health Authority oversees public drinking water systems. The Department of Environmental Quality issues wastewater permits. The Oregon Water Resources Department manages water rights. State law also pushes the two largest electric companies toward a greenhouse-gas-free supply by 2040, which shapes many of the rate cases you may read about in the news.

Portland Metro and the Willamette Valley: Big Providers, Many Districts

The Portland area has the densest cluster of listings in our database. Portland General Electric is the main electric provider across much of the metro and into the Salem area. Our listings show PGE offices in Gresham, in Multnomah County, and in Hillsboro, in Washington County. Both list phone numbers, and routine account tasks such as billing questions or starting service are often easiest by phone or online.

Water is more fragmented. Portland runs a city system fed by the Bull Run watershed, but many suburbs rely on special districts with their own elected boards. Tualatin Valley Water District in Beaverton, Lake Grove Water District in Lake Oswego and Carriage Estates Water Improvement in Boring serve different parts of Washington and Clackamas County. A neighborhood can be served by a district rather than the city that shares its mailing address.

That matters when you move. Check the name on a neighbor's bill, or ask your landlord or title company which provider holds the account. Do not assume the nearest city hall handles water, sewer and stormwater together. In many places those are three separate accounts.

In Marion County, Salem Utility Billing at 1410 20th Street Southeast manages city utility accounts, and its line is 503-588-6099. Salem draws its drinking water from the North Santiam River. Farther south, Albany Water Billing in Linn County, at 333 Southwest Broadalbin Street, handles city water accounts. Springfield Utility Board at 202 South 18th Street serves Springfield in Lane County, and Blachly-Lane Electric Cooperative at 90680 State Highway 99 North serves rural members outside Eugene.

Coast, Cascades and Eastern Oregon: Smaller Systems, Local Boards

Outside the metro, utilities shrink to the scale of a valley or a creek. Tillamook County has a long list of small water districts, including Oceanside Water District on Cape Meares Loop and Beaver Water District in Cloverdale. Astoria has John Day Water District on Evergreen Road. Many coastal systems depend on small streams and wells, so summer demand and winter storms both put pressure on them.

Electric service on the coast comes from several sources. Central Lincoln Peoples Utility District in Newport, at 541-265-3211, covers much of the central coast. Tillamook People's Utility District serves Tillamook County, and Coos-Curry Electric Co-Op in Coquille serves members in the southwest. Pacific Power covers other coastal and southern communities. After a storm, report outages to your electric provider, not to the water district.

Douglas County, around Roseburg, mixes city systems with small districts. Roberts Creek Water District on Old Highway 99 South is one example. A hydroelectric facility near Glide, listed as North Umpqua Hydro Electric, shows how river power fits into the local picture. Grants Pass has its own Water Filtration Plant on Southeast M Street.

East of the Cascades, distances are longer and customers are fewer. Deschutes Valley Water District in Madras, Baker City Water Department in Baker and Umatilla Electric Cooperative in Boardman each cover a wide area. Bend, in Deschutes County, has seven listings, and Hood River has Ice Fountain Water District on Tucker Road. In the Rogue Valley, the City of Ashland runs its own electric department at 20 East Main Street.

Many rural homes in Douglas, Deschutes and Lane counties use private wells, which no utility serves. Owners handle pumps, testing and repairs themselves. The Oregon Water Resources Department deals with well construction standards and water rights.

In smaller places, one office may handle several jobs. A city public works counter might take water payments, answer sewer questions and issue street-excavation permits. Hours can be short, so call before you drive.

Reading Oregon Utility Listings Before You Call or Drive

Not every listing is a billing office. Crescent Electric Supply Company in Portland and North Coast Electric in Bend are electrical supply businesses, useful for contractors but not for paying a bill. The PGE addresses in Hillsboro and Gresham are local offices, but call ahead to confirm whether they take walk-in payments. Check the listing name and phone number before you plan a trip.

For most requests, have these items ready:

Before digging for a fence, deck or garden, call 811 to reach the Oregon Utility Notification Center. Member utilities mark their underground lines for free. The marking covers public utility lines, not private lines such as a pipe running from the meter to a detached garage.

If you rent, the landlord may hold the water account and pass costs to you. Ask for the provider's name in writing. If you cannot pay a bill, contact the provider early. Payment plans and assistance programs are easier to arrange before a shutoff notice arrives than after.

Use the county and city pages in this section to narrow down your area. Each listing shows the provider's address and phone number, so you can confirm who serves you before making contact.

Municipal utility departments throughout Oregon provide electricity, water, sewer, and related services to millions of residents and businesses. Utility governance in Oregon is shaped by the state's public utility commission, which regulates investor-owned utilities, while municipally owned systems operate under local authority.

Utilities locations are available in 105 cities across Oregon. They are spread across 33 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration of utility offices include Portland, Salem, Bend, reflecting their larger populations and service area demands.

Oregon residents should contact their local utility provider directly for account setup, billing questions, and outage reporting. State-level utility assistance programs may also be available through the state's health and human services agency.

Utilities by Counties

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Oregon residents who need help paying utility bills may qualify for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), administered through the state's community services offices. Contact your local utility provider to inquire about budget billing, shut-off protection, and additional assistance programs available in your area.

Browse Utilities by county across Oregon to find your local utility department's contact information and service office locations.

Storms, Wildfire Season and Dry Summers: Seasonal Pressures on Oregon Utility Accounts

Oregon's weather changes what you need from your providers. Winter storms bring outages to the coast and the Cascade foothills, and ice can keep crews off the roads. In Tillamook County, heavy rain and wind test both power lines and small water systems. Late summer brings wildfire risk. Electric companies including Portland General Electric and Pacific Power can cut power on high-risk days to prevent line-sparked fires, so keep your contact details current on your account.

Drought is the other seasonal factor. Water providers in central and eastern Oregon often ask customers to cut outdoor use in dry spells. In Lane County, customers of Springfield Utility Board or Blachly-Lane Electric Cooperative should check each provider's phone line or outage page for storm updates.

Keep a folder of your account numbers, provider phone numbers and the latest bill for each service. During an outage or a boil-water notice, that list saves time.

Oregon Utility Questions Answered

The Oregon Public Utility Commission regulates investor-owned electric and gas companies, including Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural and Cascade Natural Gas. It approves rates, enforces service rules and takes consumer complaints. Cooperatives such as Umatilla Electric Cooperative, people's utility districts such as Central Lincoln Peoples Utility District, and city-owned utilities are governed by their own boards or councils instead. If you are unsure which type you have, check the top of your bill. Start with the provider's customer service line, and contact the Commission only if the company cannot resolve the issue.

Salem Utility Billing handles city utility accounts at 1410 20th Street Southeast, and its phone number is 503-588-6099. Call before you move to ask what it needs. Expect to give the service address, your name, a contact number and the date you want service to begin. Some providers also ask for ID or proof of ownership or tenancy. Fees and deposits vary by account type and change over time, so ask for current amounts instead of relying on old figures. If you rent, confirm with your landlord whether the account goes in your name.

It depends on the county. Tillamook People's Utility District serves Tillamook County, Central Lincoln Peoples Utility District in Newport serves much of the central coast, and Coos-Curry Electric Co-Op in Coquille serves members in the southwest. Pacific Power covers other coastal towns. In Clatsop County, which includes Astoria, check your bill because the provider depends on your address. Report outages to the electric company. Water districts such as Oceanside Water District in Tillamook and John Day Water District in Astoria handle water only. Their phone numbers are 503-842-6462 and 503-325-9680.

Oregon's Energy Assistance Program helps income-eligible households with electric and heating bills. It is run through Oregon Housing and Community Services and local community action agencies, and income limits update regularly. Dial 211 to find the agency for your county. Ask your utility about payment plans, and about medical certificates if someone in the home has a health condition that makes a shutoff dangerous. State rules also limit some winter disconnections for low-income households served by investor-owned companies. Contact the provider before you miss payments, because options narrow once a shutoff notice is issued.

Yes. Oregon law requires you to notify the Oregon Utility Notification Center before most excavation, and you can do this by dialing 811. The service is free. Member utilities then mark the approximate location of their underground lines, usually within a couple of business days, so plan ahead. Wait for all markings before you dig, and hand-dig carefully near the marks. The service does not locate private lines on your property, such as irrigation or a pipe to a shop. Hire a private locator for those.

Public water systems, including city departments and water districts, must test regularly under the oversight of Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Services. Larger systems publish an annual water quality report, often called a consumer confidence report, and you can request a copy from your provider. Private wells are different. The owner is responsible for testing them, and Oregon requires basic water testing when a home with a domestic well is sold. If you rely on a well, test for bacteria and nitrate each year, and ask a state-accredited lab about other tests for your area.

Oregon allows several kinds of local government to provide water, sewer and stormwater. A city may handle sewer while a special district supplies water, or the reverse. Examples in our listings include Lake Grove Water District in Lake Oswego and Tualatin Valley Water District in Beaverton, whose service areas do not always match city limits. To confirm who serves your address, check an existing bill, ask the county or your landlord, or call the districts nearby. Each separate account has its own billing office, rates and governing board.