Understanding Your Bills

Utility (Water & Sewer) Billing

• All water and sewer accounts in the City of Portage are billed every quarter.  Billing quarters vary depending on the location of the service address.
• Payments for all charges are due approximately 29 days after the billing date.
• Payments are considered timely if received in the Treasury Office, dated electronically, or postmarked by the US Postmaster on or before the due date (postage-metered dates are not accepted).
• Payments not received timely are subject to a 10% late fee, established by City Ordinance.
• Approximately 25 days after the due date, services with unpaid balances of $60 or greater will be shut off and will remain so until the bill is paid in full, along with a non-refundable processing fee.
• By the time the service is shut off for non-payment, three statements have been issued to the customer.  Failure to receive any of these notices does not relieve the customer of the responsibility for paying the bill or related fees and charges.

Sewer Usage Cap

• For residential customers only, a sewer cap that limits the amount billed for sewer will be in place for three quarters of the year.
• The basis for calculating the sewer cap is based on the water usage for the quarterly bill that contains the month of January (winter quarter). On each residential account, the usage of the winter quarter is multiplied by 125% to determine the sewer usage cap for the other three quarters of the year.
• During the winter quarter, the sewer consumption charged is the same as the water consumption.
• If a customer has no winter quarter consumption, the sewer cap will be set at 15,000 gallons.

Building and Zoning Permits

Permits are required for construction activities on properties within the city. Visit the Department of Community Development Permits page for more information. The Portage Treasury Office collects permit fees charged by the Department of Community Development.

Property Taxes

Michigan State Law requires the City of Portage to serve as the collecting agency for all units that levy taxes within the city. While you receive one bill, the majority of the funds collected are distributed to education systems such as the public schools and KVCC, community resources like the library and CCTA, and essential city services such as police and fire protection. 

Property taxes are billed twice a year with both bills collecting for the time frame of January 1 to December 31 of that tax year. To avoid interest and penalties, please ensure payments are made by the following dates:

• Summer taxes: September 14* (payable starting August 1)
• Winter taxes: February 14* (payable starting December 1)

*Anytime the tax due date falls on a weekend, the due date is then shifted to the following Monday.

Any real property taxes still owed as of March 1 of the following year (e.g. March 1, 2026 for a 2025 tax bill) are considered delinquent and no longer collectable by the City of Portage. The Kalamazoo County Treasury collects delinquent real property taxes which are subject to their penalties and interest.

If a mortgage company or an escrow agent requests a copy of the taxes, listings are sent once the original statements are mailed to the owners. The request by the mortgage company will be indicated on the original statement for the owner's record.

See the Understanding Property Taxes and Special Assessments Brochure to the right, view our FAQs, or contact our office directly at (269)329-4455 if there are any further questions.

Special Assessments

The Treasury Office distributes billings in July each year for parcels affected by special assessments for water, sewer, and city street improvements. These billings carry an August 31 due date and represent the annual installment of the multi-year special assessment obligation. See the Understanding Property Taxes and Special Assessments Brochure to the right.

Miscellaneous Receivables

The Treasury Office collects monies for charges initiated by other departments, such as:

• False Alarms and Emergency Response Charges Initiated by the Portage Department of Public Safety Police & Fire Divisions
• Records (Freedom of Information Act) Fees
• Parks & Recreation Charges and Fees
• Retiree Health Billings
• Portage Zhang Senior Center Charges

Additional Fees

Processing fees to use a credit/debit card or to make one time electronic funds transfer (EFT) payments are not set or retained by the City of Portage. The third party processing company, InvoiceCloud, charges these fees. Any payments made that are returned by the bank or the processing company are subject to a $30 return payment fee. If you have questions, please contact the Portage Treasury office at (269) 329-4455.