Confirm water service from PWB

What PWB decides

Portland Water Bureau is the city utility that delivers your water. For a DADU, you'll get one of three answers:

1. Share the existing meter. Cheapest. Common for an 800 sq ft DADU running off the same service line as the primary house. Internal sub-metering is on you (PWB doesn't bill separately).
2. Upsize the existing meter (e.g., 5/8" → 3/4" or 1"). Mid-cost. PWB swaps the meter; sometimes the service line from the main needs upgrading too.
3. New separate service tap. Most expensive. Trench from the main, new meter, new service line, often a new curb cut. $5,000-$15,000 plus the PWB SDC.

Which answer you get depends on your existing service size, the projected demand for both units (fixture-unit calc), and the condition of the existing line.

How to do it

1. Submit the Residential Meter Request Form through PP&D — the city now runs new-meter intake through PP&D rather than the Water Bureau directly.
2. PWB returns a written determination naming the outcome and rough cost.
3. Save it — you'll attach it to the permit submittal.

Why this matters more in Portland than people think

A lot of Portland's water mains are old, some pre-WWII cast iron. "Your existing service is too small" plus "the main needs an upgrade for any new tap" is how you get a five-figure surprise mid-project. Get the answer now while the question is free.