Can My Sewer Bill Be Discontinued?

A frequent question we get at the Authority office is, "Can I stop my sewer bill?". There are several reasons why an owner would request to have their sewer bill stopped, for example:

  1. The home is vacant because it is being sold.
  2. The home is vacant because the occupants are on vacation or away for the winter.
  3. The home is a rental and there is currently no tenant.
  4. The home is currently vacant due to renovations.

These are all very good reasons to request that your sewer bill be temporarily stopped, especially because you can stop your trash bill for these very reasons. Unfortunately however, per the Susquehanna Township Rules and Regulations, there is only one situation that would result in the stoppage of your sewer bill and that is if the home has been declared unfit by Susquehanna Township.

If your home has been declared unfit by Susquehanna Township, please provide the letter from the Township stating this fact to the Authority office. Once in receipt of this letter, the Authority will stop all future sewer billings for this property until the home has once again been declared fit for human habitation by the Township. Please note that if your home has been declared unfit by the Township and the Authority has stopped all future sewer billings, you are still responsible to pay any outstanding sewer bill that had accumulated on your account up to the point it was declared unfit.

You are probably wondering why you cannot stop your sewer bill while your home is vacant; after all, there is no one living in the home to use the facilities. The reason is simple. Susquehanna Township Authority does not have its own sewer treatment plant but instead sends all of its wastewater to Capital Region Water (formerly the City of Harrisburg) for treatment at their plant. Capital Region Water bills the Susquehanna Township Authority for vacant properties so the Authority must, in turn, charge our residents a bill on vacant properties as well.

While this is not the answer you most likely had hoped for, the Authority hopes that you have a better understanding of why we must bill you, even for a vacant property. Should you have any questions on this or any other subject, please contact the Authority office at (717) 545-0116 and we will be happy to assist you.