Moving to Sammamish utilities are simpler than they look once you know one thing: the Plateau is split between two water and sewer districts, and the one that serves your home depends on the address, not the neighborhood name. Everything else, from power to garbage, runs through a single provider for the whole city.

This guide covers who provides each service, how to start it, what shows up on your property tax statement instead of a bill, and the state deadlines that start the day you move. We checked every provider and rule below at its own website in September 2026. Contact details change, so confirm with the provider before your closing date.

Moving to Sammamish? Utilities by Provider

The city runs only one utility itself, stormwater. According to the Sammamish Comprehensive Plan, every other utility is owned and managed by someone else. Here is who you will be dealing with.

• Water: Sammamish Plateau Water for the south Plateau and most of the city, or the Northeast Sammamish Sewer and Water District for the north Plateau.
• Sewer: the same two districts, with slightly different boundaries than for water. Some homes are on a septic system instead.
• Electricity and natural gas: Puget Sound Energy, if the home has gas service.
• Garbage, recycling, yard waste and compost: Republic Services.
• Stormwater: the City of Sammamish, collected by King County with your property taxes.
• Fire and emergency medical services: Eastside Fire and Rescue, which operates the city's three fire stations.

Which Water District Serves a Sammamish Home

The city describes Sammamish Plateau Water as the provider for south Plateau residents and the Northeast Sammamish Sewer and Water District as the provider for the north Plateau. The comprehensive plan puts the northeast district's water area in the northwest quarter of the Plateau, with its southern water boundary around NE 20th Street. Its sewer area covers the northeast part of the city along Sahalee Way NE and 228th Avenue NE, with a southern sewer boundary between about NE 9th and NE 16th Streets.

Those two lines do not match, and that creates the detail that surprises new owners. In the overlap between them, homes receive a water bill from Sammamish Plateau Water and a sewer bill from the northeast district. The plan explains why. When those homes were built, neither district had both services available, so each one supplied one. Sammamish Plateau Water answers this in its own customer FAQ, since it is a common question.

The simplest way to confirm your providers is to ask for them by address. Your escrow paperwork, the seller's recent bills, or a call to either district will tell you which one serves the house, and whether both do. Do this before closing so the account transfer lines up with your possession date.

Not every home is on public sewer or water. Sammamish Plateau Water notes that parts of its sewer area do not have sewer service available yet, and some older and larger parcels still use a septic system or a private well. Our guide to buying a Sammamish home with a septic system or well explains what that means for your inspection and your contract.

Moving to Sammamish Utilities: Starting Water and Sewer

Water and sewer are the moving to Sammamish utilities that take the most lead time, and the two districts handle new accounts differently. It helps to know which process you are in.

1. Sammamish Plateau Water requires a written request to start or stop service, made through its online Start/Stop Service form. The form asks for the date of possession, the buyer's and seller's names, the property address, the seller's forwarding address and phone numbers for both parties. You can also reach the district at 425-392-6256. Why it matters: the form is built around a sale, so it is easy to complete with your closing documents in hand.
2. The Northeast Sammamish Sewer and Water District starts service by phone at 425-868-1144, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Have your name, mailing address, the service address, a phone number and your start date ready. Why it matters: business hours only, so call on a weekday before moving day rather than after.
3. If you are renting, both districts require the owner or property manager to set up service, and the account stays in the owner's name. Why it matters: tenants do not open these accounts, so a new renter's first call should be to the landlord.

Neither district publishes its start-up fees on these pages, so ask about any charges when you call.

Electricity and Natural Gas From Puget Sound Energy

Puget Sound Energy provides both electricity and natural gas across Sammamish, so you will open one account for both if the home has gas. Many homes on the Plateau are heavily treed, and PSE is also the utility to contact about power outages and streetlights. Sammamish Plateau Water notes that it bills for streetlights but PSE maintains them.

Planning a fence, a garden bed or a new tree in your first season? Washington's dig law, RCW 19.122, calls for a locate request through 811 at least two full business days before you dig, and no more than 10. Utilities mark their lines for free.

Moving to Sammamish Utilities: Garbage, Recycling and Compost

The City of Sammamish contracts with Republic Services for curbside garbage, recycling and yard waste or compost collection. The current contract ends on December 31, 2028, and the city expects a new contract to begin in January 2029. For new service, missed pickups or billing, the city directs residents to Republic's Sammamish customer line at (206) 777-6441 or its Sammamish web page.

For items that do not fit in the cart, the city points residents to the King County transfer stations at Factoria in Bellevue and Houghton in Kirkland. The King County "What do I do with" directory lists where to take hard-to-recycle household items.

Moving to Sammamish Utilities: Stormwater and the City Utility Tax

Stormwater is the one utility you will not get a monthly bill for. Sammamish runs its own surface water utility, and King County collects the charge on your property tax statement under an agreement with the city. The fee is based on impervious surface, meaning roofs, driveways and patios. One unit equals 3,500 square feet of impervious surface, and single-family parcels are not eligible for the rate credit that some other properties receive. If you are budgeting for a home, look for the surface water line on the seller's tax statement.

There is also a newer line item to know about. The City Council adopted a 6 percent city utility tax that took effect on January 1, 2026. Under the city code, it applies to the businesses that provide electricity, natural gas, water, sewer, stormwater, solid waste, telephone, cellular and cable service in Sammamish. The city offers a $200 annual rebate to qualifying low-income households. Eligibility is tied to PSE's Home Energy Lifeline Program or the King County property tax exemption for seniors and people with disabilities, and the first applications open in January 2027 for the 2026 year.

For how these costs fit next to housing, property taxes and HOA dues, see our answer to how much it costs to live in Sammamish.

Licenses, Car Tabs and Voter Registration After Moving to Sammamish

If you are coming from another state, Washington's clock starts on moving day. The Department of Licensing gives new residents 30 days after moving to get a Washington driver license and register their vehicles. You need the license first, and driver licensing and vehicle licensing happen at separate offices, so plan for two stops. The DOL's Moving to Washington page lists what to bring.

You can register to vote at the licensing office, or online at VoteWA.gov up to 8 days before an election. In-person registration is open until 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Washington votes by mail, so once you are registered at your Sammamish address, your ballot arrives at home.

Schools and the Rest of Your First-Week List

Schools work like water districts in one respect: the address decides. Three school districts serve Sammamish, Lake Washington, Issaquah and Snoqualmie Valley, according to the city's comprehensive plan. Our guide to which school districts serve Sammamish explains how the lines fall, and each district's boundary lookup is the final word for a specific home.

For the bigger picture on neighborhoods, commutes and timing, our guide to relocating to Sammamish covers the steps before you buy. This page picks up where it leaves off, with the moving to Sammamish utilities and accounts to open once you have keys.

Frequently Asked Questions About Moving to Sammamish Utilities