Water and sewage charges

Vodné is the charge for drinking water and the service of supplying it; stočné is the charge for collecting, treating or otherwise disposing of wastewater. Both are governed by Act No. 274/2001 Coll. on Water Supply and Sewerage (Sections 8 and 20). The right to charge vodné arises when water flows into the pipe after the water meter, and stočné when wastewater flows into the sewer.

How it is billed

• Single-part form: the price per m3 times the amount of water measured by the meter, or calculated.
• Two-part form: a fixed component based on meter capacity, connection diameter or annual consumption is added to the per-m3 charge. A municipality can introduce it by ordinance, as can a water company controlled by municipalities.
• The price per m3 varies by municipality and operator. The operator must inform customers about the charges at least once a year, usually in the bill.

Private wells and rainwater

If you have your own well and discharge water into the sewer, you also pay stočné for that water; the amount is measured, taken from standard consumption figures or calculated. Draining rainwater into the sewer is charged, but the law exempts, among others, areas of properties intended for permanent housing and households. Family houses and apartment buildings therefore do not pay for rainwater from their roofs. According to the Ministry of Agriculture's interpretation, the exemption does not cover non-residential premises; for garages, cottages or gardens it depends on whether they belong to the house or are used by the owner's household, or are, for example, rented out.

What it means for a buyer

The water and sewage bill is useful evidence: it confirms the connection to the public water supply and sewer via the service connection and shows actual consumption. If there is no sewage charge on the bill, wastewater may go to a cesspit or household treatment plant - then ask for emptying records or the permit. Water quality, such as hardness, is published by the water operator.