Plano utilities: setting up electricity, water, trash and internet

Plano utilities at a glance (2026)

Plano utilities: what to shop and what to leave alone

You'll open three or four accounts before move-in, and only two are worth shopping: electricity and internet. Water, sewer and trash come from the City of Plano at set rates, so the only decisions there are the start date and the cart size, and both have a deadline.

Open the city account first. A utility bill in your name is one of the proofs of Texas residency DPS takes for the license swap, and our Plano DMV and license transfer page lists the other documents.

Plano electricity: Oncor delivers, you choose the provider

Electricity is the bill where your choice changes the number. Run the exact address on Power to Choose, the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) site: for ZIP 75024 in late October 2026 it showed Oncor Electric Delivery Company as the delivery area and returned 156 plans. Oncor keeps the wires, reads the meter and fixes outages whichever plan you buy, so what you're choosing is a price and a contract from a Retail Electric Provider (REP).

How to choose a Plano electricity plan

Pull up the Electricity Facts Label for your top three plans and compare three lines, sized to the house you're moving into:

• Price at your usage. Labels show the average price at 500, 1,000 and 2,000 kWh. A plan that's cheapest at 1,000 kWh can cost more at the usage of a larger house in August.
• Minimum usage fee. The PUCT notes that many plans charge extra if you use less than a set amount, often 500 or 1,000 kWh a month.
• Contract length and cancellation fee. Fixed-rate plans lock the price for the term. Breaking the contract early can cost you, and the fee is in the Terms of Service.

When to set up Plano electricity

Sign up a week or more before move-in. When you do, the provider tells ERCOT, and a switch on an existing account happens within seven business days with no gap in service. You have three business days after receiving the Terms of Service to cancel. Give the provider the move-in date and service address so power is on the day you arrive.

Oncor outage and delivery contacts

Outages and downed lines go to the wires company, not your provider. Power to Choose lists Oncor's outage line as 1-888-313-4747, open 24 hours. Billing questions go to your provider, and unresolved complaints to the PUCT hotline at 1-888-782-8477.

CoServ electricity on some west Plano addresses

This is the trap to check before you make an offer, because you can't fix it after closing. CoServ Electric, a member-owned cooperative, serves parts of North Texas, and the Kings Ridge HOA in far west Plano, on the Denton County side, lists CoServ for both electricity and gas. A co-op isn't part of the retail choice market: CoServ says its members don't shop for a retail provider. On a CoServ address you have one electricity supplier and can't shop the rate. If a listing is in far west Plano, run the address on Power to Choose; if no plans come back, call CoServ. More on that county line is on our page about where Plano sits in Collin and Denton counties.

City of Plano utilities: water and sewer service

Start water, sewer and trash together on the city's Start/Stop Service form at plano.gov. The start date has to fall within the next 10 business days, which means a form sent a month early won't take your move-in date: submit it about two weeks out. Upload proof of residency (a deed, closing statement or lease) and a government photo ID by the requested start date, because the city says late paperwork can delay the account and bring fees.

Your Plano water bill: deposit and first charges

A one-time service fee and a deposit appear on your first bill. The city publishes the amounts and the water and sewer rate tables on its Rates & Fees page; Customer & Utility Services confirms them at 972-941-7105, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Water bills carry a monthly base meter charge plus a tiered charge for the gallons you use. Service stays on, and keeps billing, until you file a stop request, so file one at your old address if you're moving within Plano.

Paying the Plano water bill

The city moved bill payment to InvoiceCloud from April 20, 2026. The Customer Portal at cus.plano.gov handles autopay, stored payment methods and water-use tracking, Quick Pay takes one-time payments, and mailed payments go to PO Box 861990, Plano, TX 75086. Leaks and unusually high usage have their own form on the same site.

Plano utilities for trash: carts, rates and collection days

Trash is billed on the water account by cart size. The rates changed on October 1, 2026:

The city charges a one-time $15 delivery fee for each extra cart or a change of cart size, so pick the size when you start service. The 68-gallon cart costs $7.56 a month ($90.72 a year) less than the standard one, but the city labels it trash only, so ask Environmental Waste Services at 972-769-4150 how recycling works with it before you downsize.

Trash pickup schedule in Plano

Trash and yard trimmings are collected weekly, Monday through Thursday depending on your address. Look up your day on the city's interactive collection map or the printable 2026 calendars, and sign up at Plano.gov/CollectionReminder for a text or email the night before. Collections on or after a city holiday slide forward one day in the same week.

Recycling in Plano: the schedule and what goes in the cart

Recycling is every other week, on alternating Orange and Purple weeks shown on the 2026 recycling calendar. The cart takes all paper, aluminum and steel cans, glass containers, #1, #2 and #5 plastic bottles and containers with lids, and chipboard or small cardboard boxes. Keep out plastic bags, Styrofoam, batteries, clothing, light bulbs, mirrors, tissue, wire hangers and aerosol cans. Large moving boxes go out as seasonal recycling, which the city covers on its recycling pages.

Bulk trash collection in Plano

Bulky waste is collected once a month on a day assigned to your address, separate from trash day. The rules are specific:

• Set items out no earlier than five days before your bulk day and no later than 7 a.m. on the day.
• Keep each pile within 6 feet by 4 feet by 4 feet; bigger piles need a special paid collection.
• Place it within 6 feet of the curb or alley and at least 2 feet from carts, fences, cars and gas meters.
• Fridges, freezers and window AC units (anything with Freon) need a special paid pickup.
• Brush and yard trimmings don't go out with bulk; call 972-769-4150 for a paid yard collection.

Moving week is when bulk day matters most. If yours falls three weeks after you arrive, the boxes and old furniture wait or go out as a special paid collection.

Plano internet providers by technology

The question for any house is whether it has a second wired provider, because that's what gives you a choice. The FCC's National Broadband Map, using provider filings as of December 31, 2025, counts 131,614 homes and units in Plano. Charter's Spectrum cable reaches nearly all of them; fiber reaches 69.3%. Check the exact address on the FCC map before you sign a lease or a contract.

Plano internet: fiber and cable

Frontier and AT&T are the wired filers after Charter, each reporting service to a little over half of Plano homes. If a house shows Spectrum plus one of them, get both quotes and use one against the other. If it shows Spectrum alone, your alternatives are wireless.

Fixed wireless and satellite internet in Plano

T-Mobile and Verizon file mostly as licensed fixed wireless, home internet over the cell network, which the FCC map shows reaching 77.3% of Plano homes. That's the realistic second option on a Spectrum-only street. Satellite covers nearly every address; keep it as the fallback.

Plano utilities setup checklist for move-in

1. Two weeks out: submit the City of Plano start-service form with ID and proof of residency; choose the cart size.
2. Two weeks out: run the address on Power to Choose, compare three Electricity Facts Labels at your expected usage, and sign up with the move-in date. No plans showing? Call CoServ.
3. Ten days out: check the address on the FCC broadband map and book the internet install.
4. If the home has gas: ask the seller or landlord which gas utility serves it and call to start service.
5. Move-in week: look up trash, recycling and bulk days on the city's collection map and sign up for reminders.
6. First month: file a stop request at your old address so the bills end.

Utility bills are one line in a household budget: for the rest of the monthly costs, see our rundown of what a month in Plano costs. Linda can check which delivery company serves a house you're considering before you write an offer.