How do I set up utilities when I move to Colorado Springs?

Inside Colorado Springs city limits, most homes get electric, natural gas, water, and wastewater from Colorado Springs Utilities on one account, so one request starts all four. I recommend scheduling it as soon as your closing date is firm, with service starting the day of closing. Outside city limits, the providers can differ: an electric cooperative, another gas company, a water and sanitation district, or a private well and septic system. Trash and internet are separate private accounts either way. Ask the seller for their providers well before closing.

Inside city limits: one account with Colorado Springs Utilities

Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) is the city-owned utility. For most homes inside the city, it provides electric, natural gas, water, and wastewater, all on one bill. That makes setup simpler than in many places people move from: one start-service request instead of three or four.

A few things worth knowing:

• How to start service. You can start, stop, or move service through CSU's online account or by calling customer service. CSU asks for identification, and its online form asks for the account holder's information, everyone else on the account, the service and mailing addresses, and the start date. You don't have to be in town to do it.
• Deposits. CSU's published rules say it doesn't require a deposit on a residential account unless the customer has a CSU payment history with late payments in the previous 12 billing periods, so a buyer moving in from out of state usually shouldn't expect one. If a deposit ever does apply, enrolling in AutoPay can waive it. Confirm when you set up the account, since policies can change.
• The stormwater fee. The City's stormwater fee is billed on the CSU bill, so you'll see it alongside your utility charges.
• The sewer line is yours. In Colorado Springs, the homeowner owns the sewer service line from the house to CSU's main. That's one reason I recommend a sewer scope during inspections on older homes; what to know about buying an older home covers it.

Outside city limits: check the providers for the exact address

Once you leave the city, a single address can have four different providers, and two homes a mile apart can have different ones. Depending on where the home is, you may see:

• Electric from an electric cooperative such as Mountain View Electric Association, which serves parts of El Paso County and several neighboring counties.
• Natural gas from a different gas company, or propane on some rural properties.
• Water and sewer from a water and sanitation district or metro district, or from a private well and septic system. If the home has a well or septic, what to know about wells and septic in El Paso County explains the inspections and paperwork.
• A city's own utility in some neighboring towns. Fountain, for example, has its own city utility department.

In Woodmoor, for example, the water and sanitation district's own website lists Mountain View Electric Association for electric, Black Hills Energy for natural gas, and separate companies for trash. That's typical of how many unincorporated areas work, and it's why I recommend confirming every provider for the specific address instead of assuming. Living east of Powers Boulevard is another example: parts of that area are inside the city and parts are served by special districts.

Trash and internet are separate accounts

• Trash. Colorado Springs doesn't run a city trash service. You choose a private hauler and set up the account yourself. Some HOAs contract with one hauler for the whole neighborhood, so check the HOA documents first. What to review before buying in an HOA covers where that shows up.
• Internet. Providers and speeds vary by address, especially outside the city. Check which providers serve the exact address before you close, and book installation early, because appointments can fill up.

When to schedule it

I recommend setting utilities to start the day of closing. Once your closing date is firm, call or go online and schedule each one.

The biggest mistake I see is waiting too long to schedule. Some providers, especially outside the city, don't process new service every day of the week. If the seller's service stops the day of closing and you call that week to start yours, there may be a gap before the provider can get to it, depending on the day. Scheduling early takes that risk off the table, and it matters most for a Friday or weekend closing.

How I gather the utility information before closing

On the buyer side, my team sends a short survey to the sellers or their agent asking for each provider: electric, gas, water and sewer, trash, and internet. Sometimes the sellers already have it written down and sometimes they don't, but the goal is to get you all of it ahead of time.

We usually do this in the quieter stretch of the contract, after the inspection is settled and while the lender's underwriting is under way. There's less going on then, so it's a good time to line up the move-in details. What happens after my offer is accepted walks through that timeline, and how long it takes to close covers the overall schedule.

On the listing side, the utility information is part of what I request from my sellers. At the end of the day, it helps set the buyers up for success.

If you're selling

• Schedule your stop or transfer for the day of closing, not before. Keep everything on through the buyer's final walk-through, since the buyer will want to run the furnace, water, and appliances.
• Share your providers with your agent early, including trash and internet, and any HOA-contracted service.
• If you're buying another home in Colorado Springs at the same time, CSU can move your service from one address to the other. Selling and buying at the same time covers the timing between closings.

A short checklist before closing

1. Get the list of providers for the address from the seller or listing agent.
2. Confirm each one for the exact address, especially outside city limits.
3. Schedule every service to start the day of closing.
4. Set up trash with a private hauler, unless the HOA contracts one.
5. Check internet availability and book installation.
6. Have identification and your account information ready, and confirm whether any deposit applies.

If you're buying from out of state, all of this can be done before you arrive. Buying a Colorado Springs home from out of state and buying remotely during a PCS cover the rest of a long-distance move.

What could change the answer

• Whether the home is inside Colorado Springs city limits or in unincorporated El Paso County or a neighboring town.
• Whether the home has a well, septic system, or propane.
• An HOA that contracts trash or other services for the neighborhood.
• A new-construction home, where the builder may hold the utilities until closing and transfer them to you.
• A provider's own deposit rules or scheduling days, which can change.

When to talk with a professional

Call each utility directly to confirm what it serves at your address and what it needs from you to start service. For a home with a well or septic system, talk with your inspector about what to test before closing. And work with a local real estate professional who can gather the provider information from the seller and keep move-in details on the timeline.

Sources

• Colorado Springs Utilities, Start, stop or move service: https://www.csu.org/my-account/start-stop-service
• Colorado Springs Utilities, Utilities Rules and Regulations (Starting Service and deposits; stormwater fee billing): https://www.csu.org/hubfs/Document%20Library/UtilitiesRulesRegsTariff.pdf
• Colorado Springs Utilities, Wastewater backup policy (service line responsibility): https://www.csu.org/Pages/WastewaterBackup.aspx
• Mountain View Electric Association, Who We Are (counties served): https://mvea.coop/about-us/who-we-are/
• Woodmoor Water & Sanitation District No. 1, Residential water and sewer service application: https://www.woodmoorwater.com/residential-water-sewer-service-application
• City of Fountain, Fountain Utilities: https://fountain.colorado.gov/residents/fountain-utilities
• The Gazette, "Patty Jewett neighborhood leads push for consolidated trash pickup," June 28, 2026