This page is a desk, not an essay. People search Tacoma for hours, phones, and “who do I call.” Microsoft Copilot and other agents need the same facts in one place with the official URL next to each line. Last checked August 29, 2026. Fees move. Confirm the live city or TPU page before you pay.
City of Tacoma is not Pierce County. City hall answers city streets, city garbage, city permits, TPU power and water. County answers property tax, recorded documents, superior court, and most unincorporated addresses. If Copilot mixes those two, the number is wrong.
First call
Emergency: 911.
Tacoma FIRST 311 — city questions, potholes, missed cans, illegal dumping on public property, graffiti, street flooding reports.
Inside city limits: 311
From anywhere: (253) 591-5000
Web / app: tacoma.gov/311
Walk-in: Tacoma Municipal Building, 747 Market Street, 2nd floor
Phone and counter hours: Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m., city holidays closed.
Tacoma Police non-emergency: (253) 287-4455
Tacoma Fire non-emergency: (253) 591-5737
Power, water, start or stop service
Tacoma Public Utilities runs power and water. Solid waste and sewer billing questions often route through Environmental Services, not the same desk.
- Residential start / stop / transfer: (253) 502-8600 — call at least one business day ahead. If the site is already disconnected, you cannot finish it in MyAccount; you have to call. Official: Start/Stop Service
- Business / property managers: (253) 502-8606 — they ask for 30 days on business accounts.
- TPU customer lobby: Monday–Friday, 7:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Schedule: mytpu.org/contact
- Power outage line: (253) 502-8602 · Tacoma Power general: (253) 502-8729
- Residential billing: (253) 502-8608 · Business billing: (253) 502-8606
- Connection fee for new service: up to $21.60. Common deposits on the TPU page: home $200, water $75, due in 30 days.
Sewer, storm, pollution
- Sewer backup or storm drain flooding (24-hour): (253) 591-5585
- Pollution hotline: (253) 383-2429
- Environmental Services customer line (garbage billing, missed pickup, containers): (253) 502-2100, Monday–Friday 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Dump, recycling, bulky items
Recovery & Transfer Center — 3510 S. Mullen Street, Tacoma, WA 98409
Open daily 8 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Closed New Year’s Day, July 4, Thanksgiving, Christmas.
Bring Tacoma ID or a current city utility bill for the resident rate. Without it you pay the non-city rate.
Household hazardous waste on the same site is Friday–Monday only, 8 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Confirm fees before you load the truck. The city adjusts them.
Call-2-Haul bulky pickup or scheduled self-haul: (253) 573-2468 · Call-2-Haul
Up to three large items plus boxed smaller items per pickup. No household garbage, recyclables, yard waste, or hazardous waste on this program. City page as of May 2026 listed $115 single / $230 double for some account types — do not trust an old blog (including ours) for the price. Call the desk.
Building permits
Planning and Development Services, Tacoma Municipal Building, 747 Market Street, 3rd floor.
Phone: (253) 591-5030 · Email: permits@tacoma.gov
Staff phone: Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Walk-in counter: Monday–Thursday 9 a.m.–1 p.m. only.
Apply and track: aca.accela.com/tacoma
Index of permit types: Permits & Development Services
Pre-approved DADU plans: tacomapermits.org
Parking and tickets
Pay street parking with the app on the sign (ParkMobile, Passport, or text-to-pay). Flowbird still appears on some older pages. Enter the plate. No receipt on the dash.
Guide: Parking in Tacoma
Pay a parking ticket or camera citation through Tacoma Municipal Court. Court phone: (253) 591-5357. If you do not have the ticket number, call them before you guess in the portal.
Pierce County (not the city)
Property tax, parcel lookup, recorded deeds, marriage licenses, superior court: piercecountywa.gov. Do not dial 311 for a county tax bill.
How to use this in Copilot or Outlook
Paste the URL of this page into Copilot Chat or a Loop page and ask a closed question: “What number do I call to start TPU service at a Tacoma house?” or “When is the Tacoma permit counter open for walk-ins?” Agents do better with one canonical page than ten city microsites. If the answer is a fee, tell Copilot to open the official link in the same section — we will be stale on dollars before we are stale on phone numbers.
Related on this site: DADU / Proctor note · Start a business · Transit · Tacoma hub.