Contact Tillamook PUD
Residential customer service
1-800-422-2535Toll-free, Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Local line: 503-842-2535.
Outage / emergency (24/7)
1-800-842-2122Automated outage reporting plus a live operator after hours. The PUD outage map is online at tpud.org.
Utility fact sheet
- Type
- Consumer-owned PUD
- Formed
- 1933 (Oregon PUD law)
- Customers
- ~21,000 meters
- Service area
- Tillamook + parts of Clatsop and Yamhill (~1,125 sq mi)
- Retail choice?
- No (Oregon regulated)
- Wholesale supplier
- BPA (federal hydro)
- Governance
- Elected 5-member board
- Regulator
- Self-regulated; not under OPUC
- Headquarters
- 1115 Pacific Ave, Tillamook, OR 97141
What you can do here
-
1
Start, stop or transfer service
Call 1-800-422-2535 at least 1 business day before move-in. A photo ID, the new address and a deposit (if no PUD payment history) may be required.
-
2
Lower your bill the only way Oregon allows
There is no shopping in Oregon for residential customers. Use the PUD's energy efficiency rebates (heat pump, insulation, weatherization) and apply for assistance if you qualify.
-
3
Vote in the next board election
The PUD's five-member board is elected by you. Board votes set the rate every year. Election dates appear in the PUD's annual report.
What Tillamook PUD does (and does not) do
Oregon never deregulated residential electricity. Tillamook PUD does it all: buys wholesale power, runs the wires, reads the meter and sets the rate at its elected board meeting. There is no separate supplier line on your bill.
Wholesale power buyer
About 90% or more of the energy the PUD delivers comes from BPA Tier 1 contracts: cost-based federal hydropower from the Columbia River Basin. The remainder is small market purchases and a touch of local hydro.
Wires and meters
The PUD owns every pole, transformer, service drop and meter from the BPA substation to your panel. Coastal salt air, wind and trees make this one of the more storm-exposed grids in Oregon.
Outage response
The PUD is the only number to call when the lights go out. Tillamook County is one of the more storm-prone parts of the Oregon coast, and the PUD runs its own line crews and a 24/7 dispatch center.
About Tillamook People's Utility District
Tillamook PUD was created in 1933 by a vote of Tillamook County residents under Oregon's 1930 People's Utility District Act. The Act let voters in any county form a publicly owned electric utility, take over the local investor-owned lines and buy federal hydropower from what would soon become the Bonneville Power Administration. Tillamook's was among the first PUDs in the state to begin delivering power, in the late 1930s.
The PUD covers about 1,125 square miles: most of Tillamook County (the city of Tillamook plus the coastal towns of Manzanita, Rockaway Beach, Garibaldi, Bay City, Cloverdale and Pacific City) and small slices of Clatsop County to the north and Yamhill County to the east. Its ~21,000 meters are roughly two-thirds residential, with a sizable share of seasonal coastal homes.
The PUD is governed by a five-member board of directors elected by ratepayers, who set rates and policy at public meetings. Unlike investor-owned utilities such as Portland General Electric or PacifiCorp, the PUD is not regulated by the Oregon Public Utility Commission; ratepayer complaints go directly to the elected board.
Anatomy of a Tillamook PUD bill
A PUD bill is much simpler than an investor-owned utility bill: one basic charge, one per-kWh energy charge, and a small power cost adjustment. There is no shoppable supply line because Oregon does not allow residential retail choice.
| Line item | Typical amount | Shoppable? |
|---|---|---|
| Basic monthly charge | ~$29 to $35 / month | No |
| Energy charge (per kWh) | ~10 to 11 ¢/kWh, post-May 2025 adjustment | No |
| Power Cost Adjustment (PCA) | Small rider, set annually | No |
| Local taxes and franchise fees | Where applicable, by city | No |
Reading tip
No line on a PUD bill is shoppable. The only way to lower a PUD bill is to use less electricity (efficiency, weatherization, heat pumps) or to qualify for assistance. The board adjusts rates annually based on BPA wholesale costs, system reinvestment and the financial reserves the auditor recommends. The last full adjustment took effect May 1, 2025, driven by a roughly 9% BPA power and 18% BPA transmission increase passed through to the PUD.
Tillamook PUD service area
The PUD covers most of Tillamook County and small parts of two neighbors. Outside this footprint, the surrounding territory is served by other Oregon utilities: PacifiCorp / Pacific Power to the south, Portland General Electric inland.
Tillamook County
Tillamook, Manzanita, Rockaway Beach, Garibaldi, Bay City, Netarts, Oceanside, Cloverdale, Pacific City, Tierra Del Mar and the US-101 coastal corridor.
South Clatsop County
A narrow strip along the coast just north of Manzanita, including Arch Cape and Cove Beach.
West Yamhill County
A handful of meters in the Coast Range foothills east of the Tillamook State Forest, where the PUD's lines cross over from the coast.
Why your Tillamook PUD rate is what it is
Without retail choice and without a profit margin, a PUD rate is the sum of three costs: federal wholesale power, the wires, and a small reserve. Here is how each piece breaks down.
Average residential rate
~10 to 11 ¢/kWh
All-in, post-May 2025 adjustment
Oregon state average
~11.1 ¢/kWh
EIA residential, 2024
Wholesale supplier
BPA
Federal cost-based hydropower
What it means for you
The PUD's rate is anchored to BPA's wholesale price, which is among the lowest in the United States because it reflects the cost of running 31 federal hydro projects, not the market price of power. When BPA raises its rates (it did, in the FY2026 to FY2027 rate case), the PUD passes that increase through. There is no shopping around: every Oregon coastal household in the PUD service area pays the same posted rate.
Sources: Tillamook People's Utility District rate schedules; Bonneville Power Administration wholesale rate filings; EIA State Electricity Profile, Oregon 2024.
Tillamook PUD contact directory
Use these direct lines instead of the main menu when you know what you need.
| Reason for the call | Number | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Residential customer service | 1-800-422-2535 | Mon to Fri 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Local Tillamook line | 503-842-2535 | Same hours as toll-free |
| Outage / emergency | 1-800-842-2122 | 24/7, automated and live operator |
| [email protected] | Reply within 1 to 2 business days | |
| Fax | 503-842-4161 | 24/7 |
| Hearing impaired (Oregon Relay) | 711 | 24/7 |
| Mailing and office address | Tillamook PUD, 1115 Pacific Avenue, Tillamook, OR 97141 | |
If you cannot pay your bill
Apply before a disconnect notice arrives. Once enrolled in a plan, the PUD will not disconnect for nonpayment as long as you stay current on agreed installments.
Oregon Energy Assistance Program (OEAP)
State-funded bill assistance for income-qualified households, administered locally by Community Action Team. Apply through the PUD.
LIHEAP
Federal heating assistance, administered in Oregon by the Housing and Community Services Department. Opens each November.
PUD Project Helping Hand
Customer-funded hardship grant matched by the PUD. Round-up donations on monthly bills feed the fund.
Insider insight
A PUD is not the same animal as PGE or PacifiCorp
Tillamook PUD is consumer-owned. There is no shareholder, no stock price, no dividend going out of the county. Every dollar of net margin either pays down debt, reinvests in the system, or comes back to ratepayers in the form of lower future rates.
That is structurally different from Oregon's two big investor-owned utilities, Portland General Electric (PGE) and PacifiCorp / Pacific Power. Those IOUs are regulated by the Oregon Public Utility Commission and earn an authorized rate of return on their invested capital. Tillamook PUD is not regulated by OPUC; complaints go to the elected board, and rate cases are decided in a public meeting, not a regulatory filing.
The practical upshot: your PUD rate is usually lower than the IOU rate in the same state because the cost stack is simpler (BPA Tier 1 power plus wires plus reserves), and you have a direct vote on the board that sets it.
Frequently asked questions
Who owns Tillamook PUD?
Can I shop for a cheaper electricity supplier in Tillamook?
Where does Tillamook PUD's power come from?
Who do I call for a downed power line or outage?
Does Tillamook PUD deliver natural gas?
Is the Oregon PUC my regulator for billing complaints?
Is help available if I cannot pay my bill?
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