Cotuit Fire District

What Cotuit Fire District does

Cotuit Fire District is a special-purpose municipal district of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, formally established by Chapter 328 of the Acts of 1926 to provide fire protection, drinking water, and limited governance services to the village of Cotuit within the Town of Barnstable on Cape Cod. The district operates three elected boards — the Prudential Committee (governance and finances), the Board of Fire Commissioners (Fire Department led by Chief Sean Brown and Deputy Chief Shane Clark), and the Board of Water Commissioners (Water Department led by Superintendent Chris Wiseman) — and raises revenue through two streams: a property tax surcharge collected by the Town of Barnstable and remitted to the district, and tiered bi-annual water usage bills paid by approximately 2,361 residential and commercial connections (minimum bill $20 for the first 10,000 gallons, escalating to $37.50 per 1,000 gallons above 200,000 gallons; residential fire inspection fee $25 per certificate).

The district's core operational assets are heavily concentrated in the Water Department, which draws pure groundwater from five wells on 244 acres of district-owned land, pumps it through five pumping stations and 53 miles of water mains, and stores it in two elevated tanks with combined 800,000-gallon capacity serving 444 fire hydrants. Supporting technology includes a closed Fiber Optic SCADA system with 2-factor authentication (upgraded in 2018) for monitoring and controlling wells and tanks, a lime slurry corrosion control facility to prevent lead and copper leaching, emergency interconnections with the Mashpee and Centerville-Osterville-Marstons Mills water districts for mutual aid, and an Authority Pay online billing portal. The Fire Department operates under a collective bargaining agreement with Local #3642 of the International Association of Firefighters and provides fire suppression, rescue, EMS, hazardous materials response, and residential fire inspections mandated under Massachusetts General Law c. 148, § 26F.

Distribution is direct-to-consumer within district limits: fire/EMS via dispatch through the Barnstable County 911 system, water via the central distribution system, and inspections by appointment. The Water Department fiscal-year operating budget runs $700,000-$800,000 covering staff salaries and operations/maintenance. Ancillary services include Freedom Hall (a community facility built in 1860) rentals, an open burning permit program, small vessel identification decals for canoes/kayaks/rowboats, and street lighting maintenance with an ongoing LED conversion program. Recent regulatory milestones include a Level II Drought declaration effective July 1, 2026 and completion of the Lead Service Line Inventory in November 2025 documenting zero lead service lines in the system.

Name

Cotuit Fire District

Legal name

Cotuit Fire District

Website

https://cotuitfiredistrict.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

1926

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cotuit Fire District is a Massachusetts special-purpose municipal district established in 1926 that provides fire protection, emergency medical services, and public water supply to approximately 2,361 residential and commercial connections within the village of Cotuit, operating through three elected boards and funded by property tax levies plus tiered water usage fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Water and Fire Protection Services

NAICS

Fire Protection (92216), Fire Protection (922160)

akta.pro primary industry

Fire & Rescue Services (Fire Suppression, Rescue) (BPAIAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fire Prevention, Inspection & Code Enforcement (Life Safety) (BPAIAGAL)

Keywords

• Fire protection services
• Water supply services
• Municipal utilities
• Emergency medical services
• Public water distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Cotuit

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Water Usage Fees: Residential and commercial water customers pay usage-based fees through bi-annual water bills. Bills cover minimum water use (10,000 gallons) per connection, with graduated rates for usage above that threshold.
2. Property Tax Levy: The Town of Barnstable collects a surcharge on property taxes which is remitted to the Cotuit Fire District. District voters determine the budget annually at a district meeting.
3. Freedom Hall Rental Fees: Community facility available for rent to qualified groups for events, meetings, voting, and entertainment. Small rental fee applies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cotuit Fire District is a special-purpose municipal district of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that delivers fire protection, emergency medical services, and public water supply to the village of Cotuit. The district operates three departments: the Fire Department (fire suppression, rescue, EMS, hazardous materials response), the Water Department (groundwater extraction, treatment, and distribution serving 2,361 homes, businesses, and public buildings), and the Prudential Committee (financial oversight, governance, Freedom Hall facilities, and street lighting). Revenue is raised through property tax surcharges collected by the Town of Barnstable and tiered water usage fees.

Product overview

The Cotuit Fire District provides essential municipal services through three core departments: Fire Protection Services (including rescue and EMS), Water Supply Services (drinking water, distribution, infrastructure), and Prudential Committee Governance (finances, facilities, street lighting). The district operates Freedom Hall as a rental venue and offers add-on services including residential fire inspections, small vessel decals, water bill payment, and a flushing maintenance program. The district's water system serves 2,361 connections with water from five groundwater wells on 244 acres of district-owned land.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fire Protection Services Fire protection, rescue services, emergency medical care, and hazardous materials incident response for the village of Cotuit, delivered through 911 dispatch and skilled response by land or water.
• Water Supply Services Public water supply drawn from five groundwater wells on 244 acres of district-owned land, treated through a corrosion control facility, and distributed via 53 miles of water mains and 444 hydrants to 2,361 connections for drinking, domestic, commercial, and fire-protection use.
• Residential Fire Inspections State-mandated residential building inspections required upon sale or transfer under Massachusetts General Law c. 148, § 26F, verifying proper location and operation of automatic smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Certificate of compliance is issued upon passing, valid for 60 days, at a fee of $25.00 per inspection.
• Open Burning Permits Permit-based open burning program with daily restrictions. Residents must call the fire station to verify whether burning is allowed before conducting any open burning in the district.
• Small Vessel Identification Decals Vessel identification sticker program for canoes, kayaks, and rowboats operating in the waters of the Cotuit Fire District, supporting watercraft identification for safety purposes.
• Freedom Hall Rental Historic 1860 community gathering place at 976 Main Street, Cotuit, available for rent to qualified groups for meetings, voting, entertainment, and community events at a small rental fee.
• Water Main Flushing Program Seasonal preventative maintenance program for water mains running from mid-March through mid-June annually to clear naturally occurring deposits and maintain water quality and system reliability across the district's 53 miles of mains.
• Online Water Bill Payment Secure online payment system operated through Authority Pay, allowing water customers to pay bi-annual water usage bills and view account information at cotuitwd.authoritypay.com.

Quantifiable outcome

• Zero lead service lines found in Lead Service Line Inventory completed November 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Mashpee Water DistrictminorOthersEmergency water supply interconnection allowing Cotuit to receive water from Mashpee district or provide water to them if needed.
• Centerville-Osterville-Marstons Mills Water DistrictminorOthersEmergency water supply interconnection for mutual aid in case of system failures or water supply shortages.
• LeftField LLCcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSelected as Owner's Project Manager (OPM) for Cotuit Elementary School Demolition Project following competitive bidding process. Serves as advisor and oversees project throughout its duration as required by Massachusetts law.
• ICON ArchitecturecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitecture firm retained to prepare detailed technical specifications for the Cotuit School demolition project. Same firm that conducted the 2024 Feasibility Study of the property.
• Icon ArchitecturecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSelected for feasibility study of Cotuit Elementary School building as required by warrant passed at May 2024 Special District Meeting.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Veolia Water North America: Operates and maintains municipal water and wastewater systems across the US, including several under contract. Relevant as a potential outsourced-operations partner or consolidation counterparty for small Massachusetts water districts like Cotuit.

Broad incumbents

• California Water Service Group: Investor-owned water utility operating ~2,800 groundwater wells serving 2M+ customers, with a heavy groundwater-supply model that mirrors Cotuit's pure groundwater dependence. Useful benchmark for groundwater-system capex, water-quality compliance, and rate design.
• Middlesex Water Company: NJ-based investor-owned water and wastewater utility serving ~500K people. Closest scale analog to Cotuit among publicly traded water utilities, with similar groundwater-supply reliance and similar capital-intensity profile per connection.
• Essential Utilities: Multi-state water and natural-gas utility serving ~5 million people, formed from the merger of Aqua America and Peoples. Comparable in regulated water-utility business model and in acquiring small municipal/district systems — a relevant counterparty for any future consolidation scenario.
• American Water Works Company: Largest publicly traded US water and wastewater utility, serving ~14 million people across 14 states. Provides a benchmark for regulated water-utility economics, capital-intensity norms, and rate-base growth that contextualize Cotuit's small-scale operations.
• SJW Group: Holding company for San Jose Water and Connecticut Water — investor-owned water utilities with combined ~750K connections. Comparable in regulated water-only business model and in pursuing acquisitions of smaller municipal systems.

Direct peers

• Centerville-Osterville-Marstons Mills Fire District: Neighboring Massachusetts special-purpose district providing combined fire protection and public water service to three Barnstable villages. Directly comparable in scope, governance structure (elected prudential/water/fire boards), and mutual-aid water interconnections with Cotuit.
• Mashpee Water District: Adjacent Cape Cod public water supplier with which Cotuit shares emergency interconnections. Similar small-scale groundwater system, similar residential-customer base, and similar regulatory exposure under Massachusetts drinking-water rules.
• Barnstable Fire District: Town-of-Barnstable-level fire district operating under similar Massachusetts special-purpose-district statutes, providing fire and emergency services to nearby villages. Comparable in governance, funding mechanism (property tax surcharge), and scale.
• Hyannis Fire District: Another Barnstable-area special-purpose fire district with comparable municipal structure, elected commissioners, and combined fire/EMS/water-style community services. Closest analog in operating model within the immediate geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cotuitwd
• Instagraminstagram.com/cotuitfiredept
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cotuit-fire-district

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cotuit Fire District