City of Painesville

What City of Painesville does

The City of Painesville is a municipal government entity incorporated in 1800 and serving as the county seat of Lake County, Ohio, located along the Grand River roughly 30 miles northeast of Cleveland and 2.5 miles from Lake Erie. It operates as a council-manager form of government with approximately 170 employees delivering a full suite of public services to city residents, local businesses, and several surrounding communities.

Its core operational asset is the municipally owned Water Treatment Plant on the Mentor Headlands shoreline, which draws from Lake Erie via a 4,000-foot raw water intake completed in 2020 using record-setting microtunneling techniques. The plant currently treats and distributes more than 4 million gallons per day against a 7.5 million-gallon maximum capacity, serving over 11,000 service connections through 140+ miles of water mains organized into four pressure districts. The city also operates a public power Electric Division with advanced metering infrastructure (smart meters), refuse and recycling collection (transitioned to Major Waste Disposal Services as of June 29, 2026), a Water Pollution Control Plant, a Backflow Prevention Program, unidirectional flushing maintenance, and a 311 non-emergency service portal.

The business model is utility-rate-based and fee-supported rather than market-priced: recurring subscription billing for water, electric, sewer, and refuse services to residents and commercial customers, supplemented by wholesale/bulk water supply to Grand River Village, Painesville Township, Concord Township, and Fairport Harbor. Revenue is also generated via municipal court fees, permits and licensing, economic development incentives (tax abatement, Opportunity Zones, Brownfield remediation), and intergovernmental grants (Ohio EPA, State of Ohio, JobsOhio, federal EPA). Service delivery runs through direct city departments with contracted third-party support for refuse collection, and the city holds an unconditional Ohio EPA Public Water Supply license (OH 4301611).

Name

City of Painesville

Legal name

City of Painesville

Website

https://painesville.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1800

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The City of Painesville is an Ohio municipal government serving as the Lake County seat, operating a Lake Erie-sourced water treatment and distribution system for 11,000+ connections, a public power electric utility, refuse/recycling, public safety, and parks and recreation services for city residents and neighboring communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Government Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132), Waste Treatment and Disposal (56221), Remediation and Other Waste Management Services (5629)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Works Departments (Streets, Bridges, Stormwater, Fleet, Maintenance) (BPAIALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF), Stormwater Management & MS4 Compliance Services (BPALAMAL)

Keywords

• Municipal water utilities
• Public power services
• Wastewater treatment
• Refuse collection services
• Municipal government services

Headquarters

HQ city

Painesville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Utility Billing: Billing for water, electric, and sewer services provided to residential and commercial customers across the city and surrounding areas
2. Refuse Collection Fees: Weekly trash collection and recycling services provided through contracted provider Major Waste Disposal Services starting June 2026

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The City of Painesville delivers essential municipal services to residents and surrounding communities, including water treatment and distribution sourced from Lake Erie (4 MGD current, 7.5 MGD maximum capacity), municipal electric utility service, refuse and recycling collection, sewer and stormwater management, public safety (police and fire), parks and recreation across 13 parks, community development, and municipal court operations. The city also provides bulk water supply to neighboring municipalities including Grand River, Painesville Township, Concord Township, and Fairport Harbor.

Product overview

The City of Painesville operates as a municipal government providing public utilities and services including water treatment and distribution, electric services, refuse collection and recycling, public works, parks and recreation, and community development. The city's water infrastructure includes a treatment plant with capacity to process 4 million gallons per day (max 7.5 million gallons per day) serving over 11,000 service connections across 140+ miles of water mains. Services are delivered through various programs including a 311 non-emergency service portal, smart metering infrastructure, and utility billing services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Treatment and Distribution
• Municipal Electric Utility Service
• Refuse and Recycling Collection
• Sewer and Stormwater Management
• Police and Public Safety Services
• Fire and Emergency Services
• Parks and Recreation Services
• Utilities Billing Services
• Water Service Line Inventory Program
• Painesville 311 Service Portal

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Major Waste Disposal ServicescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 22 May 2026Selected as new residential trash and recycling provider; new service began Monday, June 29, 2026 with expanded recycling options including plastics No. 1-7
• Ohio EPAcoreOthers · 1 January 2020Ohio EPA funding programs supported the Raw Water Intake Project to protect drinking water from harmful algal blooms; Ohio EPA issued Public Water Supply license OH 4301611

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Aqua America: Major investor-owned water and wastewater utility serving customers across multiple states. Comparable as a broader-scale water utility with operating practices, rate-making, and infrastructure renewal benchmarks applicable to Painesville's utility operations.
• American Water Works Company: Largest investor-owned water and wastewater utility in North America, operating across many U.S. states. Comparable as a regulated water utility of substantially greater scale, providing a benchmark for utility operations, capital planning, and compliance practice.
• Severn Trent Services: International water and wastewater services company with U.S. municipal contract operations. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering outsourced utility operations, treatment technology, and compliance services to municipal water systems.
• Veolia North America: Operates and manages water and wastewater systems for municipalities across the U.S., including outsourced utility contracts. Comparable as a municipal-facing water services operator that Painesville could benchmark against or partner with for operations support.

Direct peers

• Cleveland Division of Water: Operates the largest municipal water system in northern Ohio, sourcing from Lake Erie and serving Greater Cleveland. Most directly comparable as a Lake Erie-sourced, municipally-owned water utility operating in the same regional watershed as Painesville.
• City of Akron Water Supply Bureau: Municipal water utility serving Akron and several wholesale communities in Northeast Ohio. Comparable as an Ohio municipal water provider operating treatment, distribution, and wholesale customer relationships at a similar mid-size scale.
• City of Toledo Department of Public Service: Operates municipal water and wastewater services for Toledo, including Lake Erie-sourced supply. Comparable as another Ohio municipal water utility drawing from the same Great Lakes source and providing utility-scale public services.
• City of Elyria Utilities: Neighboring Lorain County municipal water and wastewater operator of comparable size to Painesville. Comparable as a similarly scaled Ohio municipal utility providing water, sewer, and related public services to a comparable customer base.

Regional players

• Lake County Ohio (government): County-level municipal authority encompassing Painesville and surrounding townships the city serves with water. Comparable as the regional government peer sharing tax base, infrastructure planning, and inter-municipal service relationships.
• City of Mentor: Adjacent Lake County municipality where Painesville's water treatment plant is physically located. Operates its own municipal services and shares the same regional customer base and labor market; relevant for service-area benchmarking.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCpf0XqMSGXfZEjJ56sYTUaQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/cityofpainesville
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/city-of-painesville
• Instagraminstagram.com/cityofpainesville

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries9 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 City of Painesville