Williams Civic Watch Español

Get it done

These links go straight to the City of Williams' own pages. We checked every link on October 29, 2026. This is an unofficial guide. If we differ, the city's pages are right.

City Hall: 810 E Street · (530) 473-2955 Verified1. The city's pages list different hours for City Hall. Call before you go.

Business licenseApply online; pay at Finance

Sources: Verified23

Building and encroachment permitsBoth apply online
  • Apply: use the city's permit portal. It has a Building Permit Application and an Encroachment Permit Application.
  • Encroachment permits are for work in a public street or right-of-way. A right-of-way is public land along a street, like a sidewalk or curb strip. The city issues these permits under Williams Municipal Code chapter 12.14. The Municipal Code is the city's own book of laws. Tell Public Works one working day before work starts. The portal gives two numbers for this: (530) 473-2955 Ext. 801 and (530) 473-2519. Call 811 at least two working days before you dig.
  • Building Department: 460 8th Street, (530) 235-3276.
  • Planning forms are in the city's forms library. See also our Planning basics.

Sources: Verified415

Ask for public recordsOnline form, PDF form, or phone

Sources: Verified678

Water and sewer serviceStart, stop, billing, rates
  • Start service: every new customer fills out the city's Application for Service. Property owners also give a copy of the recorded deed. That is the copy of your property deed on file with the county. Details are on the Utilities page.
  • Stop service: call Customer Service at (530) 235-3274. Ask for a Discontinuance of Service form. That is the form to end service.
  • Billing questions: the city says email is fastest. Write to aramirez@cityofwilliams.org. Or leave a voicemail at (530) 235-3274. Expect an email reply within 24 hours. A call back can take up to two days.
  • Billing office: 464 8th Street, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m..
  • Rates: see the 2026 water and sewer rates (PDF). Our Fees and rates page explains them.
  • Shut-off policy: English (PDF) · Spanish (PDF).

Sources: Verified9101112

City formsOne library for every department
  • The Forms & Permits library has forms for every department Verified5. It has building, business, City Clerk, special event, planning and public works forms. It also has Parks and Recreation forms, including a Spanish registration form.
Phones and emailsFrom the city's contact directory
Department Phone Where
City Hall (main line) (530) 473-2955 810 E Street
City Clerk (530) 235-3274 810 E Street
Utility billing (530) 235-3274 464 8th Street
Building (530) 235-3276 460 8th Street
Planning and business licenses (530) 235-3279 460 8th Street
Finance Director (530) 235-3271 464 8th Street
City Manager (530) 235-3275 810 E Street
Human Resources (530) 235-3273
Parks and Recreation (530) 235-3277 810 E Street
Public Works (530) 235-3270 Ext. 801 · dpw@cityofwilliams.org 735 7th Street
Police (530) 473-2661
Code Enforcement (530) 473-2533 700 North Street
Fire (530) 473-2269

Source: the city's Contact Us directory and City Clerk page Verified16. In an emergency, call 911. To report a problem or file a complaint, see Report a problem.

Meetings: watch, read, attendCouncil, Planning and Parks commissions
  • Watch: the city's livestream and video archive.
  • Read: the city posts agendas and minutes. The agenda is the list of what the meeting will cover. Minutes are the record of what happened. Our Agenda Watch goes item by item.
  • City Council: meets the third Wednesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 810 E Street.
  • Planning Commission: fourth Monday, 6:00 p.m. Parks and Recreation Commission: first Thursday, 6:00 p.m.. Check the public notices before you go.
  • How to speak at a meeting: Take part.

Sources: Verified13141516

News, bids and noticesRequests for proposals, hearings, elections
  • The city news list has news, election notices and requests for proposals (RFPs). An RFP asks companies to bid on city work. One example is On-Call CEQA Services, posted October 14, 2026. CEQA is the California Environmental Quality Act. It is the state law that makes agencies study a project's effect on the environment.
  • Hearing notices are on the Public Notices page.

Sources: Verified1716

EventsParks and Recreation, city calendar
  • The Events page lists city events. The next big one is the Festival of Lights. It is on Saturday, December 12, 2026, from 4 to 9 p.m. The parade starts at 6 p.m..
  • The city calendar has events and meetings.

Sources: Verified1819

We link to the city's pages. We don't copy its forms. If anything here differs from the city's own page, the city's page is right.

Sources cited on this page

  1. Contact Us (department directory) (City of Williams; official; accessed 2026-10-29) Department phones and addresses: City Hall 810 E Street, main line (530) 473-2955; City Clerk (530) 235-3274; Building 460 8th Street (530) 235-3276; Planning & Zoning and Business Licenses 460 8th Street (530) 235-3279; Finance and water payments 464 8th Street, Finance Director (530) 235-3271; City Manager 810 E Street (530) 235-3275; Human Resources (530) 235-3273; Parks & Recreation 810 E Street (530) 235-3277; Public Works 735 7th Street (530) 235-3270 Ext. 801, dpw@cityofwilliams.org; Police (530) 473-2661; Code Enforcement 700 North Street (530) 473-2533; Fire (530) 473-2269. City Hall hours on this page: Monday to Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed Fridays (other city pages differ). ↗
  2. Business License page (City of Williams; official; accessed 2026-10-29) Apply online through the city's iWorQ portal; the License Collector reviews applications, (530) 235-3279, agrajeda@cityofwilliams.org; payment is taken at the Finance Department; a license is valid for a calendar year from the issue date. ↗
  3. Citizen Portal: Business License Application (iWorQ) (City of Williams (iWorQ portal); official; accessed 2026-10-29) The city's online business license application, linked from the city's Business License page. The portal marks online license renewal and invoice payment "coming soon" and lists 530-235-3279 for questions. ↗
  4. Citizen Portal: Building and Encroachment Permit Applications (iWorQ) (City of Williams (iWorQ portal); official; accessed 2026-10-29) Online Building Permit Application and Encroachment Permit Application. The encroachment application says permits are issued under WMC chapter 12.14 and asks the permittee to notify Public Works one working day before starting work; it lists both (530) 473-2955 Ext. 801 and (530) 473-2519 for this. It also requires calling 811 (Underground Service Alert) at least two working days before excavation. ↗
  5. Forms & Permits (Document Center) (City of Williams; official; accessed 2026-10-29) The city's forms library: building, business, City Clerk, Parks and Recreation (including a Spanish registration form), special events, planning and public works forms. ↗
  6. City Clerk (public records requests, Form 700 filing officer) (City of Williams; official; accessed 2026-10-29) City Clerk's office, 810 E Street (P.O. Box 310). Phone (530) 235-3274, or (530) 473-2955 Ext. 111. This page has an online Public Records Request form and links a PDF request form. ↗
  7. Records Request or Request for Information form (PDF) (City of Williams, City Clerk; official; accessed 2026-10-29) The City Clerk's paper form for public records requests. The City Clerk page also links an online Public Records Request form. ↗
  8. Gov. Code §7922.535 (CPRA: 10-day determination) (California Legislative Information; official; accessed 2026-10-29) Official text read directly on Oct 29, 2026: within 10 days of a request the agency must decide whether it has disclosable public records and promptly tell the requester; in unusual circumstances the deadline may be extended by written notice for up to 14 days (as amended effective 2026, unusual circumstances also include a cyberattack or a declared state of emergency). ↗
  9. Utilities page (start, stop, billing) (City of Williams; official; accessed 2026-10-29) Start service with an Application for Service (owners provide a recorded deed); stop service by calling Customer Service at (530) 235-3274 for a Discontinuance of Service form; billing questions by email to aramirez@cityofwilliams.org or voicemail at (530) 235-3274. Links the 2026 rates and the shut-off policy (English and Spanish). The Utility Rates text says revenues "will be used to ensure the City can meet State and Federal water quality laws, and construct, repair, maintain and properly operate water supply infrastructure," and that on January 21, 2026 the Council adopted water rate adjustments for 2026 to 2030 (re-read Nov 10, 2026). ↗
  10. Utilities: Contact Us (City of Williams; official; accessed 2026-10-29) Utility billing office at 464 8th Street, Monday to Friday 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., (530) 235-3274. ↗
  11. Water and sewer rates, scheduled increases (Exhibits A and B, "New rates 2026") (City of Williams; official; accessed 2026-10-23) Monthly fixed and volume rates in effect since December 1, 2024, and the increases scheduled every February 1 from 2026 to 2030. Text layer. ↗
  12. Política de desconexión (shut-off policy, Spanish) (City of Williams; official; accessed 2026-10-29) The city's water shut-off policy in Spanish. It lists (530) 235-3270 Ext. 111 for questions; the English version lists (530) 473-2955 Ext. 111. English version: https://www.cityofwilliams.org/Documents/Services/Utilities/City%20of%20Williams%20shut%20off%20policy.pdf ↗
  13. Council meeting livestream and video archive (AV Capture All) (City of Williams (hosted by AV Capture All); official; accessed 2026-10-29) Link printed on the October 21, 2026 agenda as the courtesy livestream. ↗
  14. City Council agendas and minutes (official index) (City of Williams; official; accessed 2026-11-09) Dynamic page; packets are linked PDFs. Many older packets are scanned images without searchable text. ↗
  15. City Council page (meeting schedule, members, contact) (City of Williams; official; accessed 2026-10-17) Says regular meetings are the third Wednesday of each month at 6:00 p.m., Council Chambers, City Hall, 810 E Street; call (530) 235-3270 or (530) 473-2955. Re-read Oct 31, 2026: the page's contact box lists the City Council at (530) 235-3274 or (530) 473-2955, the same number the city directory gives the City Clerk. ↗
  16. Public Notices (City of Williams; official; accessed 2026-10-29) Public notices and hearing notices; also lists Planning Commission (fourth Monday, 6 p.m.) and Parks & Recreation Commission (first Thursday, 6 p.m.) meeting times. ↗
  17. News (announcements, notices and RFPs) (City of Williams; official; accessed 2026-10-29) City news list, including requests for proposals (for example, On-Call CEQA Services, Oct 14, 2026) and election notices. ↗
  18. Parks & Recreation: Events (City of Williams; official; accessed 2026-10-29) Lists city events, including the Festival of Lights on Saturday, Dec 12, 2026, 4 to 9 p.m., parade at 6 p.m. ↗
  19. City calendar (City of Williams; official; accessed 2026-10-29) The city's events and meetings calendar. ↗

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