In the title complex, [Cu(C(9)H(9)NO(4)S)(C(12)H(8)N(2))(H(2)O)], the Cu(II) ion is coordinated in a distorted square-pyramidal geometry by the two N atoms from a 1,10-phenanthroline ligand, one N atom from the deprotonated amino group of an N-tosyl-glycinate ligand, one O atom from the carboxyl-ate part of the N-tosyl-glycinate ligand and a water O atom. Inter-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds involving the water H atoms link neighboring mol-ecules into supra-molecular chains along [010]. Weak π-π stacking inter-actions [centroid-centroid distances of 3.456 (1) and 3.691 (1) Å] between the benzene rings of 1,10-phenanthroline ligands of adjacent mol-ecules extend the chains into a layer structure parallel to (001).