Prepare your water-bill adjustment request.

Evidence checklist

Keep these together before contacting the utility. This is a preparation list, not a test of eligibility.

• The bill or bills in question, with billing dates, service address, and account number.
• A comparable earlier bill or usage history, with units and billing-period length noted. Seattle and Portland compare against the same billing period a year earlier; Denver uses a three-year average for the same part of the year.
• Timestamped photos of the meter reading before the repair and again after it, plus any utility alerts or notices about high use.
• Key dates: when you first noticed the problem or got a notice, when the repair started, and when it was finished. Seattle and Portland count their repair deadlines from the first notice of increased usage.
• What was repaired, how, and by whom: a paid receipt or invoice, receipts for parts, and a photo of the failed or replaced part. Atlanta does not accept an invoice without proof of payment.
• Your utility's current request form, required attachments, submission deadline, and payment instructions.

The free analyzer helps you read the bill figures. Add your repair records yourself and keep the originals for the utility.

Billing dispute or leak adjustment?

Utilities often treat these as different requests, so pick the one that matches what happened. Austin Water has one process for a repaired leak and a separate one for a high bill with no leak. Atlanta lists billing errors, meter leaks, and customer-side leaks as separate adjustment reasons.

• Billing dispute: the read was estimated, the reading on the bill does not match your meter, the dates or rate look wrong, or you suspect the meter itself. Ask for a billing review or a re-read. See the estimated meter read true-up guide.
• Leak adjustment: you found a leak on your side of the meter, repaired it, and use dropped afterward. Apply under the utility's leak policy and attach proof of the repair.
• Not sure yet: check the meter first. EPA WaterSense suggests reading the meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used: if the meter changes at all, you probably have a leak. Try the meter overnight test. If no leak shows up, ask which high-bill review applies instead of calling it a leak.

Two examples of the no-leak path, as checked October 3, 2026: Austin's non-leak adjustment is limited to single-family residential customers with at least four months of billing history, no adjustment in the past two years, and a bill for at least three times the expected volume. Seattle's rule CS-325 treats unexplained high use that returns to normal by the next billing cycle as eligible for a leak adjustment with no documentation required.

Rules vary by utility

The New York City, Atlanta, and Austin examples were checked against official pages on September 7, 2026 and re-checked on October 3, 2026. The Denver, Seattle, and Portland examples were checked on October 3, 2026. They illustrate differences; policies vary, so confirm with your utility. Only your own utility can decide your request. Open the current policy before relying on a deadline or eligibility rule.

• New York City DEP: its leak-forgiveness program has usage, timing, and prior-adjustment conditions. Repair-document requirements depend on whether the property's automated meter device works. A high bill alone is not enough. Read NYC DEP's policy.
• Atlanta Watershed: requests use the department's form and need evidence of the leak and repair. An unpaid invoice is not accepted as proof of payment. The request does not suspend undisputed charges. Read Atlanta's adjustment rules.
• Austin Water: leak adjustment requests under City Code 15-9-141 are due within 90 days of the repair and need a copy of the repair receipt or paid invoice describing the repair, plus the date range of the high charges. Austin describes a separate process for a high bill without a leak; the two paths have different conditions. Read Austin's high-bill options.
• Denver Water: requests must include proof of repair and be submitted within 12 months of the repair. One adjustment covers at most three consecutive monthly bills, and Denver compares use during the leak with the property's three-year average for the same part of the calendar year. Its page also says a leak caused by outdoor water use during the lawn-watering prohibition that began Oct. 1 will not be adjusted. Read Denver Water's leak adjustment page.
• Seattle Public Utilities: under rule CS-325 (effective May 25, 2020), customer-side leaks can be adjusted once per calendar year for up to two billing periods. For residential customers, water and sewer use above normal (the same billing period the year before) is adjusted at 100 percent. Repairs must be finished within 60 days, indoor and aboveground leaks need proof of repair such as a receipt or invoice, and underground repairs must be inspected before they are covered. The rule says tenants and renters are not eligible. Read rule CS-325 and SPU's leak adjustment page.
• Portland Water Bureau: under policy ADM-14.03, an account can receive one adjustment covering two billing cycles in any 12-month period for a sewer-affected leak (such as a toilet) and one for a non-sewer-affected leak (such as an underground line). Efforts to find and repair the leak must start within 30 days and repairs must be finished within 90 days of the first notice of increased usage. City staff check the meter to confirm the repair. Read Portland's policy ADM-14.03.

Worked example: how a leak credit is calculated

This shows how one published formula works, using made-up usage numbers rather than a real bill. Portland Water Bureau policy ADM-14.03 (as checked October 3, 2026) says that for a sewer-affected leak, such as a running toilet, adjusted water usage is billed at the usage for the same billing period of the previous year plus 50% of the additional consumption caused by the leak.

1. Same billing period last year: 14 units.
2. Billing period with the leak: 40 units.
3. Additional consumption from the leak: 40 − 14 = 26 units.
4. Half of the additional consumption: 26 × 50% = 13 units.
5. Adjusted billed usage: 14 + 13 = 27 units, so 40 − 27 = 13 units come off the bill.

Under Seattle's rule CS-325, a residential customer-side leak is adjusted at 100 percent of above-normal use, where normal is the same billing period the year before. With the same numbers, the bill would be based on 14 units, removing all 26 extra units.

To estimate dollars, multiply the units removed by the per-unit water and sewer charges printed on your own bill. No rate is used here because rates differ by utility and tier and change over time. If use in the same period last year was higher, there is no extra use to adjust: Portland's appeal committee denied two 2026 requests for that reason.

Make one clear request

Use your utility's official bill-review or leak-adjustment channel. State the affected dates and measured usage, describe the repair if there was one, and list the attachments. If the cause is still unknown, ask which review process applies instead of declaring a leak.

Ask what payment is due while the request is reviewed, how to supply missing evidence, and how you will receive a decision. Save the submission receipt and case number. If the account is in a landlord's or HOA's name, confirm who is authorized to submit.

Payment and appeal rules differ. Atlanta, for example, requires the Temporary Payment Amount it sets for the disputed period within 20 days of its acknowledgement letter, or the request will not be processed, and allows 14 days after you receive its decision letter to appeal to the Water and Sewer Appeals Board. Portland accepts free written appeals to its Administrative Review Committee, which meets monthly and sends its decision in writing.

Optional help organizing the request

You can use this checklist and the free analyzer without buying anything. For additional help preparing a written request, review the existing $29 Dispute & Leak-Adjustment Pack and its included tools before checkout.

A purchase does not establish eligibility, guarantee a refund, or change your utility's decision.