Water Leak Information

Responsibility

  • The water meter and connection thereof to the City water lines are owned and maintained by the City.
  • The property water lines and connection thereof to the water meter are owned and maintained by the resident or commercial entity.

If you suspect that you may have a leak, it is important to identify the problem as quickly as possible to minimize additional water expenses. The City offers a water leak credit adjustment for qualifying customers. Please review the City Code on credits for leakage below.

Steps to Take

  • Identify the leak and have it repaired.
  • Provide a copy of the plumber documentation noting the details of the repair and date repaired to Utility Billing (see contact information below).

Note - if the repair is made by anyone other than a certified plumber/contractor, the qualifying credit will not be applied until the fourth billing period post-leak and upon review by the City that the water usage has returned to normal average levels. The customer is responsible for contacting Utility Billing to make the leak known as well as provide repair information in order to be considered for a water leak credit adjustment.

Utility Billing Department
114 N Broad Street, First Floor
P.O. Box 869 | Salem, VA 24153
utilitybilling@salemva.gov
540-375-3026, opt 2

Sec. 90-259. - Credits for leakage.

A user of water may be entitled to a credit for leakage against the user's water/sewer bill upon the following conditions:

  1. The leak is in a water line on the property of the user
  2. The average cost of water and/or sewer to such user, during one monthly billing period of such leakage, shall be at least double the monthly average cost of such water/sewer for the preceding 12 months
  3. No such credit shall be allotted to the user until the leak is repaired by a plumbing contractor and said plumbing contractor certifies, in writing, such repair to the utility billing department
  4. The amount of such credit for the benefit of a user shall be one-half of such excess over and above the average water/sewer charge for the 12 preceding months and the remaining one-half of such excess shall be paid by the user
  5. Such credit shall be made no more than once to a user during a 12-month period.
  6. Should the certification required in subsection (c) above not be submitted, such credit as hereinabove provided shall not be made until the fourth monthly billing period thereafter upon the determination by the city that the leakage repair has been completed.