Brunswick County, NC Water Use Rules: Leak Reporting Duty (2026)

Sec. 1-13-2(d) of the Brunswick County Code sets the leak adjustment policy for both water and wastewater customers of the county's public utilities system. Residential and commercial retail customers who submit a written request for a leak adjustment, along with documentation that the leak was repaired, are eligible for a billing credit, but only once in any rolling 12-month period. The county explicitly disclaims responsibility for stolen water service, so the credit only covers leaks, not theft. The credit itself is calculated with a specific formula: the county averages the customer's bill for the three most recent billing periods before the leak, then subtracts the greater of that three-month average or 4,500 gallons from the usage recorded during the leak billing period.

Sixty-five percent of whatever usage remains above that baseline is credited back to the account. The same section also covers related utility mechanics: a customer may request a meter test, and if the meter reads outside American Water Works Association tolerances there is no charge and the account is credited for the inaccuracy; if the meter tests within tolerance, the customer pays a size-based testing fee. This customer service policy sits in Chapter 1-13, Article I, which governs the county's water and wastewater utility, separate from any municipal water system operated by Leland, Southport, or the county's other incorporated towns.