Chapel Hill, NC Water Use Rules: Leak Reporting Duty (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- Chapel Hill Code §§ 23-64(a)(5), 23-65(a)(3)
- Repair deadline
- 10 days from discovery or OWASA notice
- Enforcing agency
- Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA)
- Remedy for noncompliance
- Water service discontinuance under § 23-63
Summary
Customers of the Orange Water and Sewer Authority inside the Town of Chapel Hill must fix an outdoor or indoor water leak within ten days of discovering it, or of OWASA's notice of it, under Sections 23-64(a)(5) and 23-65(a)(3) of the town's water conservation ordinance.
Sec. 23-64. - Exterior use. (a)The following outdoor or exterior use requirements shall apply to all customers using OWASA-supplied potable water: ... (5)Outdoor water leaks on property or facilities of OWASA customers shall be repaired within ten (10) days of discovery by the customer and/or notification by OWASA. ... ... Sec. 23-65. - Interior use. (a)The following indoor or interior use requirements shall apply to all customers using OWASA-supplied potable water: ... (3)Indoor water leaks on property or facilities of OWASA customers shall be repaired within ten (10) days of discovery by the customer and/or notification by OWASA.
Full Breakdown
Chapel Hill's water conservation standards, codified at Chapter 23, Article IV of the Town Code, place the leak-repair duty on the customer rather than on OWASA. Section 23-64(a)(5) requires that outdoor water leaks on the customer's property or facilities be repaired within ten (10) days of discovery by the customer or notification by OWASA; Section 23-65(a)(3) imposes the identical ten-day deadline for indoor leaks. Both sections sit inside the article's year-round requirements, which also bar exterior water use that flows onto adjacent property or the public right-of-way and require automatic irrigation controllers to carry rain or soil moisture sensors.
The leak-repair duty applies to every customer using OWASA-supplied potable water, and it operates alongside Section 23-62's general ban on wasting OWASA-supplied potable water and Section 23-66(a)(3), which encourages customers to repair and maintain plumbing systems to prevent leaks as an ongoing policy matter. OWASA, not the Chapel Hill Police Department, administers enforcement: Section 23-63 authorizes OWASA to discontinue water service to a customer once notice of a prohibited use, including an unrepaired leak, has been delivered to the service address and the wasteful use continues.
There is no separate town fine for a leak; the remedy the ordinance provides is water service being cut off until the leak is fixed.
Violations & Fines
There is no separate civil fine written into Chapter 23 for a leak by itself. Instead, Section 23-63 lets OWASA discontinue water service to the property once it has given notice of the violation and the prohibited use, including an unrepaired leak, continues past the ten-day window in Sections 23-64(a)(5) or 23-65(a)(3). Service is restored once the leak is corrected and OWASA confirms compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast must I fix a leaking pipe in Chapel Hill?
What happens if I don't fix a water leak within OWASA's ten-day deadline?
Who enforces Chapel Hill's water leak repair rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chapel Hill
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