Hialeah, FL Water Use Rules: Leak Reporting Duty (2026)
Key Facts
- Filing deadline
- 30 days from the disputed bill
- Inspection fee
- $25.00 flat fee
- Credit basis
- 100% of excess sewer charges, no water credit
- Cap
- Two billing cycles maximum, one subsequent bill
- Threshold
- Consumption must exceed 25% of 12-month average
- Pool/Jacuzzi limit
- One sewer credit per 12 months
Summary
Hialeah residents who dispute a water or sewer bill because of a hidden leak must file written notice with the water and sewer department within 30 days under Code Sec. 94-195. The department only credits sewer charges tied to leaks that never reached the sewer system, and only after the customer pays a $25 inspection fee and submits a plumber's bill, proof of payment, and photos of the repair.
A customer claiming that a bill or charge is excessive or is seeking an adjustment shall file written notice with the department within 30 days of receipt of the disputed bill or charge. If it is determined that the amount of the bill is indeed in error, an adjustment will be made accordingly. The director upon good cause may extend the filing period. When a customer requests a credit based on repairing a leak, the customer must submit sufficient evidence supporting the request... When the water is not returned to the sewer system, 100 percent of the excess sewer amount (based on the average of the previous 12 consecutive months) may be credited when an account is in good standing... To receive a credit, the customer shall pay a $25.00 inspection fee and complete a departmental affidavit; provide a copy of the plumbers bill; proof of payment for the repair and pictures of the repair. No credit will be granted unless the consumption in question is more than 25 percent of the average consumption for the prior 12 consecutive months.
Full Breakdown
Under Code Sec. 94-195, a Hialeah water and sewer customer who believes a bill is inflated by a leak must act fast: written notice goes to the department within 30 days of receiving the disputed bill, though the director may extend that window for good cause. The section splits the water charge from the sewer charge for credit purposes. If the meter registered the water, there is no credit for the water charge itself, full stop. The sewer side is different: when the leaked water never made it back into the sewer system, the department credits 100 percent of the excess sewer amount, calculated against the customer's average consumption over the prior 12 consecutive months, provided the account is in good standing.
That credit is limited to the disputed bill and, at most, one subsequent bill; the code states there shall be no further adjustments beyond that. Any DERM fee tied to the sewer charge is credited automatically whenever the sewer credit is granted. 00 inspection fee, complete a departmental affidavit, and hand over a copy of the plumber's bill, proof of payment for the repair, and pictures of the repair itself; the department will not grant a credit unless every one of those items is on file.
There is also a materiality floor: the disputed consumption must exceed 25 percent of the average consumption for the prior 12 months, or the department will not act on the claim at all.
Violations & Fines
Miss the 30-day filing window and the department will deny the adjustment outright; the same applies if a customer skips the $25 inspection fee, the plumber's invoice, payment proof or repair photos. Credits are capped at the disputed bill plus one subsequent cycle, and the department flatly refuses any credit tied to a running hose, an open faucet, or pressure-washing runoff, treating those as ordinary water use rather than a leak.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a credit for a water leak in Hialeah?
Does Hialeah credit water used to fill a pool or for hose leaks?
How much of my bill will Hialeah actually adjust?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hialeah
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