Irving, TX Water Use Rules: Leak Reporting Duty (2026)

Under Irving Code of Civil and Criminal Ordinances Sec. 41-14.1(c), "Water waste prohibited," a person commits an offense if they knowingly or recklessly permit, allow, or fail to abate the ponding, pooling, leaking, or flowing of water on their private property, or allow water from their property to reach adjacent property, a public right-of-way, streets, or other public property. This duty sits inside Article IV of Chapter 41, the same article that lets the city order drought-stage watering cutbacks, and it applies year-round, not only during a declared drought stage.

The city backs the repair duty with physical access rules: Sec. 41-11(d) makes it unlawful to cover a water meter or fire-line leak detector with dirt, asphalt, cement, or other material that blocks maintenance, reading, or repair, and requires the property owner to uncover it. Sec. 41-11(e) makes it unlawful for a landowner or person in charge of the land to deny city employees entry to maintain, read, or repair a water meter or leak detector. Together these sections mean a property owner cannot ignore a leaking meter or hide it from inspection.

There is also a financial incentive to fix a leak promptly: Sec. 52-10, "Adjustment of account," states the city will not normally adjust a bill for leaks, but allows one adjustment per year for a concealed leak once the customer presents proof the leak was repaired; the corrected bill is computed from the three-month average before the leak plus the city's actual water-purchase cost. During an active drought stage, repair timelines tighten further under the water management plan referenced in Sec. 41-14, which allows as little as one week to fix a known leak once notified.