Livonia, MI Water Use Rules: Leak Reporting Duty (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- Leak/defect found during street or alley excavation
- Duty
- Notify excavation supervisor immediately (§13.04.070)
- Then
- Supervisor must notify water & sewer division
- Backfill rule
- Can't refill excavation until pipe repaired
- Penalty
- $100–$500 per violation, per day (§13.04.150)
Summary
Anyone excavating in a Livonia street, alley, or elsewhere who discovers a leak or defect in a public water pipe or connected service pipe must notify the excavation supervisor at once, who must then alert the water and sewer division. The excavation cannot be filled back in until the pipe is repaired and the leak stopped.
It shall be the duty of every person who, while excavating in any public street or alley or elsewhere, may discover a leak or defect in any of the public water pipes of the city or in any service pipe connected therewith, to give notice forthwith to the person in charge of such excavating whose duty it shall be forthwith to give notice to the water and sewer division. No person shall fill up such excavation or suffer or cause the same to be filled up until such pipe is repaired and such leak stopped.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 64 | Zoning: Supplement 3).
Full Breakdown
070 of Livonia's water use chapter creates a specific duty tied to excavation work: any person who, while excavating in a public street, alley, or elsewhere, discovers a leak or defect in a public water pipe or a connected service pipe must give notice immediately to the person in charge of that excavation, who is then duty-bound to notify the water and sewer division right away. The same section bars filling the excavation back in, or letting it be filled in, until the leaking pipe is repaired and the leak stopped.
010. This is a narrower duty than a general obligation for every resident to call in any leak they happen to notice; it is specifically triggered by excavation work uncovering the leak. 050, all administered by the same division.
Violations & Fines
Section 13.04.150 makes any violation of Chapter 13.04, including failing to give the notice required by Section 13.04.070, a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $500 for each violation, with each day a violation continues counted as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I'm digging in a Livonia street and hit a water main leak, what am I required to do?
Can I just fill the hole back in and deal with the leak later?
What's the penalty for not reporting a water pipe leak discovered during excavation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Livonia
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Leak Reporting Duty in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Wayne County handle leak reporting duty.