Olympia, WA Water Use Rules: Leak Reporting Duty (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Olympia Municipal Code § 13.04.080, waste of water prohibited
- Leak rule
- Allowing leaking valves, pipes, closets, faucets, or other fixtures is waste
- Enforcement step
- Public Works can terminate service if corrective action is not taken after notice
- Restoration
- Service is restored once corrective action has been taken
- Misdemeanor fine
- Up to $1,000 and/or 90 days; each day is separate
- Civil infraction
- First offense Class 3 ($50), then $125, then $250
Summary
In the City of Olympia, Washington, OMC 13.04.080 bars any person from allowing leaking valves, pipes, closets, faucets or other fixtures on the City water system. The Public Works Department can terminate water service to customers who do not take corrective action after being notified, and service returns once the leak is fixed.
No person may waste water or allow it to be wasted. Waste of water is defined as: applying water to a landscape in sufficient quantity to cause significant runoff of that water to impervious areas or to allow significant overspray onto non-landscaped areas; applying water to a landscape in sufficient quantity to cause substantial puddling of that water at the ground surface; allowing leaking valves, pipes, closets, faucets, or other fixtures; or allowing any pipes or faucets to run open to prevent the service from freezing or for any other reason. The Public Works Department may enforce the waste of water prohibition by terminating water service to customers who waste water during times of drought; when the City’s Water Shortage Response Plan is enacted; or when customers do not take corrective action when notified of the waste of water. Water Service will be restored once corrective action has been taken. This section applies only to use of water from the City water system.
Full Breakdown
The governing rule for leaks in the City of Olympia, Thurston County, Washington, is the waste-of-water section of the water chapter, Olympia Municipal Code § 13.04.080. It says that no person may waste water or allow it to be wasted, and it defines waste to include allowing leaking valves, pipes, closets, faucets, or other fixtures. It also names two related wastes: letting pipes or faucets run open to prevent freezing or for any other reason, and irrigating a landscape so heavily that water runs off onto impervious areas, oversprays non-landscaped areas, or puddles at the ground surface.
The code places the repair duty on the person allowing the leak, meaning the customer who holds the service. It does not print a customer reporting hotline, a repair deadline in days, or a bill-adjustment procedure in this section. What it does print is the enforcement lever: Public Works can end service to customers who waste water during times of drought, when the City's Water Shortage Response Plan is enacted, or when customers do not take corrective action after being notified of the waste. Water service is restored once corrective action has been taken.
The section applies only to water drawn from the City water system, so a private well is outside it. Related duties sit in the same chapter. Under OMC 13.04.150, authorized employees of Community Planning and Development, Utility Billing or the Drinking Water Utility, with proper identification, get free access at reasonable hours to premises supplied by the City water system to check conformity with the water regulations, and refusing that access can lead to immediate discontinuance of service. Under OMC 13.04.160, only Drinking Water Utility employees or authorized qualified contractors can work on City mains or service connections, so a leak on the City side of the meter is a City repair, not a homeowner repair. Customers also have to keep the meter and box clear under OMC 13.04.200 so crews can reach it at all times.
Violations & Fines
Under OMC 13.04.440, a knowing violation of the water chapter is a misdemeanor with a fine up to $1,000 and/or up to 90 days in jail, and each day is a separate offense. A continuing violation, meaning the same type within a year, becomes a gross misdemeanor with a fine up to $5,000 and/or up to 365 days. As a concurrent civil infraction, the first offense is Class 3 ($50), the second Class 2 ($125), and the third Class 1 ($250), not including statutory assessments. Service can also be discontinued until the Director of Public Works finds compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a dripping faucet or running toilet illegal in the City of Olympia?
Can the City of Olympia shut off my water over a leak?
Does the Olympia code set a deadline for fixing a leak?
What are the penalties under the Olympia water chapter?
Does 13.04.080 apply if I use a private well in Olympia?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Olympia
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