Ridgewood, NJ Water Use Rules: Leak Reporting Duty (2026)

Village of Ridgewood Code § 269-12, in Chapter 269's Article I general provisions, ties directly to the Department of Water Supply's authority to interrupt service under § 269-22 for breakdowns, emergencies or repairs. Once the Department has shut off a property's supply on account of a leak, defect, misuse or disuse, the burden shifts to the property owner or the owner's agent: after completing repair work, whether to new or old plumbing, they must notify the Department in writing that the work is finished and the system is in complete working order.

The owner must also pay all expenses connected to the shutoff and repair before the Department will restore service. The Code backs this with a companion rule in § 269-13: no person may reopen the water unless they receive the Department's permission, and even then the inlet valve must be opened gradually with an outlet faucet left open to protect the meter from damage. A related inspection duty appears at § 269-9: when an owner or agent installs or repairs a service pipe between the curb and the cellar, the work must be left uncovered until a Department inspector examines it.

Section 269-8 additionally gives the Department a standing right of access to a customer's premises to inspect or replace appliances connected with service, and requires customers to notify the Department's office immediately in case of defective service. Chapter 269 was originally adopted August 27, 1974 by Ordinance No. 1541 as Chapter 32 of the 1974 Code, with the piping and inspection sections most recently amended September 10, 2025 by Ordinance No. 4054.