Wausau, WI Water Use Rules: Leak Reporting Duty (2026)
Key Facts
- Known, unfixed leak
- Billed at full metered rate, no discount
- Unknown or repaired leak
- Excess billed at lowest rate step
- Owner repair zone
- Curb stop to point of use
- Utility repair zone
- Main to curb stop
- Non-repair consequence
- Water shutoff until repaired
Summary
Wausau bills a water customer at full metered rate for water lost to a known leak they failed to fix, but adjusts the bill to a lower rate if the loss happened without the customer's knowledge or despite honest repair efforts. Municipal Code §§ 13.28.040 and 13.36.020 spell out the duty and the water shutoff that follows a neglected service-pipe leak.
When the meter registers losses due to pipe leaks, the utility shall determine whether or not the defect in the piping or equipment was known to the customer or, being known, he had used his best efforts to correct the conditions. If the Director of Public Works and Utilities determines that the loss occurred without the consumer's knowledge or, having known about it, he had tried to correct the condition, the utility may determine as nearly as possible what is the amount of the loss by comparison with the use of the water during a like period, and the excess may be billed at the lowest step in the rates. If, however, the consumer knew of the leak and failed to give proper attention to it, the utility will bill for the total consumption shown by the meter at regular rates. ... If a consumer fails to repair a leaking or broken service pipe from curb to a point of metering or use within such time as may appear reasonable to the Director of Public Works and Utilities after notification has been served on the consumer by the Director of Public Works and Utilities, the water will be shut off and will not be turned on again until the repairs have been completed.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 12 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
040 governs what happens when a water meter registers losses from pipe leaks. The Director of Public Works and Utilities first determines whether the customer knew about the defect or, knowing, made a genuine effort to fix it. If the loss occurred without the customer's knowledge, or the customer tried to correct it, the utility estimates the actual loss by comparing use to a similar prior period and may bill the excess at the lowest rate step. But if the customer knew about the leak and failed to give it proper attention, the utility bills for the full metered consumption at regular rates, with no discount.
020 places the physical repair duty on the property owner for the service pipe running from the curb stop to the point of use (the utility maintains everything from the main to the curb stop). If a customer fails to repair a leaking or broken service pipe within a reasonable time after the Director of Public Works and Utilities serves notice, the water utility shuts off service and will not restore it until the repair is completed. Reasonable time is set case by case by the Director rather than a fixed number of days in the code.
Violations & Fines
A customer who ignores notice of a leaking service pipe faces a water shutoff under § 13.36.020 that stays in effect until the repair is finished, plus full-rate billing under § 13.28.040 for every gallon lost while the known leak went unaddressed, with no averaging or rate reduction applied to that portion of the bill.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Wausau lower my water bill if I have a hidden leak?
Who is responsible for fixing a leaking water service pipe in Wausau?
Can Wausau shut off my water over an unrepaired leak?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Wausau
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