Water Shut Off Notices

Water Shut Off Notice – Resolve Account Balance

If you have received a Water Shut Off Notice alerting you to resolve your total account balance, it means that:

• water service may be shut off at the service address listed on the notice if full payment or a qualifying down payment on a payment agreement is not received by the date indicated on the notice.
• if your water is shut off, you will need to pay your entire account balance or enter a payment agreement, plus a $1,000 termination fee, for DEP to restore your water service.
• upon payment of the account balance or execution of a payment agreement, you must call 718-595-7890 to request that DEP restore your service.
• if you have already paid, you can disregard the notice.

WARNING: Water service termination may subject you to Department of Building Code Violations, Fire Department Violations, Department of Health Violations, and possibly an Order to Vacate the Premises. Service termination may also affect your insurance policy and/or mortgage—please be sure to check with your insurance carrier and mortgage service. Loss of water could affect your heating system. Consult whoever maintains your boiler/furnace as to whether you must take any special actions because there is no water and how to restart the boiler/furnace when the water is turned on.

Payment Options

You can pay online, by phone or mail, or in person. To learn about payment options, visit How to Pay. If you are paying by mail, send checks or money orders to 59-17 Junction Blvd, 13th floor (Collections Unit), Elmhurst, NY 11373. Convenience fees apply to credit/debit card payments, but no fee is charged by the Water Board if you pay by checking or savings account. Any payment by check/draft that is subsequently dishonored subjects you to service termination without further notice.

DEP strongly recommends you pay online, by phone, or in person at a borough office if you are within a few days of the shut off date indicated in the notice. If payment is not made in full, any payment agreement with the Water Board must be entered into by the date indicated on the notice and include a qualifying down payment of at least 25%.

If you believe that your account balance is wrong, you can send a written complaint to NYC Water Board at 59-17 Junction Boulevard, 8th Floor, Flushing, NY 11373 or by email to nycwaterboard@dep.nyc.gov. The Water Board must receive your complaint by the date indicated on the notice. The submission must identify the property and why you believe the charges are incorrect, including a return mail address, phone number and email address, if available. If you are not the owner of the premises, you must include a letter from the owner authorizing your filing of this complaint.

Exemptions

You may be eligible to stop the water shut off if you have a significant medical condition, are 62 years of age or older, disabled, or have children under 6 years of age living in the household. To claim an eligible exemption or enter into a payment agreement, contact DEP’s Collections Unit at 718-595-7890 Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm.

To be considered for an exemption, please submit all relevant documentation to watershutoff@dep.nyc.gov. An owner or household with an occupant 62 and older may submit a copy of a valid, government-issued picture ID with proof of address. To claim exemption of a child under 6, a birth certificate or passport along with the parents’ valid ID and proof of address may be submitted. Medical conditions and disability claims can be supported with a doctor’s note.

Documentation being submitted must be for the owner or persons residing at the property in question. Proof other than what is listed above may be submitted for consideration to prove extenuating circumstances.

If you are approved for water shut off exemption, we can be flexible in the ways we assist you in resolving your delinquent account balance.

Water Shut Off Warning – Notice to Repair

If you are a property owner and your water service line is leaking and causing a hazard, we will notify you with a Water Shut Off Warning – Notice to Repair to hire a licensed master plumber to fix the leak.

Download an example of a Water Shut Off Warning – Notice to Repair, available in: English, Español, 简体中文, русский, Kreyòl ayisyen, 한국어, বাংলা, Polski, العربية, Français, ײִדיש, Italiano, اردو.

If you have received a Water Shut Off Warning – Notice to Repair it means that:

• we believe you have a leak in your water service line, and
• you have three days to hire a licensed master plumber to fix the leak.

If you do not make the repairs within three days, we will shut off your water service and you will be charged a $1,000 shut off fee.

The repairs may be covered by your property’s insurance policy or by DEP’s Service Line Protection Program, if you are currently enrolled.

Please note that the licensed master plumber (LMP) must obtain all necessary NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) permits prior to performing repair work. LMP&rsrquo;s can visit our Water and Sewer Permitting System for more information about DEP permits and Streets Works Permits for more information about DOT permits.

If you believe that this notice was sent to you by mistake—or have extreme circumstances that you want to bring to our attention, please call us at 718-595-5281.

Water Shut Off Notice for Non-Compliance or Emergency

If your water service line is causing an emergency, such as flooding a neighbor’s basement, we will shut off your water service and notify you with a Water Shut Off Notice for Non-Compliance or Emergency.

Download an example of a Water Shut Off Notice for Non-Compliance or Emergency, available in: English, Español, 简体中文, русский, Kreyòl ayisyen, 한국어, বাংলা, Polski, العربية, Français, ײִדיש, Italiano, اردو.

If you received a Water Shut Off Notice for Non-Compliance or Emergency, it means that we must shut off your water supply because:

• You did not comply with the three day notice to repair the leak on your water service line
  
  OR
  
  
• An emergency situation was created by a leak on your water service line

Repairs may be covered by your property’s insurance policy or by DEP’s Service Line Protection Program, if you are currently enrolled.

Property owners own and are responsible for their water service line, which connects their home to the City’s water main in the street. You must have a licensed master plumber (LMP) complete the necessary repairs and pay all fees owed to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) before we can turn your water service back on.

Please note that the LMP must obtain all necessary DEP and Department of Transportation (DOT) permits prior to performing repair work. LMP’s can visit our Water and Sewer Permitting System for more information about DEP permits and Streets Works Permits for more information about DOT permits.

Water Shut Off Error Notice

Download an example of a Water Shut Off Error Notice, available in: English, Español, 简体中文, русский, Kreyòl ayisyen, 한국어, বাংলা, Polski, العربية, Français, ײִדיש, Italiano, اردو.

If you received a Water Shut Off Error Notice, we determined that you were issued the following notice(s) in error:

• Water Shut Off Warning – Notice to Repair
• Non-Compliance or Emergency Water Shut Off Notice
• Sewer Repair Order

If you would like reimbursement for plumber’s fees or damage caused by this error, please contact the NYC Comptroller’s Office within 90 days to file a claim. To learn more about filing a claim with the Comptroller, visit comptroller.nyc.gov or call 212-669-3916.

Download an example of a Sewer Repair Order Notice, available in: English, Español, 简体中文, русский, 한국어, বাংলা, Polski, العربية, Français, ײִדיש, Italiano, اردو.