City of Winder Leak Adjustments: Rule 500.26, Point by Point

Rule A: once a year, at the City's discretion

Section 500.26 says that under some circumstances involving leaks and other water losses beyond reasonable control, the City may provide a credit on a bill once every twelve months. 'May' matters: it is a policy, not an automatic entitlement.

Once every twelve months means a second leak within a year will not qualify. Fixing slow drips early protects the credit for the leak you cannot see coming.

The policy applies to City of Winder water accounts. Barrow County Utilities customers have a different arrangement; see the county program page.

Rule B: the meter is checked first

Before any leak credit, the Water Department first determines whether the meter was read properly. If the meter was misread or utility equipment failed, the City issues a new bill using an estimated reading based on the last twelve months of billing.

In that case, the policy says no penalty is assessed if the adjustment process delays payment past the penalty date.

So if you suspect a misread rather than a leak, say so when you contact the City. The meter test on the high bill page helps you tell the difference.

Rule C: the 100% threshold

To qualify for a leak adjustment, water usage must be at least 100% above your average quarterly usage. In plain terms, the leak month must show at least double your normal use.

A small leak that adds a few hundred gallons will not reach that line. A running toilet over a full cycle, or a broken line, often will.

Check the threshold before you file. The calculator shows what the extra gallons cost at the City's tiers: $3.86, $10.29 and $11.58 per 1,000.

Rule D: 30 days and one billing period

The City is not obligated to adjust any bill not contested within thirty days from the billing due date. Note the due date on the high bill and count from there.

An adjustment covers only one billing period. If the leak extends into a second period, the higher of the two bills can be adjusted, not both.

That makes speed important twice: find and fix the leak before it crosses into another cycle, and contest the bill before the 30 days run out.

Rule E: proof for big leaks

For any leak over 20,000 gallons, the City reserves the right to request documentation or evidence of the leak, the nature of the leak, and proof that repairs were performed. Failure to provide it may result in the adjustment being denied.

Keep: photos of the leak before repair, the plumber's invoice stating where the leak was and what was fixed, and parts receipts if you made the repair yourself.

If a permit was needed for the repair, keep that too. Inside the city, trade permits are $225.00 on the City's fee schedule.

Rule F: the 50% calculation

If an adjustment is warranted, the entire number of gallons is billed and then adjusted by 50%. The policy text does not split water and sewer, so ask the City how the adjustment applies to the sewer line on your bill.

Remember that single-family sewer is already billed on no more than 12,000 gallons per cycle, which limits the sewer side of a large leak before any adjustment.

The calculator's 50% line is a rough guide only; the City's own figure on the full bill is what counts.

Also in the policy: tampering

Section 500.28 says no customer is authorised to turn water back on or alter services; only City staff or contractors may connect services or work on City lines. Interfering with meters, radio equipment, cutoffs or hydrants is prohibited.

The policy sets a tampering fine of $500.00 where a meter or water line has been disturbed. If you need the water off at the meter for a repair, ask the City; its rate sheet lists temporary disconnection due to repair at no charge.

Your own shut-off valve on the house side is yours to use. If it does not work, have a plumber replace it.

Reading a Winder-area bill line by line

Start at the top of the bill and find the name of the utility. City of Winder bills follow the City's Form 520 rate sheet; Barrow County Utilities bills follow the county's FY2026 schedule. Everything else on this site depends on getting that first step right, because the two utilities use different tiers, different base charges and different leak rules.

Next, find the reading dates and the gallons used. Divide the gallons by the number of days in the cycle to get a daily figure, and compare it with the same cycle a year earlier. A household that normally uses a little over a hundred gallons a day and suddenly shows several hundred has either changed its habits or has water going somewhere it should not.

Then look at the charges. The base water and base sewer lines do not move with use. The volume lines do. If the volume lines jumped and the base lines did not, the change is in gallons, not in rates, and the meter test on the high bill page is the next step.

Finally, note the due date. On a City of Winder account, the 30-day window to contest a bill runs from that date, and a missed window cannot be reopened by the policy's own terms.

A worked timeline

Suppose a toilet flapper fails early in a billing cycle and nobody notices for weeks. The bill arrives showing well over double the household's usual use. Day one: run the meter test and confirm the leak. Day two: replace the flapper or have it replaced, and keep the receipt or invoice. Day three: photograph the meter showing the indicator now still.

Within the 30 days from the due date: contact the City, say the bill reflects a repaired leak, and ask for an adjustment under the Water Service Policy. If the leak was over 20,000 gallons, be ready to provide the documentation the policy allows the City to request.

Keep paying any amount you do not dispute, and note the date and name of everyone you speak to. If the leak ran into the next cycle as well, remember the policy adjusts one period, the higher of the two.

Sources: City of Winder, GA: Water Service Policy, Sec. 500.26 Bill Adjustments for Loss of Metered Water (PDF); City of Winder, GA: Water & Sewer Rates, effective July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027 (Form 520, PDF); City of Winder, GA Planning & Development Services: Fee Schedule. Checked 2026-10-30.