Was your water bill unusually high for this period? Did you discover a leak in your toilet days later? There is relief offered by the NYCDEP. The Leak Forgiveness Program is a Department of Environmental Protection program designed to provide financial relief to customers who have an unintended spike in their water bill.

Customers are eligible provided they meet the following five requirements:

1. The property is billed on metered charges
2. The leak is equal to at least 200% of a normal bill from a representative billing period
3. The leak is fixed within 120 days of the bill date of the original bill for the high charge
4. A written request for the Leak Forgiveness Program is submitted to DEP within 120 days of the bill date of the original bill for the high charge
5. The customer has not been granted leak forgiveness within the last two years

All leaks—including maintainable fixtures like toilets, sinks, and showers—are now eligible for the Leak Forgiveness Program. One half of the high bill amount will be forgiven, but the final amount owed for that bill will not be less than 150% of your property’s typical bill. You do not have to provide proof that the leak was repaired, as long as your property has a working automated meter reading (AMR) device attached to the meter. If your property does not have a working AMR device attached to the meter, you will be required to provide a plumber’s receipt.

Mail a letter requesting leak forgiveness to:

BCS Correspondence – Leak Program
59-17 Junction Blvd. 7th Floor
Elmhurst, NY 11373

DEP provides a written response to all written customer requests. If approved, the maximum allowed Leak Forgiveness credit will be applied to your account and reflected on your next bill.