NYC Water and Sewer Bills for Homeowners

NYC homeowners pay for water by the meter: from July 1, 2026, water costs $5.35 per 100 cubic feet (about 748 gallons), and the sewer charge is 159% of the water charge, so the two together come to about $13.86 per 100 cubic feet. A household of three using 60 gallons per person per day pays roughly $1,200 a year, and the owner, not the tenant, is legally responsible for the bill.

Below: how the bill is calculated, how to read it, what to do about a high bill, the help programs, and how unpaid water charges turn into a lien on your home.

How DEP calculates your bill

The NYC Water Board sets rates each fiscal year, starting July 1. The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) reads your meter and bills you for the water used between the prior and current readings. Meters measure in cubic feet, and bills are calculated in hundred-cubic-foot units (HCF).

1. Water charge = HCF used × $5.35.
2. Sewer charge = water charge × 1.59. If you get water from the city system, every $1 of water brings $1.59 of sewer.
3. Minimum: if your usage costs less than $0.49 a day for the bill period, you pay the minimum instead.

Worked example

The Rate Schedule uses 60 gallons per person per day as the residential baseline for its water-reuse program, so we use it here as a reasonable assumption. Your actual use may be higher or lower. For three people that’s 65,700 gallons a year, or about 87.8 HCF.

Try your own numbers in the NYC water bill estimator.

How to read the bill

The Rate Schedule says bills may be issued annually, quarterly or monthly. Whatever the frequency, check these items:

• Bill period and days: the “from” and “to” dates of service. A long period means a bigger bill even at normal use.
• Readings: whether the reading was actual or estimated. Estimated bills followed by an actual reading can create a large catch-up bill.
• Consumption in HCF, and the water and sewer charges.
• Previous balance, payments and late payment charges.
• Optional charges, such as the service line protection plans sold through American Water Resources (up to $84.84 a year for the water line and $143.04 for the sewer line). These are voluntary. You can enroll or cancel at any time.

Set up a My DEP Account to see usage online. If your meter has an automated meter reading (AMR) device, you can watch daily consumption and sign up for leak alerts, which is the single best way to avoid a surprise.

If your bill is suddenly high

1. 1

   Look for a leak first

   Check toilets, outdoor spigots and the line between the meter and the house. Fix it before you dispute; leak relief requires the repair.
2. 2

   Compare readings

   Make sure the bill uses an actual reading and the right meter. Estimated reads and long bill periods are common causes.
3. 3

   Ask for leak forgiveness if it fits

   If a leak pushed your average daily use to at least 200% of a recent representative bill, you may get up to half the bill forgiven, but the revised bill won’t go below 150% of your normal charge. Fix the leak and apply in writing or online within 120 days of the bill date. You can’t get it twice in two years.
4. 4

   Ask about the Metered Bill Cap

   For a large, unexpected residential bill caused by something you couldn’t reasonably have known, charges can be capped at $3,205.13 a year for the first unit plus $2,135.93 per additional unit. At least 70% of toilets must be low-flow, you must allow a DEP inspection, and you must ask within 120 days. Once per two years.
5. 5

   File a written complaint

   Send a written dispute to DEP within four years of the bill date (mail, email to [email protected], or the Customer Dispute Form). DEP aims to decide within 90 days.
6. 6

   Appeal if you disagree

   Appeal to DEP’s Deputy Commissioner within 120 days of DEP’s written answer, then to the Water Board’s Executive Director within 60 days of that decision.

Help paying

If you get a property tax exemption such as SCHE, DHE or the veterans exemption, the water credit is applied automatically.

Unpaid water charges become a lien

Water and sewer charges are a lien on the property. The lien is not removed when the property is sold, which is why buyers and sellers get a final meter reading at closing. If charges go unpaid, the City can sell the lien, foreclose, or shut off service. Late charges accrue interest at the same rates the City sets for overdue property taxes.

Signing an installment agreement cancels a proposed sale of the lien. Miss payments for six months and the agreement is in default and the lien can be sold. If you don’t cure the default before the sale, you are generally barred from a new agreement for five years. Full details are in NYC tax lien sale.

Key deadlines at a glance

1. July 1

   New rates take effect

   The Water Board sets rates for each fiscal year, which starts July 1, after public hearings.

2. Within 120 days of a bill

   Leak forgiveness or bill cap request

3. Within 4 years of a bill

   Written complaint to DEP

   DEP also can’t back-bill unbilled service more than four years old, with exceptions such as denied meter access.

4. 120 days after DEP’s answer

   Appeal to the Deputy Commissioner

5. 60 days after that decision

   Final appeal to the Water Board

When you buy or sell

• File DEP’s Customer Registration Form when you buy, so bills reach you. Not getting a bill doesn’t excuse payment.
• Order a final meter reading through the closing date so the seller pays up to closing.
• Check open water charges along with property taxes before you close. See NYC closing costs for buyers.

Water is one line in the real cost of owning. Add it to taxes, insurance and repairs in the true monthly cost of owning in NYC.