City of Covington, GA Leak Adjustments: What Qualifies and How the Credit Is Figured

Where the leak has to be

The policy covers leaks on the residence side of the meter, which it describes as anywhere from the meter to the home or inside the home itself. That includes the service line across the yard, pipes in the crawlspace or slab, and fixtures inside.

A leak at the meter itself or in the street is on the utility side of the meter and outside this policy. If water is coming up near the meter and you are not sure which side it is on, call the City at 770-385-2000 before paying a plumber to dig.

The policy applies to City of Covington water customers. If your bill comes from the Newton County Water & Sewerage Authority or a town system, its own rules apply; see the provider guide.

The paperwork that makes or breaks it

The City needs a receipt or repair bill showing where the leak was fixed, together with its Leak Adjustment Request Form. The form is available at the City office or on the City's leak policy forms page. The paperwork can be sent to the Public Works Office Coordinator through Customer Service, by mail or by fax.

The policy is blunt about the repair bill: if you fail to provide one, you will not qualify. If a plumber does the work, ask for an invoice that names the location of the leak, such as 'replaced split 3/4-inch supply line in crawlspace under the kitchen', not just 'leak repair'.

If you fix it yourself, keep the parts receipt and write the location on it. The policy speaks of a receipt or repair bill, so a parts receipt that shows what was replaced is the minimum to keep.

How the City calculates the credit

Once the paperwork is in, the City looks at the two highest months involved in the leak. Water used in those months above your twelve-month average from before the leak is charged at a discounted rate, which the policy gives as currently $3.00 per thousand, instead of the regular rate.

For comparison, the regular City rate from 3,001 to 50,000 gallons is $6.00 per thousand. The adjustment roughly halves the water cost of the leak portion, on two months.

Expect at least a week for the adjustment to be worked out, and longer if the service is new and there is no usage history to average. Once it is figured, the City applies it to the account and mails a letter explaining how much was adjusted.

Sewer: the part that surprises people

Sewer is where the location of the leak matters most. If the leaked water did not go into the city sewer system, as with a broken yard line or a crawlspace pipe, the City adjusts the sewer portion back down to an average, with no discounted rate.

If the house is on city sewer and the leaked water did go into it, as with a running toilet or a dripping faucet, the policy says no sewer adjustment can be given because that water had to be treated.

So a 10,000-gallon running toilet and a 10,000-gallon yard leak produce very different adjusted bills. The calculator shows both cases side by side.

Paying while the request is reviewed

The policy says that while an account is being reviewed, no penalties accrue, but monthly payments are still required to keep the account in good standing. Keep paying the regular portion of your bill rather than waiting for the outcome.

Once the adjustment is applied, any remaining balance is subject to penalties if it is not paid by the current bill's due date. Read the letter the City sends and pay the balance promptly.

If you also filled a pool that month, that is a separate request; the City has its own pool fill sewer adjustment form.

A short list for the plumber

Ask the plumber to put three things on the invoice: the address, the exact location of the leak, and what was repaired or replaced. Ask for the date of the repair too, since the City will look at which months the leak touched.

If the leak was in a place where the water did not reach the sewer, a sentence saying so helps, for example 'leak in underground service line between meter and house'.

Then read the meter with everything off to make sure the repair held. A Free Quote Request on this page reaches independent plumbers in Newton County if you still need someone to find or fix the leak.

Common reasons a request goes nowhere

The policy itself points to the main ones: no repair bill, a leak that is not on the residence side of the meter, or missing information on the request form. Another is timing: if the leak runs into a third or fourth month, only the two highest months are adjusted, so slow repairs cost money. Get the leak fixed, get the bill, and send the form.

Sources for this page: City of Covington, GA: Leak Policy and Leak Adjustment Request Form (PDF); City of Covington, GA: Leak Policy Forms; City of Covington, GA: Water Rate Information (rates as of November 1, 2025). Checked 2026-10-30.