The following information is taken from the Dare County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 51: Water, as adopted by the Board of Commissioners. If you have any questions concerning our water service, please feel free to contact our office at (252) 475-5990. 

A. Meter Readings:

Meters will be read and bills rendered quarterly. Billing starts when the meter is installed. Bills will be calculated in accordance with the County's published rate schedule based on the amount of water consumed as shown by the meter reading for each period. Customers will be responsible for all water flowing through the meter.

B. Bills:

Each bill will have a due date. Payment should be made by the due date to avoid interruption of service. A ten percent (10%) penalty on the outstanding balance will be added to past due accounts. Meters will be locked if payment is not received by the due date of the second notice and payment of a reconnection fee will be required before service is re-established. If a customer cuts a lock, a $150 fee will be charged and the meter will be re-locked. If a lock is cut a second time, the County will prosecute. Requests to have a meter unlocked must be accompanied by payment at the billing office by 4:00 pm on the day the meter is to be unlocked. 

If you believe your bill to be in error, you should present your claim to this office prior to the due date. If a special meter reading is requested and no error is shown to exist on the bill, a meter reading fee will be added to your account. However, if the reading discloses an error, an adjustment will be made to your account and the meter reading fee will be waived.  Meters will be tested at the request of the consumer. If the meter is found to over register beyond 5% (five percent) of the correct volume, a replacement meter will be installed at no charge to the consumer. However, if the meter does not over register, the consumer will be billed a fee for the meter testing. 

C. Adjustments:

Requests for an adjustment to a bill must be made in writing. Adjustments for leaks require proof that the leak has been repaired. Proof will be in the form of a receipt for a paid plumber's invoice or inspection by our water department.

The adjustment will be calculated based on the average water usage for the same billing period over the prior three years. Any usage over the average bill will be calculated at $.05 above the current wholesale rate per 1,000 gallons. 

Adjustments are made only in the billing quarter the leak occurs. Once a billing quarter has passed, no adjustments will be made. Each account is allowed two (2) adjustments per year. 

Payments on leak adjustments are to be made immediately. However, upon written request, a payment plan may be available for a water leak adjustment bill in excess of $500. The payment schedule will be determined at the discretion of the Water Customer Service Supervisor. 

D. NSF Recovery Fee:

There will be a charge for all returned checks. 

E. Account Name: 

Water accounts and deposits will be in the name of the property owner. The property owner shall be responsible for all bills incurred in connection with the water service furnished. Deposits are paid by the owner of the property. 

F. Meter Cutoff: 

The consumer shall furnish and maintain a private cut-off valve adjacent to the consumer's side of the meter. The County shall provide a like valve on the county's side of the meter. Consumers requesting the County to turn the meter on or off will be charged a fee for each service. EXAMPLE: Consumer wants meter turned off and on again, the fee will charged each time (twice).

G. Property Protection: 

The consumer shall be responsible for protection of the County's property placed on the consumer's premises and shall permit access to it only by authorized representatives of the County. In the event of loss or damage to the County's property, such as the meter or meter box, the cost of the necessary repairs or replacement shall be paid by the consumer. 

H. Cross connections/Backflow:

The County reserves the right to refuse water service when the consumer's water line is installed in such a manner as to allow cross connections and/or backflow. 

I. Restricted Use:

Water furnished for a given lot or parcel shall be used on that lot or parcel only.

J.  Water applications are found here.

K. 

Water service will be supplied to a convenient point near the street right of way line, where the county will place a meter shut-off valve and meter box. Each customer will be responsible for the piping from the meter box to the area of intended use. Please place your own shut off valve on your side of the meter.  

L.

Every effort will be made to locate the meter box in accordance with the wishes of the customer. The customer should be aware, however, that field conditions might prevent the location of meters as requested. All new service applications must be accompanied by a plat. 

M.

Once an account is set up and the meter is set, water bills will begin. A base rate plus gallons used will be billed quarterly. See the water billing rate schedule.

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Special request to discontinue service 

Once you request water service to begin, pay the System Development Fee, connection fee, deposit fee, and any other required fees, water service will be installed. From the date of installation, whether water is or is not used, you will be charged a base rate bill.

If you wish to discontinue water service, the water meter will be pulled and your account will be closed. If you decide to resume water service, a new connection fee and security deposit is required, based on the meter size. Payment of the System Development Fee is also required if it was not previously paid for when the service is supplied (some parcels were not required to pay the System Development Fee, previously known as Impact Fee, because the fees were waived during initial subscriber periods for water system expansion projects). Once all fees are paid in full, water service will be restored. 

Special request to relocate a water meter

A meter reconnection fee, based on meter size, will be charged for relocating a water meter in the right-of-way when requested by the customer.