City of Albany, NY Rules and Regulations Regarding Use of Water

[Amended 7-18-1988; 1-18-1990]

The following rules and regulations prescribed by the Commissioner of Water and Water Supply for the use of water in the City are hereby ratified and approved:

No person other than the Commissioner of Water and Water Supply or persons authorized and employed by him shall be permitted to tap or make any connection with any street main or distribution pipe; and any person or persons who shall tap or make any connections with any street main or distribution pipe, without being so authorized and employed, shall incur and be liable to the payment of a penalty of twenty dollars ($20.), and the water shall be shut off from such unauthorized tap or connection.

Persons desiring to introduce a water supply into their premises shall make application for the same at the office of the Commissioner of Water and Water Supply, and shall deposit with said application the charges established for tapping the main, said deposit to be refunded in case the application is not granted. The insertion of the tap in the street main shall be done in accordance with Subsection A. The Commissioner of Water and Water Supply reserves the right to place a tap in the street main, lay a house supply pipe and place a valve or stop cock therein and metal extension box thereon, the charge for which must be paid to the Commissioner of Water and Water Supply before the water is turned on or may be assessed against the property.

Permits shall be granted only to duly licensed plumbers by the Commissioner of Water and Water Supply, who shall require from each permittee under the provisions of this article and before such permit is granted with respect to all operations, acts and things done under the permit by the permittee or by any one acting by, through or for the permittee, including omissions and acts of the City, a good and sufficient bond of indemnity or a good and sufficient liability insurance policy, or both, of a corporation or corporations duly authorized under the laws of New York to issue the same, with such provisions, terms and conditions and in such amounts or with such limits of liability, or both, as he shall require, indemnifying and saving harmless or covering the City of Albany, its officers, departments, agents and employees from and with respect to all liability, loss, damages, costs, expenses and judgments which they or any of them may sustain or incur arising out of or because of any accident, act or omission, and resulting in bodily injuries, including death, and injury to or destruction of property. Any such bond shall be not less than ten thousand dollars ($10,000.) in principal amount and any such insurance policy shall be for not less than ten thousand dollars ($10,000.) for all damages arising out of bodily injuries, including death, sustained by any one (1) person in any one (1) accident, and not less than twenty thousand dollars ($20,000.) for all damages arising out of bodily injuries, including death, by two (2) or more persons in any one (1) accident, and not less than five thousand dollars ($5,000.) for injury to or destruction of property in any one (1) accident.

Plumbers shall not connect two (2) services to one (1) tap, but each house must have one (1) distinct and separate tap and service pipe, and each service must be provided with a stop cock and metal extension box outside of the premises connected with the same. Where a larger tap or a branch is required to replace a tap or taps previously made, the tap or taps which are abandoned shall be shut off at the corporation cock, and any branch abandoned shall be capped, at the owner's expense. In case two (2) taps are desired for one (1) house, it may be granted, provided that each service is metered, and provided also that, in case the taps are on separate mains or on opposite sides of a gate on the same main, check valves be placed on each service. Supply pipes shall not be laid across adjoining premises. Every service pipe where it enters the cellar shall be furnished with a stop and waste cock so situated below the action of frost that the water can be completely shut off and drained from the pipes, when necessary to prevent freezing.

No change, alteration, addition to, or interference with the water supply of any house, or fixture connected therewith which receives a supply from the City water supply shall be made by any person other than persons duly licensed as aforesaid or employed by the Commissioner of Water and Water Supply, and every person violating this regulation shall incur and be liable to the payment of a penalty of twenty dollars ($20.), and, in addition the water supply may be shut off from the premises and not turned on again until such change, alteration, addition or interference is corrected and made conformable to the direction of the Commissioner of Water and Water Supply.

Every person applying for or receiving a water supply agrees, when so applying or receiving, to not use more water than is allowed, as hereinafter prescribed, to prevent the waste of water and to keep all house supply pipes, fixtures and appurtenances in good order and to pay all damages caused by not maintaining them in good order. The loss of water and the amount of such damage shall be determined by the Commissioner of Water and Water Supply.

The Commissioner of Water and Water Supply and persons employed by him shall, at all reasonable hours, on showing badge of identity, have free access to premises or buildings supplied with water, to examine the pipes and fixtures and to ascertain, by placing a water meter, if there is more water used than allowed, or if there is any waste of water, and every person obstructing or preventing such access or ascertainment shall incur and be liable to the payment of a penalty of twenty dollars ($20.) and if such obstruction or prevention be caused by the occupant, agent or owner of such premises, or with his knowledge or assent, the Commissioner of Water and Water Supply shall shut off the water supply, which shall not be turned on again until such examination is made.

The Commissioner of Water and Water Supply shall hereafter in granting applications for new connections, whether said connections are to replace old connections desired to be abandoned or are for the purpose of supplying new buildings, require that the services connected therewith be metered. For use in private residences meters one (1) inch or less than one (1) inch in size shall be furnished by the Commissioner of Water and Water Supply, and the cost of placing shall be borne by the owner. For use on services to manufactories, hotels, apartment houses or other large consumers, meters one and one-half (1 1/2) inches or less than one and one-half (1 1/2) inches in size shall be furnished by the Commissioner of Water and Water Supply, and the cost of placing shall be borne by the owner. When the meter required is larger than the sizes above specified, the meter shall be of a type and manufacture approved by the Commissioner of Water and Water Supply, and both the cost of the meter and the cost of installing the same shall be borne by the owner.

Whenever the Commissioner of Water and Water Supply shuts off the supply of water, pursuant to regulations, he may restore the same upon the offenders conforming to these rules in the matter and paying all expenses incurred. When any person may feel aggrieved by the shutting off of water, he may appeal to the Commissioner of Water and Water Supply, who shall finally determine the matter.

Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of the foregoing regulations shall, in addition to the penalty incurred as aforesaid, be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall upon conviction thereof, pay a fine of not exceeding twenty-five dollars ($25.), for such offense, and in default of such payment may be imprisoned for a period not exceeding the number of days corresponding to the amount of the fine imposed.

Any person who shall, without authority of the Commissioner of Water and Water Supply, operate any valve connected with the street or supply mains, or open any fire hydrant connected with the distribution system, whether said hydrant is the property of the City or has been placed by an owner for his own protection, except for the purpose of extinguishing fire, or who shall wantonly injure or impair the same, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of ten dollars ($10.), or by imprisonment for the term of ten (10) days. Permits for the use of hydrants for whatever purpose used, apply only after such hydrants have been fitted with a hydrant cap and reducing valve through which all water must be drawn. The stem of the hydrant must be fully opened. If, in the opinion of the Commissioner of Water and Water Supply, the amount of water used is to be measured, a meter will be furnished by this Department.

All buildings whose full supply of water is measured by meter will be credited on the meter bill with the amount of the regular assessed water rent, and no special rates will be charged against said premises.

Bills for excess water used are rendered March 1 and September 1 of each year, and will be payable at the office of the Department of Water if paid on or before October 1. All meter bills paid within ten (10) days of their date of issue, as stamped thereon by the Commissioner of Water and Water Supply, will be allowed a three-per-centum reduction; all meter bills paid after ten (10) days from said date of issue, and before sixteen (16) days, will be allowed a reduction of two per centum (2%), and on all meter bills after fifteen (15) days from said date of issue there will be no reduction. Water meter bills not paid on or before October 1 of each year will be placed on the water rent rolls with five per centum (5%) added, and will become a lien and charge against the property and payable at the office of the City Treasurer at City Hall. The books will be open for inspection and examination by any person interested, for a period of at least twenty (20) days on dates designated by the Commissioner of Water and Water Supply and published twice in the official newspaper, or papers, of the City of Albany. In such notice the Commissioner of Water and Water Supply will also designate a date between the 20th and 30th days in November and the time and place when and where, during said day, the Commissioner will hold a hearing to hear any and all applications made by persons considering themselves aggrieved by such apportionment and assessment.

Occupants of unmetered buildings assessed for annual water rents are allowed to use annually, in and about their buildings, an amount of water which, computed at the rate of twenty-four cents ($0.24) per one thousand (1,000) gallons, shall not exceed the annual water rent assessed. Applications for water meters shall be made at the office of the Commissioner of Water and Water Supply. Wherever a waste of water is found to exist or where more water is used than is allowed, meters shall be placed. If a waste of water is found and not repaired without delay, after notice to owner or agent or notice left with occupant, the Department of Water and Water Supply reserves the right to shut off the supply immediately to prevent damage or loss of water.

Service pipes less than two (2) inches in size shall be Type K copper tubing connected to the corporation cock coupling with a wiped joint and provided inside the curbline with a brass roundway shutoff cock and metal extension box. At least one (1) foot of slack to each ten (10) feet in length shall be left between the main and the curb cock, and in no case shall service pipes be laid in a trench recently refilled. When water services are placed at the same time as sewer laterals, a bench shall be excavated at the side of the lateral trench and the water service pipe laid thereon. All services two (2) inches or larger in size shall be of cast-iron pipe provided with a gate valve and a valve box outside of the building and connected with the main by a branch.

[Amended 4-19-2021 by L.L. No. 8-2021 (J-2021)]

Pumps for feeding boilers or for any other purpose must not be directly connected with the water mains or supply pipes. Tanks or receivers must be provided to pump from. Any violation of this rule will subject the offender to having the water turned off without previous notice, nor shall the offender have any redress for damage caused by reason of said violation.

Sprinkler systems for fire protection may be connected to the domestic water supply in accordance with the following requirements:

(1)

Applications shall be filed with and approved by the Building Department with the review and approval of the Fire and Water Departments.

(2)

Unmetered systems shall be subject to demand charges as set by the Water Department.

(3)

All applicable backflow prevention devices will be installed on the system at a point immediately downstream of the junction with the domestic service.

(4)

The service pipe shall be sized small enough so that at normal domestic water flow rates there will be sufficient volumetric turnover to ensure adequate chlorine residuals in the domestic piping.

(5)

All other aspects of the connection, operation and performance of the system shall conform to the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code and the generally accepted standards promulgated thereunder.

Water used for motors, for elevators and church organs may be computed from motor dial or meter, as determined by the Commissioner of Water and Water Supply. No motor may be run by water from the City water supply on premises not metered. Upon any violation of this rule the premises shall be metered at the expense of the owner.