Rates & Fees

Homeowners age 65 and older may be exempt from paying the State's Water Quality Protection Surcharge on their water bill.  Applications must be filled out and mailed to 70 Halsey Street, Newport RI 02840 or submitted in person at our office, 70 Halsey Street, or to the Collections Division of City Hall.

If you have previously applied for and been granted an exemption, you do not need to reapply.

The Newport Department of Utilities does not grant adjustments to metered water charges. However, the Department recognizes that an extraordinary high bill resulting from unpreventable water usage can present financial hardship to a customer. While the charge for the metered water cannot be abated, the Department does consider and will allow for one-time abatement of sewer charges attributable to a specific incident. The intent of this policy is to establish a one-time abatement, during any ten-year period, for the excess sewer consumption above normal consumption, due to an unpreventable water release that did not enter the City sewer system.

Sewer Abatement Report Form

Policy/Procedure:

1. Middletown Residents are billed sewer by the Town of Middletown and shall contact the Town for any sewer abatement request. 
2. The Policy/procedure for Sewer Fee Abatements pertains to sewer accounts with a Newport service address.
3. Sewer Abatements are not issued for water usage associated with construction, irrigation, swimming pools, etc.
4. It shall be the responsibility of the Customer to submit a completed Sewer Abatement Request  Form with the supporting documentation providing reasonable proof and substantiating evidence that supports the request for an abatement.
5. Customers who file abatement applications or requests for adjustments are required to have paid all uncontested prior bills (including penalties and interest, if applicable), and also make a payment on contested bill equal to prior billed amount.
6. All customer requests to abate any portion of a metered utility bill that is unusually high due to unpreventable leakage shall be reviewed by Department staff on a case-by-case basis.  The determination of the adequacy of the evidence shall be at the sole discretion of the Director of Utilities. 
7. In order to qualify for abatement, a customer's excess consumption must exceed in excess of 100% or 10,000 gallons above their normal average consumption.
8. The customer must provide documentation that the excess water did not enter the City sewage system.
9. The customer must also prove that the deficiency responsible for leakage has been repaired or corrected. 
10. This policy only applies to leaks that have occurred within the previous three (3) months of the date of the abatement request.
11. In the event that a customer cannot determine the source or cause of the abnormally high consumption, no abatement will be provided.
12. In the event the source or cause of the abnormally high consumption is related to a leak due to customer negligence such as the failure to maintain internal (private) plumbing fixtures in good repair and/or protect plumbing from freezing, the customer shall be held responsible for the entire bill.
13. In the event the abnormally high consumption has occurred due to "unpreventable leakage" not caused by customer negligence, ignorance or unfortunate circumstances, as determined by Department staff,  the Department shall consider granting a one-time abatement, per account, during any ten-year period.  The abatement calculation may consider compensation from any other sources, including insurance policy claims, etc.  Normal consumption will be the average of the previous three years' consumption history, for similar billing periods, unless deemed otherwise by Director. 
14. The customer may be required to submit a written statement from their homeowner's insurance policy provider stating what portion, if any, of the leak is covered by insurance.