(a) The Mayor of the District of Columbia is authorized to provide for the collection of water charges, in advance or otherwise, from the owner or occupant of any building, establishment, or other place furnished water or water service by the District, and to shut off the water supply to any such building, establishment, or other place upon failure of the owner or occupant thereof to pay such water charges within 30 days from the date of rendition of the bill therefor. Such authority to shut off the water supply may be exercised by the Mayor regardless of any change in ownership or occupancy of such building, establishment, or other place. When the water supply to any such building, establishment, or other place has been shut off for failure to pay such water charges, whether the water supply to such building, establishment, or other place was shut off before or after May 18, 1954, the Mayor shall not again supply such building, establishment, or other place with water until all arrears of water charges, together with penalties and the costs actually incurred in shutting off and restoring the water supply, are paid.

(b) If the water supply to any property has been shut off for failure to pay District water and sanitary sewer service charges, and later restored without the express authorization of the Mayor, the Mayor shall impose a fine in an amount not less than 20% of the delinquent charges or more than $100, whichever is greater, upon the owner or occupant of the property, unless the Mayor determines that the owner or occupant did not restore or solicit a person to restore the water.

(c)(1) For the purposes of this subsection, the term "public health emergency" means a period of time for which the Mayor has declared a public health emergency pursuant to section 5a of the District of Columbia Public Emergency Act of 1980, effective October 17, 2002 (D.C. Law 14-194; D.C. Official Code § 7-2304.01).

(2) During a public health emergency, or for 15 calendar days thereafter, notwithstanding any other provision of this act, the water supply to any property shall not be shut off for non-payment of a bill or fees.

(May 18, 1954, 68 Stat. 102, ch. 218, title I, § 103; June 13, 1990, D.C. Law 8-136, § 2(b), 37 DCR 2620; Nov. 25, 1993, D.C. Law 10-65, § 501(a), 40 DCR 7351; Mar. 17, 2020, D.C. Act 23-247, § 307, 0 DCR 0.)

1981 Ed., § 43-1528.

1973 Ed., § 43-1521b.

This section is referenced in § 34-2110, § 34-2407.02, and § 34-2407.03.

For temporary (225 day) amendment of section, see § 2(b) of D.C. Water and Sewer Operations Temporary Amendment Act of 1993(D.C. Law 10-3, May 18, 1993, law notification 42 DCR 3404).

Mayor authorized to issue rules: See Historical and Statutory Notes following § 34-2409.04.

This section originated at a time when local government powers were delegated to a Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia (see Acts Relating to the Establishment of the District of Columbia and its Various Forms of Governmental Organization in Volume 1). Section 401 of Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1967 (see Reorganization Plans in Volume 1) transferred all of the functions of the Board of Commissioners under this section to a single Commissioner. The District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act, 87 Stat. 818, § 711 ( D.C. Code, § 1-207.11), abolished the District of Columbia Council and the Office of Commissioner of the District of Columbia. These branches of government were replaced by the Council of the District of Columbia and the Office of Mayor of the District of Columbia, respectively. Accordingly, and also pursuant to § 714(a) of such Act ( D.C. Code, § 1-207.14(a)), appropriate changes in terminology were made in this section.