DC Water and Sewer Authority Billing and Disconnection Clarification Emergency Amendment Act of 2026
This bill requires the DC Water and Sewer Authority to provide monthly reports on water disconnections to city officials and advocates, while also clarifying the rules for late payment fees and notice requirements before shutting off service. Specifically, it mandates that the utility company submit data on how many properties received disconnection notices, how many were actually shut off, and how many had service restored or entered payment plans. The legislation also updates regulations to ensure notices are sent at least 30 working days in advance and are available in multiple languages, including English and Spanish. Additionally, the bill defines late payment penalties, allowing for a 10% charge after 30 days of non-payment and a 1% monthly compound penalty after 60 days. These changes directly affect building owners, tenants, and the DC Water and Sewer Authority by increasing transparency and standardizing billing and disconnection procedures.
Bill status
signed
all 4 stages cleared
Introduction
May 2026
Committee Review
Council Passage
May 2026
Signed into Law
May 2026
Introduced May 4, 2026
Signed May 29, 2026
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What changed between versions
Introduction
→
Enrollment
·
5 edits
MODERATE
This bill updates DC Water's rules to include it in language access requirements, clarifies late payment fees, and changes the notice period for water disconnections from 30 days to 30 working days. It also expands reporting requirements to include tenant associations and receivership data, and changes the official title of the water authority's head from Director to General Manager.
Scope change
The bill expands the scope of language access laws to include DC Water and modifies the applicability of reporting requirements to cover tenant associations and specific receivership scenarios.
ELIGIBILITY
DC Water is now explicitly included as a covered entity under the Language Access Act, requiring it to provide services in languages spoken by the community.
REQUIREMENT
The notice period for shutting off water service was changed from 30 days to 30 working days, giving tenants more time to respond.
Reporting on water disconnections now must include data on properties with tenant associations and those placed in receivership.
DEFINITION
The title of the head of DC Water was changed from 'Director' to 'General Manager' in regulatory references.
ENFORCEMENT
Late payment penalties were clarified to include a 10% charge for bills over 30 days and a 1% monthly compounded penalty for bills over 60 days.
Floor votes · Council May 5, 2026
How they voted
13–0
Passed
Total votes 13
May 5, 2026
D
Democratic11
100% Yea
I
Independent2
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
8
Key actions
1
Committee
0
May 5, 2026
Council · Passed
Council Vote: pass (13-0)
council
May 4, 2026
Introduced
B26-0679 Introduced by Councilmember Allen at Office of the Secretary
legislature
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Charles Allen
DDemocratic
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