Denver Water Bill Help: The $100 Shutoff Line, Payment Plans and This Fall's Drought Rules
Denver Water uses one number to decide who is at risk of a shutoff: $100. If your past-due balance stays under that, your water stays on. This guide shows how to stay under that line, how to get help when you can't, and what this fall's drought rules mean for your bill.
AT A GLANCE
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Why $100 matters
Most water utilities talk about shutoffs in general terms. Denver Water gives a specific number. In its words, "If you keep your balance below $100, you are not at risk of having your water service turned off." That changes the goal when money is tight. You don't have to pay the whole bill. You have to get the past-due part under $100 and keep it there.
You can make partial payments:
Online through your Denver Water account, or as a one-time guest payment
By check in the mail
By the automated phone line at 1-800-556-0292
In cash, or with a PIN-based debit card at participating Western Union agent locations. Bring your bill so you have your account number and customer ID.
Denver Water warns that a Western Union payment "may not prevent a turn-off related to past-due charges." If a turn-off is close, call a Customer Care representative at 303-893-2444. That line handles accounts at risk of a turn-off or a lien notice.
"If you keep your balance below $100, you are not at risk of having your water service turned off." (Denver Water)
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What happens when a bill goes unpaid
Denver Water's Operating Rules (effective August 28, 2025) set out the process step by step.
Stage | What the rules say |
|---|---|
Due date passes | Unpaid charges are delinquent. No delinquency charge is added if you pay in full within 5 days after the due date |
Next bill | A delinquency charge is added. The amount is set by state law |
Notice of proposed suspension | A written notice goes to the property, the person billed and any third party you've named. The shutoff date must be at least 10 days after the notice |
You dispute the charges | Service stays on while your claim is pending, as long as you deposit the disputed amount and keep paying current bills |
Turned off | A $36 delinquent turn-off fee. Service comes back only after Denver Water receives what it considers sufficient payment |
Other fees on Denver Water's fee schedule include $21 for a returned check.
Payment plans: one missed payment ends it
The Operating Rules allow Denver Water to approve a payment plan for past-due charges. The conditions are strict. You have to make each plan payment on schedule and pay every new bill in full. If you miss a plan payment, the plan "is considered void." The whole remaining balance is then due at once and can lead to a shutoff. Before you agree to a plan, figure out a monthly amount you can really pay on top of your regular bill.
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Who can help pay a Denver Water bill
Source | What it covers | How to reach it |
|---|---|---|
Denver Water | One-time payment assistance for customers who qualify | 303-893-2444 or the Customer Care contact form |
Mile High United Way 2-1-1 | Connects you to hardship assistance programs | Dial 211, text your ZIP code to 898-211, or visit 211Colorado.org |
Denver TRUA (Department of Housing Stability) | Current and past-due Denver Water bills, once per utility, only together with rent help | Monthly online application. Next expected opening is 10 a.m. on Tuesday, November 17 |
Colorado Housing Connects | Information on utility payment help and other housing resources | 1-844-926-6632 |
About TRUA: you must live in the City and County of Denver and have household income at or below 80% of Area Median Income. You also need a current demand for rent, a court summons or other proof of an active eviction case. The application window opens on the third Tuesday of each month and closes the next morning. Applicants are then picked at random. If you're not picked, you can apply again the next month. If you're facing eviction, our Denver eviction court guide covers the free lawyer programs.
What won't help with water: Energy Outreach Colorado's bill payment program and LEAP cover heating and electric bills, not water. They can still free up money, though. If Xcel is also behind, see our Denver Xcel bill help guide.
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Drought pricing and high summer bills
Denver Water declared a Stage 1 drought on March 25, 2026. In April, its board added temporary drought charges on outdoor water use. The charges started with May use (June bills) and run through April 30, 2027, unless the board changes them. Here are the 2026 single-family rates inside Denver:
Tier | Monthly use | 2026 rate per 1,000 gallons | Drought charge | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Tier 1 | Up to your average winter use | $3.02 | None | $3.02 |
Tier 2 | The next 15,000 gallons | $5.44 | $1.10 | $6.54 |
Tier 3 | Anything beyond that | $7.25 | $2.20 | $9.45 |
There is also a fixed monthly charge of $20.91 for a standard residential meter (5/8 or 3/4 inch). Your Tier 1 allotment comes from your average billed use in January, February and March, and it's recalculated every year. It's never less than 5,000 or more than 15,000 gallons a month. Denver Water bills in 1,000-gallon steps and rounds down, carrying the extra gallons to the next bill.
The grass ban, and why it matters for leak credits
Conditions got worse over the summer. On August 26, 2026, the board found that supply reservoirs were 73% full, compared with a historic median of 94% for that time of year. The board then banned watering grass after September 30, 2026. Trees, shrubs and perennials can still be watered by hand-held hose with an automatic shutoff nozzle, or by low-volume non-spray irrigation. The board's resolution says violations can bring fines of up to $2,000, a flow restrictor, a suspended service or a revoked tap license.
There's a cost for leaks, too. Denver Water's leak adjustment page says that if a leak happens because of outdoor water use during the ban, you won't get a leak adjustment.
Getting a leak adjustment
Check your meter. Turn off every faucet and water-using appliance. Note the meter's sweep hand, then look again after at least 30 minutes. If it moved, you have a leak.
Find out where. Close the main shut-off valve. If the meter stops, the leak is inside, and toilets are the most common cause. If it keeps moving, the leak is underground, between the meter and the valve.
Know who fixes what. Denver Water repairs its meters and mains. Property owners are responsible for the service line all the way into the home.
Fix it and keep proof. You'll need proof of the repair.
Apply within 12 months of the repair using Denver Water's online leak adjustment form. If you can't use the form, call 303-893-2444. Denver Water compares your use during the leak with your three-year average for the same time of year. One adjustment can cover up to three consecutive monthly bills.
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Disputing a charge
If you think a bill is wrong, the Operating Rules give you one year from the billing date to ask in writing for a correction. Missing that deadline "shall forever bar" a challenge. For billing problems or a threatened shutoff, you can first contact Denver Water by phone. Written complaints go to the Customer Relations Manager at watersales@denverwater.org. The manager reviews the complaint and sends a decision within 15 business days after finishing the investigation. You then have 15 business days to ask for formal review. Your complaint should include the amount in dispute, the dates involved, why you think the charge is wrong and what you want done.
Sewer charges and sewer liens for Denver properties are handled by the city's Wastewater Management Division at 303-446-3500, not by Denver Water.
Renting? Two rules to know
Charges stay with the property. Under Denver Water's rules, charges are assessed against the property, and for rentals a bill goes to both the unit and the owner. If your lease makes the landlord responsible for water, a shutoff notice is something to raise with your landlord right away.
Give Denver Water a backup contact. Denver Water mails shutoff notices to a third party if it has been given that person's name and address. A relative or caseworker who gets a copy can warn you in time.
Lead pipes: free filters, no matter who pays the bill
Denver Water estimates that 60,000 to 64,000 properties may have a lead service line. Properties that might have one are automatically enrolled in its Lead Reduction Program. The program replaces customer-owned lead lines with copper "at no direct charge" and sends a free pitcher and filters to use until six months after the replacement. Denver Water sends filters directly to the people living at enrolled properties, renters included. If you never got one, check the lead service line map, email lead@denverwater.org or call Customer Care. Use filtered water for drinking, cooking and baby formula. Boiling doesn't remove lead.
Before you call
☐ Your account number and customer ID (both on the bill)
☐ The exact past-due amount, and how much it would take to get under $100
☐ Any notice of proposed suspension and the date on it
☐ A realistic monthly amount you can pay on top of current bills
☐ Proof of a leak repair, such as a plumber's invoice or receipts, if you're asking for an adjustment
☐ Your eviction notice or court summons if you plan to apply for TRUA
☐ A notebook for the date, the representative's name and what was agreed
WHAT TO DO THIS WEEK
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More help in Denver
Related guides
Official sources
Last checked: October 23, 2026. Shutoff, payment plan and dispute rules come from Denver Water's Operating Rules (last amended July 23, 2025, effective August 28, 2025). Rates are Denver Water's 2026 inside-city residential rates. Drought rules come from Board Resolution #002a-2026, adopted August 26, 2026. TRUA terms and the November 17 opening come from the City and County of Denver's page.
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