• The program is open to all customers, regardless of income level.
• The customer applying for relief must own the property.
• The property must be:
  • A residential single family, 2-unit, or 3-unit building; or
  • A commercial property with a water service line 1” in size or smaller.
• The property must have an eligible leak confirmed by Department of Water Management.

• The leak must have been repaired on or after January 1, 2023.
• The location of the leak must have been confirmed by the Department of Water Management.
• The leak must have been located on the customer’s outdoor underground service line in a location that would increase the customer’s utility bill. This means the water meter is located outdoors (typically underground in a meter vault).
• The leak must be between the meter vault and the building. Please see below for an image showing the location of leaks eligible for the LRP:

The charges from the time of the eligible leak will be reduced to an average of what is typically used at the property. Department of Finance will apply a credit to the customer’s account to reduce the amount of the impacted bills. If the leak impacted the customer’s bills for more than one billing period, the credit will cover all billing periods affected by the leak.

Do I have to provide proof of income?

The program is open to all customers, regardless of income level.  You do not need to provide proof of your income.

I applied.  What happens next?

After you have applied, we will do the following:

1. Initial Eligibility Verification.  We will review your account, your application, and other relevant records held by the City of Chicago to make an initial determination about whether you are eligible for relief under the LRP.  We will send you an email with the results of that review.  We will verify:
   • Your property is a single-family home, 2-flat, 3-flat, or a commercial property with a water service size of 1 inch or smaller.
   • You own the property.
   • You had an eligible leak outside on the underground water service line.
   • The eligible leak has been repaired on or after January 1, 2023.
2. Determination of Benefit Amount.  If you receive an initial determination that you’re eligible for benefits, your application will then be reviewed to determine the amount of the benefit you’re entitled to.  We will review your application, your account, your prior meter reading history, and other relevant records held by the City of Chicago to calculate the amount of the benefit you are entitled to, if any.

If you are entitled to a benefit, we will provide the benefit in the form of a credit (reduction) to your utility account’s balance.  You will receive an email notifying you of the benefit amount and that it has been applied to your account.  If the benefit applied to your utility account’s balance results in an overall credit balance (negative balance) on your utility account, you can choose to have the credit balance (negative balance) apply toward future bills or you can apply for a refund.

During the review process, we may reach out to you via email if any additional documentation or information is required.  Possible emails you might receive include:   

• Requesting additional information - we will let you know what we need and provide you with instructions about how to submit that information.
• Initial eligibility confirmed – we were able to confirm that your property experienced an eligible leak and meets the other qualifications for the LRP. Your account will now be reviewed to determine the amount of your benefit.
• Benefit amount approved – we have calculated your benefit amount and applied this in the form of a credit to your account. This credit will reduce the charges from the time of the eligible leak to an average of what is typically used at the property.  All impacted bills will be reduced.
• Denied – means the application is denied. You did not meet one or more of the eligibility requirements.

I received a denial email; what should I do?

If you feel you were denied in error, please contact us at 312.744.4426.

How long does it take to process an application?

We attempt to process applications within 30 calendar days.  However, the time it takes to process an application may be longer depending on the complexity of any investigation of the leak location in order to confirm eligibility, the complexity of the account history that must be reviewed in order to determine a benefit amount, and other factors.

Who can I contact with questions about applying?

Please contact Department of Finance’s Utility Billing & Customer Service Team at 312-744-4426 with any questions related to the application process.

In order to apply for LRP, you must enter your utility billing account number which can be found on your bill. If you do not know your account number, please contact our Utility Billing & Customer Service Team at 312-744-4426.

Owner Information

The applicant must be 18 years of age and be the current or previous owner/account holder. Ownership and the charges from the time of the eligible leak will be reviewed and verified. You must provide a current, accurate and active email address to which you have access. A confirmation email will be emailed to you upon successful submission of your application and we will use this email address to communicate with you about your application’s status.

Applicant’s Address (Other than the property address)

The applicant must provide their current address along with proper identification showing their current address.