Faulty water meters

As a water entitlement holder, you must ensure your meter operates correctly and report any faults to us.

What is a faulty meter?

Taking water through a faulty meter is an offence under the Water Act 2000.

Water meters are considered faulty if they:

  • can't be read, for example if
    • the glass on the meter is frosted or broken
    • the meter dial or display is obscured
    • telemetry fitted to the meter is not functioning to allow remote reading of the meter
  • can't record the volume of water taken in accordance with acceptable tolerances outlined in the Queensland interim water meter standard for non-urban metering (PDF, 470KB)
  • leak water or air that affects the flow of water through the meter (including leaks to connections or fittings to works to which the meter is attached)
  • don't have a tamper-proof seal, or the seal is broken or damaged.

Taking water through a faulty meter is an offence under the Water Act 2000.

Reporting a faulty meter

You must confirm that your meter is not faulty each time you submit a meter reading.

If you become aware of a fault, you must tell us within 3 business days. Contact your local business centre.

If we find that your meter is faulty (for example during a field inspection), we will give you a notice directing you to repair or replace your meter.

We recognise that meters can fail unexpectedly, so you can continue to take water through your meter for up to 60 business days after it has been identified as faulty. During this time, you must record your water take using the Water use assessment report form (PDF, 1.7MB).

It is important to keep accurate records of the water taken, so that you can demonstrate that you are meeting your water entitlement responsibilities.

Requirement to repair or replace your meter

If you become aware that your meter is faulty, or if you are notified that your meter is faulty, within within 60 business days you must:

Once the meter has been repaired or replaced, you must provide us with a completed:

Requests for an extension to this time will be considered on a case-by-case basis.