Can a plumber or owner move a water meter in Phoenix?

The relocation rule is one sentence with a penalty attached: "Only authorized Department representatives may move or remove meters." If a meter is moved or removed anyway, "the Department will terminate water service to the pertinent premises and will not restore service until the customer for the premises reimburses the Department for all costs incurred in restoring the meter to the authorized location."

The rest of 37-53, part by part:

• Location. "All meters must be located on the sidewalk side of the curbline pursuant to City design standards."
• Meters inside buildings. The Department will relocate them to the sidewalk side of the curbline and bill the customer for the work. The customer relays the service pipes to the new meter location at the customer's expense.
• Resizing. Anyone who applies for a resized meter or service pays the charges for a new meter or service, and the Department removes the original tap.
• The city's call on size. The Department may replace any meter and "will determine the size and type of any water meter installed." If a meter registers a flow rate excessive for a similar building and use for at least three consecutive months, the Department may install a meter of adequate size and bill the customer.
• High bill review. If a customer says a bill for any of the preceding three billing periods was excessive, the Department will, on written request, re-read the meter and inspect the point of connection for leaks, for the fee set in Section 37-85.
• Accuracy test. A customer may ask in writing or by email for a meter test. If the meter registers more than two percent over the actual water passing through it, the Department replaces it, adjusts the current bill by the estimated overcharge and charges no fee. At two percent or less, the customer pays the 37-85 fee. The customer may be present for the test.

• Department: the Water Services Department.
• Curbline: the edge of the street curb. "Sidewalk side" means the meter sits behind the curb, not in the roadway.
• Service pipes: the customer's piping from the meter to the building. The code makes relaying them after a relocation the customer's job.
• Point of connection: where the city service meets the customer's line at the meter.

Every Phoenix water customer and anyone working near a meter: owners, landlords, tenants, landscapers, pool builders and plumbers. The code puts the restoration bill on "the customer for the premises," and it does not carve out the case where someone else moved the meter.

This does not stop a plumber from working on the customer's side of the meter. Repiping, adding a pressure regulator or replacing the customer's shutoff happens downstream and does not move the meter.

• A homeowner widens the driveway. The meter box is in the new concrete path. The answer is a call to Water Services, not a shovel. The design manual also says meters must be out of driveways, paved areas and sidewalks, and a box that must sit in pavement needs a traffic-rated box.
• A 1950s commercial building has its meter in a back room. Under 37-53 the Department moves it out to the curbline and bills the owner, and the owner's plumber relays the service pipe to the new spot.
• A restaurant's bill doubles. The owner asks in writing for a re-read and leak check. If a meter test then shows the meter registering more than 2 percent high, the city replaces it, credits the estimated overcharge and charges no fee. If the meter is accurate, the answer flips: the owner pays the 37-85 fee, and the next step is a leak search on the customer's side.

1. 1Find the meter and confirm whether the work you're planning touches the box or the meter itself.
2. 2If it does, contact Phoenix Water Services before work starts. The city lists its Customer Services Division at 602-262-6251, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, and 602-261-8000 for emergencies that need field staff to turn off water for a leak.
3. 3For a high bill, send a written request for a re-read and leak check, and ask about a meter test by writing or email.
4. 4While you wait, run a meter leak test with every fixture off to see if water is moving on your side.
5. 5If the leak is on your side, have a licensed plumber trace it. Leak detection can find a hidden leak between the meter and the building.

• "It's my meter box, it's on my lot." The code says only authorized Department representatives may move or remove meters, and moving one costs you the water service until the costs are repaid.
• "The city pays to move an old indoor meter." The Department bills the customer, and the customer relays the pipe.
• "A meter test is always free." It's free only if the meter reads more than 2 percent high; otherwise the 37-85 fee applies.
• "Pick any meter size you want." The Department determines the size and type, and can upsize a meter that runs excessive flow for three straight months.