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Understanding Rates and Tariffs - New York Water - Residential

Liberty is a regulated utility; our rates must be approved by state regulators. Rates reflect the cost to provide customer care, emergency and outage services, maintain and improve infrastructure and recover operating costs. Rates also reflect the cost and obligation of serving our customers safely and reliably.

Periodically, Liberty may adjust rates to reflect these costs. When this happens, a rate case is prepared. Rate cases are submitted to your state regulator for approval. A rate case provides a detailed description of the circumstances that support the need for a rate change. State regulators may approve or deny rate cases or ask that they be modified. We work closely with state regulators to ensure our rates are fair and our service remains safe and reliable.

Once rates are approved they become part of our larger tariff document. Tariffs are a detailed accounting of the services we deliver, our rates for those services and the policies to which we adhere.

When rates change we communicate these changes to our customers with bill inserts, advertisements in local newspapers and on this website.
Frequently Asked Questions & Answers about Rates

Did You Know?

Depending on your service area, between 31 and 55 percent of your water bill is pass-through taxes, including the special franchise tax that only private water utility customers are charged.
Liberty continues to urge State Legislators to act to remove this tax burden unfairly placed on our customers.

Understanding Rates and Tariffs