Utility sharing in duplexes: model ordinances?

[mpetty]

Hello, this is my first post at Cyburbia, but I've been lurking a long time. I created an account because I have a problem in my community that may need a legislative solution and I can't find any good examples to look at. I hope you can help me.

I'm on the City Council in my community and I recently got a call from an elderly resident whose water had been turned off. She lives in a duplex. The arrangement is that one side pays the gas bill and one side pays the water bill, and in this case, one side didn't pay the bill and both sides of the duplex are suffering the consequences. The landlord might as well be absentee.

I am hoping someone here can point to a model ordinance from another community that fixes these problems. Do other communities require specific utility arrangements in duplexes (and higher densities)? I was thinking of a law that gives two options, requiring either 1) the landlord pays the utility bills or 2) one meter is required per unit.

There's nothing like this on the books now for any multi-family, so I'd like to come up with something that will work for duplexes and higher densities, too. Any advice anyone can give would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[UrbaneSprawler]

I've never heard of two different dwellings splitting different utility services for each to pay. Every dwelling here is individually metered for gas. Duplexes here have a water service to each dwelling as well (larger condo multifamily dwellings with an association can have one service to each building with the association establishing a uniform water bill based upon the entire communities use). Is this typical for local codes there? We wouldn't issue a CO for a duplex with that sort of arrangement.

[luckless pedestrian]

I am not sure if a municipality has the power to oversee this under zoning anyway - if the municipality is the supplier (that is city water) then you could control it to require each dwelling unit to have their own hook up but if you are not the supplier then only the PUC can do it

[Richmond Jake]

Utility districts should require separate metering. But I agree with lp, it's not a zoning/land use issue.