http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1991/56/section/146Water Industry Act 1991 An Act to consolidate enactments relating to the supply of water and the provision of sewerage services, with amendments to give effect to recommendations of the Law Commission.1991-07-25texttext/xmlenStatute Law Database2026-08-03Expert Participation2026-07-24 Part V FINANCIAL PROVISIONS CHAPTER I CHARGES General restrictions on charging Connection charges <Abbreviation Expansion="et cetera" xml:lang="la">etc.</Abbreviation> and charges for highway drainage.1461Subject to subsection (2) below, nothing in this Chapter or in any other enactment shall entitle any relevant undertaker to fix, demand or recover an initial charge for its becoming, or for its taking steps for the purpose of becoming—athe person who provides a supply of water for domestic purposes to any premises; orbthe person who provides sewerage services for the purposes of the drainage for domestic sewerage purposes of any premises.2Subject to subsection (3) below, nothing in subsection (1) above or in any other enactment shall be construed as prohibiting the fixing, demand or recovery by a relevant undertaker of—aa charge for the connection to a water supply of premises which have never at any previous time (whether before or after the coming into force of the restriction contained in this section) been connected to a supply of water provided for domestic purposes by a water undertaker or by any other authority or body which at that time provided supplies of water in the course of carrying out functions under any enactment; orba charge for the connection to a public sewer of premises which have never at any previous time (whether before or after the coming into force of the restriction contained in this section) been connected to a sewer used for the drainage for domestic sewerage purposes of those premises by a sewerage undertaker or by any other authority or body which at that time provided sewerage services in the course of carrying out functions under any enactment.3Nothing in this Chapter or in any other enactment or in the terms of any agreement under section 104 above shall authorise a sewerage undertaker to require any payment to be made to the undertaker in respect of the making by the undertaker of any declaration of vesting under Chapter II of Part IV of this Act or in respect of any agreement to make such a declaration.3AThe reference in subsection (3) to an agreement under section 104 includes a reference to—aan order under section 105ZA which is deemed to be an agreement by virtue of section 105ZA(5), andban agreement which has been varied by order under section 105ZB(1).4Nothing in this Chapter or in any other enactment shall authorise a sewerage undertaker or a sewerage licensee to require any payment to be made to the undertaker or the licensee (as the case may be) by a highway authority in respect of the drainage of any highway or the disposal of the contents of any drain or sewer used for draining any highway.5The preceding provisions of this section, so far as they restrict the making of certain charges by relevant undertakers , shall be without prejudice—ato enactments by virtue of which a relevant undertaker may recover expenses incurred by it in , or charges imposed by it for, carrying out works; andbto the power of any such undertaker, by virtue of section 142(4) above, to fix the amount of any of its other charges by reference to such matters as it thinks appropriate.6In this section “domestic sewerage purposes” has the same meaning as in Chapter II of Part IV of this Act.Words in s. 146(4) inserted (1.4.2017) by Water Act 2014 (c. 21), s. 94(3), Sch. 7 para. 98(3)(b); S.I. 2017/462, art. 3(k)(bb)(xiv)Words in s. 146(5)(a) inserted (1.4.2018) by Water Act 2014 (c. 21), ss. 19(5), 94(3); S.I. 2017/462, art. 5(b) (with art. 14)Words in s. 146(5) inserted (1.4.2017) by Water Act 2014 (c. 21), s. 94(3), Sch. 7 para. 98(4); S.I. 2017/462, art. 3(k)(bb)(xiv)S. 146(3A) inserted (1.10.2017 for specified purposes) by Water Act 2014 (c. 21), s. 94(3), Sch. 7 para. 98(2); S.I. 2017/462, art. 4(d)(iv) (as substituted by S.I. 2017/926, art. 2(2))Words in s. 146(4) inserted (1.4.2017) by Water Act 2014 (c. 21), s. 94(3), Sch. 7 para. 98(3)(a); S.I. 2017/462, art. 3(k)(bb)(xiv)