Delinquency research · dataset 2026.08
Shut-off and delinquency information for City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management (DWM)
Only provider-specific public findings are stated as policy. A missing field is not replaced with a rule borrowed from another utility.
Provider-specific findings
Delinquency research for this provider
The notes below may document a rule or explain a specific public-information limit. Any active notice and direct provider confirmation remain controlling.
- Grace period
- 0 days after the established due date for the late-fee rule. Atlanta City Code and DWM's late-fee page say a delinquent water/sewer bill is assessed the late fee when it is not paid by the due date; no additional standard grace period is published.
- Late-fee rules
- DWM must charge the greater of $5.00 or 5% of the delinquent water/sewer account balance. DWM states that it previously charged only 5% but is complying with the Code's minimum-dollar rule. The late fee is added to the account balance; payment arrangements, Care & Conserve assistance, and the 2026 PromisePay program may help a customer avoid or manage collection activity, but ordinary past-due bills remain subject to the Code.
- Shut-off timeline
- No single public calendar-day timeline is published for every Atlanta account. The progression is: the bill reaches its stated due date; a late fee applies to an unpaid balance; DWM sends a notice stating that service may be terminated; if the balance remains unpaid and no approved arrangement or adjustment prevents collection, DWM may turn off service and assess the applicable turnoff/re-establishment charge. The City Code says termination follows notice, but does not state one universal number of days from due date to shutoff.
- Warning and notice protocol
- Atlanta sends a written delinquency or termination notice telling the customer that service will be terminated unless the bill is paid or disputed under the published process. Customers are directed to call 311 or 404-546-0311 for an installment arrangement, account review, or assistance. DWM's current pages do not confirm a special-colored notice, mandatory automated-call sequence, or universal text-warning schedule. Eligible customers may receive a separate official PromisePay text with a secure payment-plan link, but that is an assistance communication rather than the ordinary legal notice.
- Reconnection costs
- DWM's customer-service brochure identifies a $45 fee when an account is in scheduled cutoff status to re-establish service; the Atlanta Code authorizes a council-fixed charge for each turnoff. Current public pages do not publish a separate regular-hours versus after-hours water-reconnection price. Customers whose account is already in jeopardy are told to pay online, by the 24/7 IVR, or at a payment window because mail, bank bill-pay, Western Union, and drop-box payments can delay reconnection. Illegal-consumption or flagged accounts have a separate process and may be reconnected within three business days after certified payment or an approved arrangement.
Documentation context
5 of 5 fields found
This is a record-completeness measure, not a customer-protection grade.
Georgia
26%
records with any shut-off detail
National
34%
records with any shut-off detail
Research record
Broad public detail found
5 of 5 fields in this section contain provider-specific public detail in dataset August 1, 2026.
Documented
100%
Primary verification routes
- City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management (DWM) public website ↗
Provider-controlled destination used to confirm current customer instructions.
- EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System ↗
Federal background on public water-system records and their limitations.