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Delinquency research · dataset 2026.08
Shut-off and delinquency information for Boston Water and Sewer Commission (BWSC)
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
- BWSC adds a delinquency charge to any amount not paid within 31 days after the billing date printed on the water, sewer, and stormwater bill. The separate customer dispute period is 30 days from the billing date. Nonpayment shutoff eligibility is more restrictive than the late-charge trigger: service may be terminated when the bill is at least 60 days past due and the delinquent balance exceeds $250.
- Late-fee rules
- The current BWSC residential billing disclosure calculates delinquency at a daily rate of 0.03836%, equivalent to a 14% annual rate, beginning after the 31-day post-billing threshold. Once a formal demand is made, BWSC states that 16% interest applies in lieu of the 14% delinquency charge. A $25 returned-payment fee and the $80 termination-notice fee are separate charges, and foreclosure remedies may be pursued for long-standing property delinquencies.
- Shut-off timeline
- A monthly bill becomes subject to the delinquency charge after 31 days from its billing date. For nonpayment, BWSC states that service may be terminated once the account is at least 60 days past due and the delinquent balance exceeds $250; the owner must then contact Collections at 617-989-7070, pay all outstanding amounts, and satisfy restoration requirements. The public residential page does not give a single universal day-of-month field-dispatch date after the 60-day threshold, so the posted termination notice and account-specific Collections instructions control. A payment arrangement can prevent interruption when approved and maintained.
- Warning and notice protocol
- BWSC's special-fee schedule includes an $80 Termination Notice Fee for mailing and posting the final termination notice and demand for payment under its Billing, Termination and Appeal Regulations. Customers receive account-specific written termination/demand information and can call Collections at 617-989-7070 to arrange payment. Owners with a Leak Up To Owner condition can receive up to 15 days to repair before termination, and denied meter access can also trigger written service action. Elderly, disabled, medically vulnerable, and tenant households should contact Collections promptly because the Commission offers hardship-delay, payment-plan, or tenant-protection pathways.
- Reconnection costs
- BWSC's 2026 special-service schedule lists a $40 water turn-on fee for a requested turn-on and a $40 water turn-off fee, but explicitly says the water turn-off fee is not applicable when an account was terminated for nonpayment. For a delinquency termination, the owner must pay the outstanding balance and contact BWSC Collections at 617-989-7070; the public service-restoration page does not state a separate standard residential nonpayment reconnection price. Construction or pipe inspection work is separately priced at $400 during regular Monday-Saturday hours, $470 at overtime, and $530 on Sundays/holidays; no after-hours residential delinquency reconnection surcharge is published.
Documentation context
5 of 5 fields found
This is a record-completeness measure, not a customer-protection grade.
Massachusetts
22%
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
- Boston Water and Sewer Commission (BWSC) 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.