Independent U.S. water utility directory · 2026 edition
Water LedgerU.S. utility directorySearch directory
← Back to utility profile

Delinquency and service protection

Understand the shut-off process before it reaches your door

The safest time to ask about a past-due balance, payment arrangement, or hardship protection is before the final notice. This page translates the provider’s published rules into a practical checklist.

Notice and timing

How delinquency is handled

Grace period after the due date

The bill is past due immediately after the printed due date, so there is no calendar-day grace period for delinquency status. For residential water, gas, and electric balances, MLGW's 2025 policy assesses the applicable late fee on the 13th business day after the printed due date. Residential customers earn a Late Fee Allowance after three consecutive months without a late fee; the allowance is automatically applied on the first late payment and may be accumulated up to three times.

Late-fee calculation

The current Customer Care Policy assesses a 5% late fee on the remaining previously past-due residential utility-service balance, excluding tax, on the 13th business day after the due date. The charge is subject to the amount allowed by law. A residential Late Fee Allowance can waive the net-to-gross difference on the first late payment after three consecutive no-late-fee months, with no more than three allowances accrued. Payments received on the scheduled delinquency-disconnect date may arrive too late to cancel the field order or avoid applicable fees.

Disconnection timeline

MLGW's 2025 policy says a written intent-to-disconnect notice is mailed approximately two business days after a bill's due date, although its detailed workday exhibit provides the controlling staged progression. For a B-rated or general-power account, the typical sequence is bill day 1, due day 12, late fee day 13, disconnection notice day 14 if the past-due balance is at least $200, one-service cutoff preparation day 24, first service disconnect day 25, a second notice around day 36, final cutoff preparation around day 45, and the remaining services, including water where applicable, disconnected around day 46. For an A-rated residential account with a lower initial balance, the exhibit shows a later staged cycle: day 36 notice, first service disconnect around day 47, and remaining services around day 68. MLGW's rule also requires water to remain connected for at least 20 days after the first primary service is disconnected. Extreme-weather, holiday, senior/disabled winter, life-support, payment-plan, and operational moratoriums can suspend or change the sequence.

Statutory warning protocol

What notice should you expect?

The formal notice is mailed and must identify the customer and service addresses, account number, amount required, prevention due date, consequences, MLGW contact information, office locations and hours, payment options, and the method for questioning or contesting the notice. When feasible, MLGW attempts to notify an occupant at the premises; if no one is available, it leaves a written door hanger with reconnection information and instructions. Customers may designate a third-party notification contact, and MLGW's Text Alerts program can send an approximately three-business-day cutoff reminder, but MLGW warns that a missing text does not relieve the bill obligation. Residential service is normally disconnected beginning at 8:00 a.m. on business days, subject to the policy's staged service order and weather exceptions.

If a notice seems wrong

Document the account balance, payment confirmation, notice date, and any household medical or accessibility concern. Then call the provider using the contact information on its official bill or profile before the stated deadline.

Restoring service

Reconnection costs and timing

MLGW's current residential request page directs customers to the Customer Care Policy, while the Spanish current service page states that a $25 residential reconnection fee is billed after restoration. The 2025 policy requires the past-due balance to be reduced to MLGW's applicable minimum-balance threshold, adds the reconnection cost to the account, and may require a new or additional deposit; the detailed deposit chart warns that the fee can depend on meter size and the current Schedule of Charges. A payment credited within five calendar days can generate an automatic order; later payments require a customer request. MLGW attempts same-day restoration after credited payment but does not guarantee it. No separate public after-hours residential dollar amount is published; customers should call 901-544-6549 to confirm current emergency, same-day, or special-program pricing.

Need a payment arrangement?

Ask before the shut-off date

Tell the customer-service representative that you are responding to a delinquency notice and ask specifically about installment plans, hardship protection, charity referrals, and the amount required to stop the disconnection order.

Customer protection guide

What to do when a bill becomes urgent

A delinquency notice from Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division (MLGW) should be treated as a time-sensitive account document. Read the exact due date, amount required, notice method, and contact instructions on the notice, then compare them with the provider details in this guide.

If you have already paid, gather the confirmation number and posting date. If you cannot pay the full amount, call before the stated shut-off date and ask about arrangements, hardship protections, agency referrals, and the minimum amount needed to pause action.

Keep the conversation specific: ask what will stop the order, when the payment must post, whether a reconnection fee applies, and whether the utility requires a separate request for medical, accessibility, or household-protection status.

Open payment methods →Review leak relief →