Delinquency research · dataset 2026.08

Shut-off and delinquency information for Metro Water Services (MWS), Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County

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: MWS's current bill explainer says payment must be posted within 20 days of the bill date to avoid a late-payment charge; accounts overdue more than 20 days are subject to disconnection. The net bill becomes a gross bill after that 20-day period, so the practical grace period is 20 days from the billing date rather than a separate number of days after the printed due date.
Late-fee rules: The gross-bill penalty is the greater of $2.50 or 5% of the current net bill. The charge becomes applicable 20 days after the bill is mailed/dated. A $30 returned-payment fee applies to an NSF or returned payment, and a $15 Notifies fee may be assessed for the disconnection-notification work order. MWS states that any account due before a leak adjustment is processed should still be paid in full to avoid late charges; a later approved credit is applied to the account.
Shut-off timeline: The current bill guide states that an account overdue more than 20 days is subject to disconnection. MWS's official billing-and-collection disclosure describes the detailed progression: the first monthly bill becomes gross after 20 days; if unpaid, a delinquency notice is included with the subsequent month's bill; if the bill remains delinquent a second time, an MWS representative gives notice under Tennessee Code Annotated Section 65-32-104 that service will be discontinued if payment is not received within five days; after that five-day notice period, water and sewer service can be disconnected immediately. The customer must then pay the full delinquent amount and reconnection charge, and an uncollectible account may be referred to a commercial collection agency. Emergency conditions, approved extensions, and agency-specific hardship arrangements can change the sequence.
Warning and notice protocol: The warning chain is a gross-bill conversion after 20 days, a delinquency notice included with the next monthly bill, and a representative notice by letter and/or phone/field contact before the final five-day opportunity under Tennessee law. The current customer pages also support text billing and cutoff notifications when a phone number is enrolled. The notice should be treated as controlling because MWS can add a $15 Notifies charge and a $60 nonpayment reconnection fee after dispatch. Customers disputing a bill or seeking an extension should call 615-862-4600 before the five-day deadline and keep the account current while a leak or assistance review is pending.
Reconnection costs: The official 2026 rate table lists $60 for reconnecting after nonpayment. It also lists a $240 after-hours response fee, separate from the $60 nonpayment reconnect line, when an after-hours response is requested and applicable; customers should confirm whether both charges apply to a particular dispatch. Other service charges include $35 for guaranteed same-day turn-on, $25 next-day turn-on, $50 for a running-inside turn-on, and $50 for an inaccessible-meter trip. Under Metro Code, restoration requires the entire delinquent balance plus the reconnection charge, and MWS will not restore service merely because a payment is promised unless an approved extension or assistance arrangement applies.

Documentation context

5 of 5 fields found

This is a record-completeness measure, not a customer-protection grade.

Tennessee

31%

records with any shut-off detail

National

34%

records with any shut-off detail

See the nationwide customer-protection analysis →

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

Metro Water Services (MWS), Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County 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.

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