Independent U.S. water utility directory · 2026 edition
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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

Payments are due 20 days from the billing date. The ordinance does not provide an extra grace period after that date; the 10% late charge applies when the account has not been paid in full within 20 days.

Late-fee calculation

A 10% late charge is assessed on an account not paid in full within 20 days of the billing date. The City’s online portal separately warns that a disconnected or inactive account must pay all past-due amounts and a $50 penalty before requesting reinstatement.

Disconnection timeline

If charges remain unpaid 20 days after the billing date, the City may disconnect or terminate utility services. The ordinance sets a $50 disconnection fee if the amount is not paid by 5:00 p.m. on the cutoff date shown on the cutoff notice. After disconnection, the customer must pay the past-due balance and penalty and call Utility Billing for a reinstatement order; the order is not generated automatically.

Statutory warning protocol

What notice should you expect?

The published ordinance refers to a cutoff notice and a 5:00 p.m. cutoff deadline, but the reviewed current pages do not specify whether that notice is mailed, printed on the bill, delivered by door hanger, or supplemented by phone/text. Customers can enroll in general City notifications and portal email reminders, but those channels are not identified as the legal delinquency notice.

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

The ordinance lists a $50.00 disconnection fee and a separate $50.00 after-hours reconnection charge for service restored after business hours, holidays, or weekends. The customer must first pay all past-due amounts and the required penalty; the portal instructs the customer to call 903-731-8400 option 1 to request the reinstatement order.

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 City of Palestine Customer Service Department / Utility Billing 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.

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