Delaware

DEModerate

Days notice (electric)

Days notice (gas)

✓

Winter moratorium

✓

Medical exemption

What to do today

If you have a shutoff notice, the date on it is the one that matters. These steps work best in this order.

Call your utility before the date on your notice
Ask for a payment plan or a deferred payment arrangement. Most states require your utility to offer one, and asking before the date is what keeps your service on. The number is on your bill.
Apply for energy assistance
LIHEAP helps with utility bills and does not have to be paid back. Call the national referral line on 1-866-674-6327 weekdays 9am to 7pm Eastern, or visit energyhelp.us.
Dial 211 for local help
211 is free and connects you to local funds for utilities, rent and food. Some local agencies can pay a utility directly to stop a shutoff.
Ask about medical certification
Delaware recognises medical protections. If anyone in your home has a serious illness or relies on powered medical equipment, a note from a doctor can delay a shutoff. Ask your utility for the form today, because it usually has to be back within days.
Contact the regulator if your utility will not work with you
depsc.delaware.gov handles complaints against regulated utilities in Delaware. Filing one can pause a disconnection while it is looked at.

Electric Gas Water Medical Low Income Regulator

Electric Shutoff Rules

Regulatory notice required10 days

Reconnection feeVaries by utility

Winter moratorium: Weather-based protections rather than calendar moratorium. During heating season, utilities cannot disconnect when 8 a.m. ambient temperature is at or below 32°F within 50 miles of the dwelling. During cooling season, no disconnection when NWS forecasts Heat Index of 105°F or above. During heating and cooling seasons, notice extends to 14 days and utilities must make two documented telephone contact attempts (one after 6 p.m.) before actual disconnection.

Major Utilities

Delmarva Power (D…Delaware Elec Coo…

Delmarva Power (Delaware Power and Light Co.)

Most of Delaware (residential electric distribution)

14-day notice

No shutoff when NWS 8 a.m. temp ≤32°F or Heat Index forecast ≥105°F within 50 miles

During heating season (Nov 15–Mar 31) utility must make at least two documented phone contact attempts on separate days (one after 6 p.m.) and face-to-face contact before disconnecting

Shutoff prohibited Dec 21–Jan 1

Medical certificate (physician-signed) blocks termination for 120 days and is renewable

Delaware PSC (26 Del

Admin

Code § 3002-3.0) requires 14 calendar days written notice before disconnection

Assistance Programs

LIHEAP/Delaware Energy Assistance Program (DEAP, 60% SMI threshold, heating benefits up to $2,464/yr); Delmarva Power Customer Relief Fund; Budget Billing; Good Neighbor Fund; Third-Party Notification program; 2-1-1 Delaware referrals

"26 Del. Admin. Code § 3002-3.0 — Prohibitions." law.cornell.edu. Retrieved 21 Sep 2026.

Delaware Electric Cooperative

Rural areas of Delaware (primarily Sussex and Kent counties)

14-day notice

Cooperative's own tariff (Section 12.4.1) requires a Disconnection Notice sent with the next regular bill, with disconnection following if payment is not received within 14 calendar days of that notice

Restoration of service charge is $40.00 if requested Mon–Fri 8am–8pm

$96.00 for requests 8:01pm–midnight Mon–Fri

$172.00 for emergency, weekend, or holiday restoration

A $30.00 fee applies if a second employee visit is needed because payment wasn't at the premises as arranged

No shutoff when NWS 8 a.m. temperature is 32°F or below within 50 miles of the dwelling

The $50 flat reconnection fee and the separate door-payment collection charge previously shown here do not appear in the current tariff and have been corrected

Reconnection fee:$40.00 (Mon–Fri 8am–8pm); $96.00 (8:01pm–midnight Mon–Fri); $172.00 (emergency/weekend/holiday)

Assistance Programs

LIHEAP/Delaware Energy Assistance Program (DEAP); 2-1-1 Delaware referrals to community agencies

"Delaware Electric Cooperative Tariff (revised February 2022)." delaware.coop. Retrieved 21 Sep 2026.

Gas Shutoff Rules

Regulatory notice required10 days

Reconnection feeVaries by utility

Major Utilities

Delmarva Power (g…Chesapeake Utilit…

Delmarva Power (gas division)

Northern Delaware natural gas distribution

14-day notice

Heating season (Nov 15–Mar 31) requires two documented phone contact attempts plus face-to-face contact before termination

Shutoff prohibited Dec 21–Jan 1

Medical certification blocks termination for 120 renewable days

Governed by same PSC rules as electric (26 Del

Admin

Code § 3002-3.0): 14 calendar days written notice required

No shutoff when NWS 8 a.m. temp ≤32°F

Assistance Programs

LIHEAP/DEAP; Delmarva Power Customer Relief Fund; Budget Billing; Third-Party Notification; 2-1-1 Delaware

"26 Del. Admin. Code § 3002-3.0 — Prohibitions." law.cornell.edu. Retrieved 21 Sep 2026.

Chesapeake Utilities (Delaware Division)

Southern and rural Delaware natural gas distribution

5-day notice

It sets two different figures depending on the time of year: "After five (5) Working Days' ... notice in writing" for nonpayment generally, but "After fourteen (14) calendar days' notice in writing" for nonpayment specifically "from June 1 through September 30 and November 1 to March 31" — the extended cooling- and heating-season window, which covers 9 of the 12 months in a year. notice_days is set to 5, the general/standard-season figure, with the seasonal 14-day extension noted here rather than folded into the single integer field

Medical waiver: valid 120 days if arrears do not exceed 60 days, renewable

Real correction: the current tariff (P.S.C

No. 5, Sheet 6.326-6.327, effective October 15, 2025 under Order No

10851, Docket No

24-0906) does not set a flat 10-day notice period

Also: no shutoff without notice occurs outside 8 a.m.-4 p.m

Monday-Thursday (Wednesday substituted if Thursday/Friday is a holiday), and never when the temperature is 35F or below at 8 a.m

Shutoff prohibited December 21-January 1 except in a safety emergency

Reconnection (Section O.2): $90.00 Service Reconnection Charge during regular business hours

an additional $60.00 for after-hours/same-day reconnection, for a total of $150.00. reconnection_fee was previously null

both figures are new to this row, confirmed verbatim in the current tariff

Reconnection fee:$90.00 during regular business hours; $150.00 total for after-hours/same-day reconnection

Assistance Programs

LIHEAP/DEAP; Chesapeake Utilities SHARING Program; payment plans and Budget Billing; 2-1-1 Delaware

"Chesapeake Utilities of Delaware, Inc. Tariff, P.S.C. Del. No. 5 (Rules and Regulations, Discontinuance of Service / Section O)." chpkgas.com. Retrieved 21 Sep 2026.

Water Shutoff Rules

Regulatory notice requiredNot regulated / varies

Major Utilities

Artesian Water Co Veolia Water Dela…

Artesian Water Company

Most of Delaware (largest investor-owned water utility in DE)

14-day notice

Delaware Title 26 medical hardship protections apply

PSC No. 1 tariff, Rule 44: bills unpaid 25 days from the billing date are classified delinquent, and service may be discontinued if not paid within 14 more days

Rule on Charges for Disconnection and Reconnection: total disconnect/reconnect charge is $100.00 ($50.00 disconnection plus $50.00 reconnection), payable in advance during regular business hours

emergency service outside regular hours is $140.00

Customers may designate a Second Party in writing to receive disconnection notices, with disconnection barred for at least 10 days after that second party is notified

Reconnection fee:$100.00 total ($50.00 disconnection + $50.00 reconnection); $140.00 for emergency service outside regular hours

Assistance Programs

2-1-1 Delaware; Catholic Charities; Delaware State Service Centers; Second Party Notification program

"Artesian Water Company P.S.C. No. 1 Water Tariff." artesianwater.com. Retrieved 21 Sep 2026.

Veolia Water Delaware

Northern Delaware (Wilmington area and surrounding communities)

10-day notice

PSC No. 6 tariff, Rule 2: if a bill is not paid within 15 days from the bill date, water may be shut off upon 10 days' written shut-off notice

Reconnection Charge (Schedule E): $40.00 during normal business hours, $95.00 other than normal business hours, added to the customer's bill and due before water is turned back on

Customers may designate a second party in writing to receive disconnection notices

Delaware Title 26 hardship protections and PSC rules apply

The $500 reconnection fee previously shown here does not appear anywhere in the current tariff and was corrected to $40.00/$95.00

Veolia filed a rate case in January 2025 (PSC Docket No

25-0037) seeking a 44.51% increase in annual water revenues

the tariff's day-count and reconnection-charge structure are unaffected by that filing as of this pass. mywater.veolia.us disallows all automated agents in robots.txt, so an automated re-check of this citation will show as blocked even though the tariff itself is a normal public PDF reachable by anyone browsing the link directly

no Delaware PSC-hosted mirror of this specific document was found

Reconnection fee:$40.00 during normal business hours; $95.00 other than normal business hours

Assistance Programs

PromisePay interest-free payment plans; 2-1-1 Delaware; Catholic Charities; state service centers

"Veolia Water Delaware, Inc., P.S.C. No. 6 - Water Tariff." mywater.veolia.us. Retrieved 21 Sep 2026.

Medical & Vulnerable Household Exemptions

Doctor or public health official statement postpones termination for 30 days, renewable for additional 30 days. Utilities cannot disconnect when a medical emergency exists.

Low-Income Protections

LIHEAP available. Delaware's Delaware Electric Cooperative and Delmarva Power offer low-income assistance programs. Delaware Division of the Public Advocate provides consumer representation.

Your State Regulator

File a complaint or get help from Delaware's utility regulator →

Data last verified: 2026-09-21. Rules may change — verify with your state regulator.