Iowa

IAModerate

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
Iowa 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
iuc.iowa.gov handles complaints against regulated utilities in Iowa. Filing one can pause a disconnection while it is looked at.

Electric Gas Water Medical Low Income Regulator

Electric Shutoff Rules

Regulatory notice required12 days

Reconnection feeVaries by utility

Winter moratorium: November 1–April 1: LIHEAP-qualified customers are protected from utility service disconnection. LIHEAP enrollment is required — households without it can still be disconnected. Utilities must offer 12-month payment plans as an alternative to disconnection.

Major Utilities

MidAmerican Energ…Interstate Power …

MidAmerican Energy Company

Central, eastern, and southwestern Iowa including Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport/Quad Cities, and Council Bluffs; investor-owned utility, subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy

12-day notice

Disconnection allowed only 6am-2pm Monday-Friday, never nights/weekends/holidays or when the forecast is 20F or colder within 24 hours

No disconnection Nov 1-Apr 1 for customers certified LIHEAP/weatherization-eligible

Medical-danger postponement of 30 days available with a signed doctor/public-health-official statement

Governed statewide by Iowa Admin

Code 199 IAC 20.4(14)(d), which applies to all rate-regulated (investor-owned) electric utilities including MidAmerican

Written disconnection notice must give at least 12 days from the date it is provided (24 hours only for customers on shorter, more-than-monthly billing cycles)

Rule text verified current (effective 7/16/25) in the 7/22/26 IAC supplement

utility-specific reconnection fee not located in this pass

Confidence is medium, the same as Interstate Power and Light's row below, because both rest on this same statewide rule rather than a utility-specific tariff

Assistance Programs

LIHEAP (federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program), applied for through local community action agencies; call 211 or see hhs.iowa.gov/programs/programs-and-services/liheap. Certified LIHEAP eligibility blocks disconnection Nov 1-Apr 1 under 199 IAC 20.4(16)(a).

"Iowa Administrative Code 199, Chapter 20 (Service Supplied by Rate-Regulated Electric Utilities), rule 199-20.4(14)." legis.iowa.gov. Retrieved 21 Sep 2026.

Interstate Power and Light Company (Alliant Energy)

Northern, eastern and central Iowa including Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Clinton, and Waterloo areas; investor-owned utility, subsidiary of Alliant Energy Corporation

12-day notice

No disconnection Nov 1-Apr 1 for LIHEAP/weatherization-certified households, on nights/weekends/holidays, or when the forecast is 20F or colder within 24 hours

Same statewide rule applies as to all Iowa rate-regulated electric utilities: Iowa Admin

Code 199 IAC 20.4(14)(d) requires at least 12 days' written notice before disconnection for nonpayment (24 hours for customers billed more frequently than monthly)

disconnection window is 6am-2pm Mon-Fri only

This is the statewide administrative rule, not an Interstate Power and Light-specific tariff fetched in this pass

utility-specific reconnection fee not confirmed

Confidence is set to medium rather than low: this rests on the same statewide administrative rule as MidAmerican's row, with no utility-specific tariff fetched for either company, so the two rows carry identical evidence and must carry the same confidence

Assistance Programs

LIHEAP via local community action agencies (211 or hhs.iowa.gov/programs/programs-and-services/liheap); certification prevents disconnection Nov 1-Apr 1 under 199 IAC 20.4(16)(a).

"Iowa Administrative Code 199, Chapter 20 (Service Supplied by Rate-Regulated Electric Utilities), rule 199-20.4(14)." legis.iowa.gov. Retrieved 21 Sep 2026.

Gas Shutoff Rules

Regulatory notice required12 days

Reconnection feeVaries by utility

Major Utilities

MidAmerican Energ…Interstate Power …

MidAmerican Energy Company

Central, eastern, and southwestern Iowa including Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport/Quad Cities, and Council Bluffs; investor-owned combination electric and gas utility, subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy

12-day notice

No disconnection Nov 1-Apr 1 for LIHEAP/weatherization-certified customers, on nights/weekends/holidays, or when the forecast is 20F or colder within 24 hours where gas is the only heat source

Governed statewide by Iowa Admin

Code 199 IAC 19.4(15)(a), the gas-utility counterpart to the electric rule, applying to all rate-regulated natural gas utilities

Written disconnection notice must give at least 12 days from the date provided (24 hours for customers on shorter billing intervals)

Disconnection permitted only 6am-2pm Mon-Fri

Rule text verified current in the 7/22/26 IAC supplement

a utility-specific reconnection fee was not located in this pass

Confidence is medium, the same as Interstate Power and Light's row below, because both rest on this same statewide rule rather than a utility-specific tariff

Assistance Programs

LIHEAP (federal program) via local community action agencies; call 211 or see hhs.iowa.gov/programs/programs-and-services/liheap. Certified eligibility blocks disconnection Nov 1-Apr 1 under 199 IAC 19.4(17)(a).

"Iowa Administrative Code 199, Chapter 19 (Service Supplied by Rate-Regulated Gas Utilities), rule 199-19.4(15)." legis.iowa.gov. Retrieved 21 Sep 2026.

Interstate Power and Light Company (Alliant Energy)

Northern, eastern and central Iowa including Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Clinton, and Waterloo areas; investor-owned combination electric and gas utility, subsidiary of Alliant Energy Corporation

12-day notice

Code 199 IAC 19.4(15)(a) requires at least 12 days' written notice before disconnection for nonpayment (24 hours for more-frequent billing customers), with the Nov 1-Apr 1 LIHEAP moratorium, weekday-only 6am-2pm disconnection window, and 20F cold-weather protection

Same statewide gas-utility rule applies: Iowa Admin

This is the statewide administrative rule rather than an Interstate Power and Light-specific tariff fetched in this pass

utility-specific reconnection fee not confirmed

Assistance Programs

LIHEAP via local community action agencies (211 or hhs.iowa.gov/programs/programs-and-services/liheap); certification prevents disconnection Nov 1-Apr 1 under 199 IAC 19.4(17)(a).

"Iowa Administrative Code 199, Chapter 19 (Service Supplied by Rate-Regulated Gas Utilities), rule 199-19.4(15)." legis.iowa.gov. Retrieved 21 Sep 2026.

Water Shutoff Rules

Regulatory notice requiredNot regulated / varies

Medical & Vulnerable Household Exemptions

Medical certificate postpones disconnection. Iowa utilities must work with households where disconnection would create a health or safety hazard.

Low-Income Protections

Iowa LIHEAP administered by Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. Low-income customers in default on a payment agreement may be disconnected with only 24-hour notice rather than the standard 12 days.

Your State Regulator

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

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