Montana

MTModerate

Days notice (electric)

Days notice (gas)

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Winter moratorium

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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
Montana 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
psc.mt.gov handles complaints against regulated utilities in Montana. 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: November 1–April 1: regulated utilities must get PSC approval before shutting off service for non-payment. PSC will not approve disconnection if the account holder has income at or below the federal poverty guideline, receives public assistance, has a household member age 62 or older, or has a handicapped household member. Not a universal moratorium — condition-specific and requires PSC approval.

Major Utilities

NorthWestern Ener…Montana-Dakota Ut…

NorthWestern Energy (NorthWestern Corporation)

NorthWestern's own site describes its territory as serving "gas and electric to customers in the western two-thirds of Montana and eastern South Dakota." Investor-owned and regulated by the Montana Public Service Commission, which approves its Montana electric tariff (Docket 2018.02.012, Order 7604u).

10-day notice

ARM 38.5.1410 bars any nonpayment termination between November 1 and April 1 without specific prior Commission approval, and separately bars termination on any day at or below freezing at 8 a.m. or with a forecast snowstorm or freezing temperatures, where the customer shows inability to pay, a household member aged 62 or older, or a handicapped household member

ARM 38.5.1411 (amended 2010 MAR p

3/26/10) protects an account where a licensed provider certifies that loss of service would aggravate an existing medical condition, on a 180-day certificate renewable semiannually, with a $500 arrearage threshold

ARM 38.5.1405(2)(a) (Montana Administrative Code, subchapter 38.5.14, Termination of Gas and Electric Service

text verified on Cornell LII) requires a second written notice sent or personally served at least 10 days before the proposed termination date, after a first notice to which no response was received within 10 days of mailing

The 10 recorded here is that final pre-termination notice, not a sum of the two periods

A shorter 5-BUSINESS-day notice (not 5 calendar days) applies only where the customer's check was returned NSF after the first notice or a payment agreement was broken, ARM 38.5.1405(2)(b)

Landlord accounts get a 30-day first notice, and affected tenants must be separately notified no later than 15 days before termination, ARM 38.5.1405(2)(c)-(d)

NorthWestern's own Commission-approved Montana Electric Tariff Rule No

13 (Docket 2018.02.012, Order No

7604u, Tariff Letter 361-E, Commission Approved November 25, 2019) restates all four figures verbatim at Rule 13-5.B.1-4

that PDF is a scanned image with no text layer, so it was read by OCR and the parseable Cornell LII text of the ARM is cited as source_url instead

Electric Rule 13-13.A requires 2 business days after personal or telephone contact, or after notice posted conspicuously, before actual termination -- more protective than the ARM 38.5.1413 floor of one day after personal/telephone notice or one business day after posted notice

ARM 38.5.1412 and tariff Rule 13-12 confine terminations to 8 a.m.-noon on a day the utility can also reconnect

754, eff

Reconnection fee is null, not zero: the complete Montana electric rules index (Rules 1-14 and 16-23) and the complete electric rate schedule index (schedules 01-89) were reviewed and no sheet states a reconnection-fee dollar amount

Rule 13-5.C and 13-6.E refer only to "any reconnection charge specified in the Utility's filed tariffs" and "the amount of the reconnection fee, if any."

Assistance Programs

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), administered by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. NorthWestern's own residential tariff Schedule REDS-1 grants LIHEAP-qualified customers a Low Income Discount on the Delivery Services Charge bill equal to 15% from May 1 to October 31 and 25% from November 1 to April 30. Energy Share of Montana and county Human Resource Development Councils also assist; 211 for referrals.

"Mont. Admin. R. 38.5.1405, Notice Prior to and at the Time of Termination (Montana Administrative Code via Cornell LII); corroborated by NorthWestern Energy Montana Electric Tariff Rule No. 13, Docket 2018.02.012, Order 7604u." law.cornell.edu. Retrieved 22 Sep 2026.

Montana-Dakota Utilities Co.

Eastern Montana "Badlands Region" only -- Glendive, Miles City, Wolf Point (district offices), plus Baker, Sidney, Forsyth, Plentywood, Scobey, Culbertson, Terry, Wibaux and others, per MDU's own Montana Electric Rate Schedule "Communities Served" sheet (Volume No. 5, Original Sheet No. 2). MDU's Montana gas footprint is larger than its electric footprint. Investor-owned, regulated by the Montana Public Service Commission.

10-day notice

ARM 38.5.1410 bars nonpayment termination from November 1 to April 1 without specific prior Commission approval and on freezing or forecast-freezing days for customers showing inability to pay, a household member aged 62 or older, or a handicapped household member

3/26/10) gives a 180-day medical certificate, renewable semiannually, with a $500 arrearage threshold

MDU's own Montana Electric Rate 100 (General Provisions), Section 9.i, states that where a customer becomes delinquent "such service may be discontinued by the Company under the applicable rules of the Montana Public Service Commission" -- MDU's Montana electric tariff sets no notice schedule of its own, so the day counts come directly from the Commission's rules

ARM 38.5.1405(2)(a) (subchapter 38.5.14, text verified on Cornell LII) requires a second written notice at least 10 days before the proposed termination date, after a first notice unanswered for 10 days

the 10 recorded here is that final pre-termination notice, not a sum

A 5-BUSINESS-day notice (not 5 calendar days) applies only for an NSF check after first notice or a broken payment agreement, ARM 38.5.1405(2)(b)

landlord accounts get a 30-day first notice and affected tenants a separate notice no later than 15 days before termination, ARM 38.5.1405(2)(c)-(d)

ARM 38.5.1412 confines terminations to 8 a.m.-noon on a day service can be reconnected, and ARM 38.5.1413 bars actual termination until one day after personal or telephone notice, or one business day after posted notice

ARM 38.5.1411 (amended eff

MDU's Electric Rate 110 (Electric Service Rules and Regulations), Section 110.4(d), separately requires payment of an "applicable reconnection fee" on restoration after disconnection for unauthorized use, but states no dollar amount there

the nonpayment figure is the $20.00 in Rate 100 Section 9.ii

MDU is investor-owned and therefore within PSC jurisdiction

Montana's municipal and cooperative electric providers are not bound by this subchapter

Reconnection fee:$20.00 to restore electric service disconnected for nonpayment (MDU Montana Electric Rate Schedule, Rate 100 General Provisions, Section 9.ii, Docket No. 2022.11.099, Order No. 7876f, effective with service rendered on and after October 1, 2023). A separate $20.00 non-demand / $40.00 demand charge under Section 8 applies only to seasonal customers who themselves discontinued service within the preceding 12 months, and is not a nonpayment reconnection fee.

Assistance Programs

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), administered by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services through county Human Resource Development Councils; Energy Share of Montana; 211 for referrals. MDU's own site provides an Assistance Programs page for customers seeking bill-payment help.

"Mont. Admin. R. 38.5.1405, Notice Prior to and at the Time of Termination (Montana Administrative Code via Cornell LII); reconnection fee from MDU Montana Electric Rate 100, General Provisions Sec. 9.ii (Docket 2022.11.099, Order 7876f)." law.cornell.edu. Retrieved 22 Sep 2026.

Gas Shutoff Rules

Regulatory notice required10 days

Reconnection feeVaries by utility

Major Utilities

NorthWestern Ener…Montana-Dakota Ut…

NorthWestern Energy (NorthWestern Corporation)

Natural gas across NorthWestern's Montana territory; NorthWestern's own site describes serving "gas and electric to customers in the western two-thirds of Montana and eastern South Dakota." Two separate Commission-approved Montana gas tariffs apply: the main NorthWestern natural gas tariff, and a distinct Great Falls Natural Gas Tariff covering the Great Falls, Cut Bank, West Yellowstone and Hardy Creek systems acquired from Energy West Montana (Docket No. 2024.08.088, Final Order No. 7981d, order served May 20, 2025, staff approved June 30, 2025). Investor-owned, regulated by the Montana Public Service Commission.

10-day notice

Caution on one tariff provision: gas Rule 13-11 still describes a 30-day medical certificate renewable monthly, language predating the Commission's 2010 amendment of the parallel state rule

the current controlling standard is ARM 38.5.1411 (AMD 2010 MAR p

3/26/10), a 180-day certificate renewable semiannually with a $500 arrearage threshold

The Montana Administrative Code subchapter on termination, ARM Title 38, chapter 5, subchapter 14, is titled "Termination of Gas and Electric Service" and applies to gas by its own terms -- ARM 38.5.1401 defines "customer" as a purchaser of gas or electric service -- so the gas day counts are the same rule text as the electric ones, not an electric figure copied across

ARM 38.5.1405(2)(a) (verified on Cornell LII) requires a second written notice at least 10 days before the proposed termination date, after a first notice unanswered for 10 days

the 10 recorded here is that final pre-termination notice, not a sum of the two periods

NorthWestern's own Commission-approved Montana Natural Gas Tariff Rule No

13 independently restates this at 13-5.B.1, sets a 5-BUSINESS-day notice (not 5 calendar days) at 13-5.B.2 for an NSF check after first notice or a breached payment agreement, a 30-day landlord first notice at 13-5.B.3 and a tenant notice no later than 15 days before termination at 13-5.B.4

Rule 13-10 bars November 1 to April 1 nonpayment terminations without Commission approval, 13-12 confines terminations to 8 a.m.-noon on a day service can be reconnected, and 13-13.A bars actual termination until two business days after personal, telephone or posted notice (more protective than the ARM 38.5.1413 floor of one day / one business day)

That gas Rule 13 is cited as corroboration rather than as source_url because it does not govern the former Energy West systems: the separate Great Falls Natural Gas Tariff contains no termination-of-service rule at all (its Rule 13 is "Location of Meters"), so Great Falls, Cut Bank and West Yellowstone customers are governed directly by the ARM subchapter, which the Cornell LII citation covers for the whole territory

754, eff

Reconnection fee is null, not zero: neither the main gas Rule 13 nor the Great Falls Natural Gas Tariff states a dollar figure

Rule 13-5.C and 13-6.E refer only to "any reconnection charge specified in the Utility's filed tariffs" and "the amount of the reconnection fee, if any."

Assistance Programs

"Mont. Admin. R. 38.5.1405, Notice Prior to and at the Time of Termination (Montana Administrative Code via Cornell LII); corroborated by NorthWestern Energy Montana Natural Gas Tariff Rule No. 13, Termination of Service." law.cornell.edu. Retrieved 22 Sep 2026.

Montana-Dakota Utilities Co.

Two regions, per MDU's own Montana Natural Gas Service "Communities Served" sheet (Volume No. 7, Original Sheet No. 2): the Rocky Mountain Region, with Billings as region office, plus Laurel, Hardin, Bridger, Joliet, Belfry, Crow Agency, Edgar, Fromberg, Park City, Pryor, Rockvale and Silesia; and the eastern Badlands Region, including Glendive, Miles City, Sidney, Wolf Point, Baker, Forsyth, Glasgow, Malta, Poplar, Terry and Wibaux. This gas footprint is larger than MDU's electric-only Badlands territory. Investor-owned, regulated by the Montana Public Service Commission.

10-day notice

3/26/10) gives a 180-day medical certificate, renewable semiannually, with a $500 arrearage threshold

Note that Rate 100 Section 21 sets a separate reconnection charge for seasonal or temporary customers who themselves discontinued service within the preceding 12 months

MDU's own Montana Natural Gas Rate 100 (Conditions of Service), Section 22, "Discontinuance of Service for Nonpayment of Bills," states that delinquent service "may be discontinued by the Company under the applicable rules of the Commission" and sets the restoration fee by reference to Section VI.1.c

it sets no notice schedule of its own, so the day counts come directly from the Commission's rules

ARM Title 38, chapter 5, subchapter 14 is titled "Termination of Gas and Electric Service" and reaches gas by its own terms -- ARM 38.5.1401 defines "customer" as a purchaser of gas or electric service -- so this is the gas rule, not an electric figure copied across

ARM 38.5.1405(2)(a) (verified on Cornell LII) requires a second written notice at least 10 days before the proposed termination date, after a first notice unanswered for 10 days

the 10 recorded here is that final pre-termination notice, not a sum

A 5-BUSINESS-day notice (not 5 calendar days) applies only for an NSF check after first notice or a broken payment agreement, ARM 38.5.1405(2)(b)

landlord accounts get a 30-day first notice and affected tenants a separate notice no later than 15 days before termination, ARM 38.5.1405(2)(c)-(d)

ARM 38.5.1412 confines terminations to 8 a.m.-noon on a day service can be reconnected

ARM 38.5.1413 bars actual termination until one day after personal or telephone notice or one business day after posted notice

ARM 38.5.1411 (amended eff

that is not the nonpayment fee and is not the figure recorded here

Reconnection fee:$30.00 minimum reconnect charge after termination for nonpayment or other causes, during normal business hours, reduced to $12.00 for customers who qualified for LIEAP in the current program year; after normal business hours the charge is at standard overtime rates (MDU Montana Natural Gas Service, Rate 100 Conditions of Service, Section VI.1.c, read with Section V.22; Docket No. 2024.05.061, for service rendered on and after November 1, 2025).

Assistance Programs

Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP/LIHEAP), administered by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services through county Human Resource Development Councils; MDU's own gas tariff reduces the nonpayment reconnect charge from $30.00 to $12.00 for customers who qualified for LIEAP in the current program year. Energy Share of Montana; 211 for referrals.

"Mont. Admin. R. 38.5.1405, Notice Prior to and at the Time of Termination (Montana Administrative Code via Cornell LII); reconnection fee from MDU Montana Natural Gas Rate 100, Conditions of Service Sec. VI.1.c (Docket 2024.05.061)." law.cornell.edu. Retrieved 22 Sep 2026.

Water Shutoff Rules

Regulatory notice requiredNot regulated / varies

Medical & Vulnerable Household Exemptions

Handicapped household members are explicitly protected under the winter moratorium criteria. General medical certification can also postpone disconnection.

Low-Income Protections

LIHEAP available through Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. Montana PSC winter moratorium has income and public assistance criteria that broadly cover low-income households.

Your State Regulator

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

Data last verified: 2026-09-22. Rules may change — verify with your state regulator.