Vermont

VTStrong

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
Vermont 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
puc.vermont.gov handles complaints against regulated utilities in Vermont. Filing one can pause a disconnection while it is looked at.

Electric Gas Water Medical Low Income Regulator

Electric Shutoff Rules

Regulatory notice required14 days

Reconnection feeVaries by utility

Winter moratorium: November 1–March 31: during winter, utilities must give 72 hours notice if served in person or 5 days if mailed before actual disconnection. Payment plans required to be offered as an alternative. Vermont PUC has broad discretionary authority to protect customers during harsh winters. Written notice must be delivered between 40 days after delinquency and no more than 20 days before the disconnection date, and no less than 14 days before.

Major Utilities

Green Mountain Po…Burlington Elec D…

Green Mountain Power

Serves roughly three-quarters of Vermont outside Burlington; it does not serve New Hampshire)

14-day notice

Winter (Nov 1-Mar 31) adds phone/personal-contact requirements and a 32°F/62-and-older protection

Vermont PUC Rule 3.300 (Sec

3.301(C), amended eff

7/21/06, still the current version per PUC's Current Rules and General Orders page) requires written disconnection notice mailed/delivered not more than 20 days nor less than 14 days before the first possible disconnection date, and only after 30+ days' delinquency

GMP's own tariff (V.P.U.C

Tariff No

10, Terms and Conditions, eff. bills rendered on/after 6/21/2025) states: "There shall be no charge for reconnection of Customer's service."

Reconnection fee:No charge, per GMP's filed tariff (V.P.U.C. No. 10, Terms and Conditions, eff. 6/21/2025)

"3300 Disconnection Of Residential Service.Pdf." puc.vermont.gov. Retrieved 22 Sep 2026.

Burlington Electric Department

Burlington, Vermont

14-day notice

Vermont statute (30 V.S.A.) gives the PUC jurisdiction over the Burlington Electric Department, so PUC Rule 3.300's 14-20 day notice window (Sec

3.301(C)) applies to BED the same as investor-owned utilities

BED's own "Miscellaneous Service Fees" schedule (effective 4/1/2026, burlingtonelectric.com/miscfees) lists a $26.00 reconnection fee (charged in place of the initial service fee when reconnection follows a service request)

larger $577-$885 fees on the same schedule are for physical single/multi-meter disconnect-and-reconnect field visits, a different charge

Reconnection fee:$26.00 standard reconnection fee, per BED Miscellaneous Service Fees schedule effective 4/1/2026

Assistance Programs

BED's Energy Assistance Program gives a 12.5% bill discount to customers at or below 185% of the federal poverty level who document eligibility via VT Seasonal Fuel Assistance, 3SquaresVT, VGS Energy Assistance, or Section 8 (burlingtonelectric.com/help/)

"Miscfees." burlingtonelectric.com. Retrieved 22 Sep 2026.

Gas Shutoff Rules

Regulatory notice required14 days

Reconnection feeVaries by utility

Major Utilities

Vermont Gas Systems (Energir)

Franklin, Chittenden and Addison counties, northwestern Vermont

14-day notice

VGS's own filed tariff (V.P.S.B

Gas Tariff, Terms and Conditions, Third Revised Sheet No. 8, issued 7/6/2004, eff. service rendered on/after 8/1/2004) states: "The earliest disconnection date stated in the disconnect notice shall be at least fourteen (14) days and not more than twenty (20) days subsequent to the date of mailing." The same tariff's restoration-of-service provision (Third Revised Sheet No

12, Section 25(E), same issue/effective dates) sets a $45.00 reconnection charge for restoration between 8am-4pm Mon-Fri (excl. holidays) after a nonpayment disconnection, and $55.00 for restoration outside those hours

Reconnection fee:$45.00 during business hours (8am-4pm Mon-Fri); $55.00 outside those hours, per VGS tariff (Third Revised Sheet No. 12, Section 25(E))

Assistance Programs

VGS Low Income Assistance Program: 20% discount on gas bills for customers under 185% of the federal poverty level, eligibility determined by VT Dept. for Children and Families (vgsvt.com/savings/assistance-programs/)

"General Terms Conditions Pages 2 To 14.Pdf." vgsvt.com. Retrieved 22 Sep 2026.

Water Shutoff Rules

Regulatory notice required14 days

Medical & Vulnerable Household Exemptions

Medical emergency postpones disconnection. Utilities must delay service termination when a member of the household has a condition that shutoff would make worse.

Low-Income Protections

LIHEAP / LEAP (Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program) available through Vermont AHS. Green Mountain Power and Vermont Gas offer low-income discount programs. Vermont's small regulated utility market means strong PUC oversight of all disconnection practices.

Your State Regulator

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

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