Washington

WAStrong

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
Washington 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
utc.wa.gov handles complaints against regulated utilities in Washington. Filing one can pause a disconnection while it is looked at.

Electric Gas Water Medical Low Income Regulator

Electric Shutoff Rules

Regulatory notice required8 days

Reconnection feeVaries by utility

Winter moratorium: November 15–March 15: utilities providing electricity or natural gas for home heating cannot discontinue service to low-income households for nonpayment, provided the customer complies with the provisions of the act. Effective July 23, 2023: electric and water utilities cannot disconnect residential electric or water service during heat-related events. Notice: 8 business days (WAC 480-100-128); 11 days if notice mailed from outside WA/OR/ID. A second electronic notice required at least 2 business days before disconnection.

Major Utilities

Puget Sound Energ…Pacific Power (Pa…Seattle City Ligh…

Puget Sound Energy (PSE) — Electric

Puget Sound region, portions of western and central Washington; largest investor-owned electric utility in the state

8-day notice

A medical certificate gives a 5-business-day grace period

WAC 480-100-128 requires two written disconnection notices: the first delivered or mailed at least 8 business days before the disconnection date (11 days if mailed from outside WA, OR, or ID), the second at least 2 business days before

No disconnection on Saturdays, Sundays, legal holidays, or a day service cannot be restored the same or next day

the customer must pay 10% of the delinquent balance and agree to pay the rest within 120 days

PSE's own assistance-programs page (which still backs the Bill Discount Rate, PSE HELP grant, and Past Due Bill Forgiveness figures below) does not state a notice-day count or a reconnection fee, so reconnection_fee is left null rather than repeating the previously stated, unconfirmed 'approximately $74.'

Assistance Programs

Bill Discount Rate (6 tiers based on income/household size/county; 13-month enrollment); PSE HELP grant program (once per program year, no repayment required; auto-applied with Bill Discount Rate application); Past Due Bill Forgiveness (up to $2,500 forgiven over 12 on-time payments; requires concurrent HELP and Bill Discount Rate enrollment); LIHEAP (up to ~$1,000 through county agencies); Salvation Army Warm Home Fund (emergency assistance); Income-Eligible Community Solar; Home Weatherization Assistance; Payment arrangements (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly).

"Wash. Admin. Code § 480-100-128 - Discontinuation of service." law.cornell.edu. Retrieved 21 Sep 2026.

Pacific Power (PacifiCorp WA) — Electric

Eastern Washington, including Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield, Yakima, and adjacent counties

8-day notice

Rules 11A (discontinuance for nonpayment), 11B (medical emergency), 11C (other causes), 11D (collection charges), 11E (reconnection)

Medical certificate: 5-business-day grace period

Winter low-income program (Nov 15–Mar 15): income-qualified customers protected

Inclement weather moratorium required per tariff

Governed by WAC 480-100-128 and Pacific Power Washington tariff (WN U-76)

Two written notices required: first at least 8 business days before disconnect

second at least 2 business days before

No disconnection on Saturdays, Sundays, legal holidays, or days when service cannot be restored same/next day

reconnection charges/deposits waived upfront (billed on next statement)

WAC 480-100-143 applies

Reconnection fee:Per tariff Schedule 300 / Rule 11E (WN U-76); specific dollar amount not extractable from PDFs via automated fetch. WAC 480-100-128 governs notice and reconnection process; utility must restore service within 24 hours of payment or within 4 hours for remote disconnections.

Assistance Programs

Low Income Bill Assistance (LIBA / Schedule 17): 6 qualifying tiers, income up to 80% AMI or 200% FPL; available Nov–Apr; administered through community action agencies (Blue Mountain Action Council for Columbia/Garfield/Walla Walla counties; NWCA/OICW for Yakima County). LIHEAP: grants up to $1,000 for past-due balances or reconnection, income up to 150% FPL. Hardship grants through local agency partners.

"Wash. Admin. Code Section 480-100-128, Disconnection of Service (electric companies), via Cornell LII." law.cornell.edu. Retrieved 21 Sep 2026.

Seattle City Light — Electric

City of Seattle and portions of surrounding communities (municipal utility; not regulated by WUTC for rates)

Extreme heat protection: if the National Weather Service issues a heat alert, disconnected residential customers may request reconnection during the alert

Seattle City Light is a municipal utility not subject to WUTC rate regulation

disconnection policy is set by city ordinance (Seattle Municipal Code 21.49.090.15: service "may be disconnected following reasonable and appropriate notice," with no day count fixed in the ordinance itself) and by City Light's own Credit & Collection Director's Policy and Procedure, which sets the specific figure but is only available from this pipeline as an encrypted PDF (clerk.seattle.gov/~CFS/CF_322497.pdf) that fetches but will not parse

City Light's own customer-facing pages (Disconnection Resources, Billing and Account FAQs) confirm two notices are sent before shutoff for delinquency — an Urgent Notice, then a Final Shutoff Notice with no further communication before disconnection — but neither page states how many days before disconnection either notice goes out. notice_days is null rather than repeating the previously stated 10, which this pass could not confirm from any source it could actually read (a search engine's synthesis of the encrypted DPP suggests a ten-day figure, but that is not primary text this pipeline verified itself)

The utility states a disconnection fee applies, but no reachable Seattle City Light page states the dollar amount, so reconnection_fee stays null

Short-term payment plans allow up to 60 days to repay with a 25% down payment at setup

Assistance Programs

Emergency Bill Assistance: up to $710/year; $1,420/year for households with children under 18. Project Share: $250 bill credit for income-qualified customers. Utility Discount Program (UDP): 60% discount on electricity bills for income-eligible low-income customers.

"Disconnection Resources — City Light | seattle.gov." seattle.gov. Retrieved 21 Sep 2026.

Gas Shutoff Rules

Regulatory notice required8 days

Reconnection feeVaries by utility

Major Utilities

Puget Sound Energ…Cascade Natural G…Avista Utilities …

Puget Sound Energy (PSE) — Gas

Puget Sound region, portions of western and central Washington; largest investor-owned gas utility in the state

8-day notice

A medical certificate gives a 5-business-day grace period, with same-day reinstatement if requested before close of business and next-day reinstatement by noon otherwise

WAC 480-90-128 requires two written disconnection notices: the first delivered or mailed at least 8 business days before the disconnection date (11 days if mailed from outside WA, OR, or ID), the second at least 2 business days before

No disconnection on Saturdays, Sundays, legal holidays, or a day service cannot be restored the same or next day

the customer must pay 10% of the delinquent balance and agree to pay the rest within 120 days

PSE's own assistance-programs page backs the Bill Discount Rate, PSE HELP grant, and Past Due Bill Forgiveness figures below, but does not state a notice-day count

Reconnection fee:Varies per tariff; disconnection visit charge assessed for collection visits. Reconnection charges/deposits waived upfront for medical emergencies (billed on next statement).

Assistance Programs

Bill Discount Rate (6 tiers based on income/household size/county; 13-month enrollment); PSE HELP grant program (once per program year, no repayment required); Past Due Bill Forgiveness (up to $2,500); LIHEAP (through county agencies); Salvation Army Warm Home Fund; Home Weatherization Assistance; Payment arrangements (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly).

"Wash. Admin. Code § 480-90-128 - Discontinuation of service." law.cornell.edu. Retrieved 21 Sep 2026.

Cascade Natural Gas (MDU Resources) — Gas

Eastern and central Washington, including Yakima Valley, Wenatchee, Bellingham, and surrounding communities

8-day notice

The same page states, verbatim: "Energy Discount Program customers and customers with medical certificates do not need to pay more than $200 to reconnect service after a disconnection for non-payment" — this $200 cap figure is confirmed on Cascade's own page but is kept out of the reconnection_fee field itself because the row's formal source_url is the WAC regulation text (needed to confirm the 8-day notice figure), which is a general rule and does not carry company-specific dollar amounts

Winter low-income payment program (Nov 15 to Mar 15): income-qualified customers may limit monthly payment to 7% of monthly income plus 1/12 of the past-due balance

Governed by WAC 480-90-128(4)(a)(i), cited above, which requires the first written disconnection notice to be mailed or delivered at least eight business days before the disconnection date, plus a second notice at least 2 business days before disconnection

Cascade's own customer protections page (https://www.cngc.com/customer-service/customer-protections/) states the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission has placed a temporary pause on reconnection charges after a nonpayment disconnection, superseding the previously stated tiered fees of $22 (regular hours), $44 (extended hours), and $50 (weekends/holidays), which this source no longer supports

citing the WAC page while asserting a dollar figure only the utility's own separate page states would itself be an unconfirmable citation pairing

Reconnection fee:Currently waived under a WUTC-ordered pause on reconnection charges for nonpayment disconnections for most residential customers; a separate cap applies to Energy Discount Program and medical-certificate customers (see notes)

Assistance Programs

Energy Discount Program: income-based monthly bill discount; administered via online application at customer.cngc.com or through local Community Action Agencies; reduces or eliminates regular-hours reconnection fees. LIHEAP (through local agencies). Community Action Agency referrals.

"Wash. Admin. Code Section 480-90-128, Disconnection of Service (gas companies)." law.cornell.edu. Retrieved 21 Sep 2026.

Avista Utilities — Gas Washington

Eastern Washington, primarily Spokane and surrounding region; also serves electric customers in same area

8-day notice

A medical certificate gives a 5-business-day grace period, with same-day reinstatement if requested before close of business and restoration by noon the next business day otherwise, and no reconnection charge or deposit is required upfront

Avista's Washington gas tariff (Schedule 170) requires the first disconnection notice at least 8 business days before the disconnection date, delivered or mailed to the service address, and a second notice at least 2 business days before

The same tariff sets the reconnection charge at $16 when payment arrangements are made during regular business hours and $32 for after-hours reconnections

if electric service at the same premise is also disconnected, add $4 per additional service reconnected

The previously stated $8 disconnection-visit fee does not appear in this tariff and has been dropped rather than repeated unconfirmed

Reconnection fee:$16.00 (regular business hours); $32.00 (after hours)

Assistance Programs

Bill Discount Program: income and household-size based monthly discount; approximately 1 in 3 WA Avista customers qualify; 2-year enrollment. Project Share: community donation-based emergency grants for energy costs (open to non-Avista customers too). LIHEAP: assessed via eligibility tool on Avista website. Comfort Level Billing: budget billing to even out payments. Payment plans available online.

"Avista Utilities Washington Natural Gas Tariff, Schedule 170 - Rules and Regulations." myavista.com. Retrieved 21 Sep 2026.

Water Shutoff Rules

Regulatory notice requiredNot regulated / varies

Major Utilities

Seattle Public Ut…Tacoma Water — Wa…

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) — Water

City of Seattle and wholesale customers in King County (municipal utility; not regulated by WUTC for rates)

Extreme heat protection: if NWS issues heat-related alert for the area, disconnected residential customers may request water service reconnection

Seattle Public Utilities is a municipal utility not subject to WUTC rate regulation

disconnection policies set by city ordinance and SPU policy

Two notices before shutoff: Urgent Notice and Final Shutoff Notice (no further communication after Final notice)

PromisePay plan: income-eligible customers with past-due balance over $100 may enroll in interest-free flexible payment plan

enrollment protects against disconnection while current on plan payments and current bills

Short-term payment plans: up to 60 days, 25% down payment

Long-term payment plans available for all customers regardless of income or immigration status

Specific day-of-week restrictions not documented in reviewed sources

WAC 480-110 governs investor-owned water companies but not SPU as a municipal utility

Reconnection fee:Fee applies upon reconnection (exact amount not specified in primary consumer-facing documents; search results indicate a reconnection fee exists but dollar amount not confirmed from primary source)

Assistance Programs

Emergency Bill Assistance: up to $1,000 annually for customers with urgent/shutoff notice or $250+ past-due balance who meet income eligibility. Utility Discount Program (UDP): income-based discount. PromisePay: interest-free flexible payment plans for past-due balances over $100.

"Water Shutoff for Nonpayment — Seattle Public Utilities." seattle.gov. Retrieved 19 May 2026.

Tacoma Water — Water

City of Tacoma and surrounding Pierce County communities (municipal utility; operated by Tacoma Public Utilities)

Extreme heat protection: if the National Weather Service issues a heat alert, customers disconnected for nonpayment may request reconnection during the alert

Tacoma Water is a municipal utility not subject to WUTC rate regulation

policies are set by Tacoma Municipal Code Title 12 and TPU customer service policy

TMC 12.10.130 requires only that the City provide or attempt to provide the customer "reasonable notice" of intent to terminate water service, plus the opportunity for a hearing

the code does not itself set a specific number of days. notice_days is null rather than the 7 this row previously carried, which traced back to search results describing TPU policy, not to primary code text this pipeline could read directly

Tacoma's Start/Stop Service page lists a $12.00 reconnection fee for service restored before 3 p.m. and a $10 field collection call fee

the $307/$433/$75 pole and underground reconnection charges on the same page are specific to Tacoma Power, not water, and have been removed from this row rather than misattributed

normal reconnection fees still apply

Reconnection fee:$12.00 (before 3 p.m.); $10 field collection call fee may also apply

Assistance Programs

Bill Credit Assistance Plan (BCAP): automatic monthly credits ($8/month for water); additional credit for full, on-time payment ($5/month water); income limits apply (e.g., $4,229/month for 1-person household); SNAP recipients automatically eligible. Discount Rate Program: 35% discount on water (and other services) for low-income seniors 62+ or disability income recipients; income limits apply. LIHEAP (for energy; not directly applicable to water). Payment arrangements available at 253-502-8608.

"Start/Stop Service - Tacoma Public Utilities." mytpu.org. Retrieved 21 Sep 2026.

Medical & Vulnerable Household Exemptions

Medical conditions and emergencies protect customers from disconnection. Low-income medical assistance exemptions built into WAC 480-100-128 notice requirements.

Low-Income Protections

LIHEAP administered by Washington DCYF. Puget Sound Energy and other utilities offer low-income rate assistance programs. Washington's 2023 expansion of heat-event protections to water utilities is notable. UTC consumer protection staff intervenes in thousands of potential disconnections annually.

Your State Regulator

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

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