Got a water shutoff notice? What to do before the date

Call before the date and ask for specific options

Use the phone number on the notice. Ask for each of these by name:

• A payment arrangement or alternative payment schedule
• A bill review or appeal, if you think the amount is wrong
• Any hardship protection or assistance program you might qualify for
• The amount and date that keep service on, and the agreement in writing

Utilities publish options like these. Philadelphia Water says a payment agreement can help you avoid a lien and make monthly payments more manageable (call (215) 685-6300). It also has shutoff protections for seniors 65 or older, people with a disability or serious illness, and households with a child under 18.

SourcePhiladelphia Water Department: We Care · accessed Oct 10, 2026

In California, know the Water Shutoff Protection Act

California’s Act began with SB 998 in 2018. SB 3 (2023) extended it to all community water systems: systems with at least 15 service connections or at least 25 year-long residents.

SourceCalifornia State Water Resources Control Board: Water Shutoff Protection Act · accessed Oct 10, 2026

The Attorney General’s legal alert explains the main rules:

• No shutoff until a payment has been delinquent at least 60 days.
• Notice to the person on the bill at least 7 business days before a possible shutoff.
• A written policy that includes deferred or reduced payments and alternative payment schedules for any customer, a formal way to contest or appeal a bill, and a phone number to discuss options.
• Since January 1, 2024, alternative payment plans must be offered to all customers who can’t pay, not only those who meet medical and financial criteria. Smaller systems newly covered by SB 3 had to comply from August 1, 2024.
• For residents with income below 200% of the federal poverty level, reconnection fees are limited, and interest on delinquent bills is waived once every 12 months.

SourceCalifornia Attorney General: Water Shutoff Protection Act legal alert · accessed Oct 10, 2026

If the bill itself is wrong, ask for a review in writing

A dispute is different from not being able to pay. In California the notice itself must describe how to petition for bill review and appeal, and how to ask for an extension or a different payment schedule. Make the request in writing, before the date on the notice, and keep a copy.

SourceCalifornia Attorney General: Water Shutoff Protection Act legal alert · accessed Oct 10, 2026

Attach what shows the error: meter-read photos, your usage history, and the bill. If a leak caused the spike, say so and ask about a leak adjustment.

Renters: if the landlord is the one who didn’t pay

California’s notice rules reach tenants too. If the customer’s address isn’t the service address, notice must also be mailed to the property, addressed to “Occupant.” If the system can’t reach anyone by phone and mail comes back, it must make a good-faith effort to post the notice at the home.

SourceCalifornia Attorney General: Water Shutoff Protection Act legal alert · accessed Oct 10, 2026

Call the utility as the tenant at the service address and ask what it offers tenants. Check your lease for who pays water, and contact local tenant help.

Report a shutoff that breaks the rules

In California, the State Water Resources Control Board takes complaints about shutoffs for nonpayment through its online Water Shutoff Form. For other violations outside the Act, it points to the Department of Justice consumer complaint form. If service is shut off for nonpayment, the system must tell you how to restore it.

SourcesState Water Board · California AG legal alert · accessed Oct 10, 2026

Ask about longer-term help

If the bill is unaffordable month after month, ask about income-based programs. In Philadelphia’s Tiered Assistance Program, enrolled customers are protected from penalties and shutoffs, and 24 full payments clear eligible pre-enrollment debt.

SourcePhiladelphia Water Revenue Bureau: Tiered Assistance Program · accessed Oct 10, 2026

Educational information, not legal advice. Your utility’s and state’s written rules control.