Know before you go
- Utilities must give at least 10 days’ written notice before a shutoff for nonpayment.
- Eligible households are protected from shutoffs from November 15 through March 15.
- Protection pauses shutoffs but does not erase the balance owed.
A shutoff notice is frightening, but in New Jersey it is rarely the last word. The Board of Public Utilities sets rules on when and how regulated utilities can disconnect a home, a winter program protects many households from November to March, and several assistance programs help pay down overdue balances. Most of these protections only kick in when the customer contacts the utility.
Rules every residential customer has
The Board’s Utility Customer Bill of Rights, in effect since March 16, 2023, lists protections that apply to residential electric, gas, water and wastewater customers of regulated utilities:
- At least 10 days’ written notice before service is turned off for nonpayment.
- Shutoffs only between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday, except in a safety emergency.
- No shutoffs on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday, a state holiday or the day before one, or when a valid medical emergency exists in the household.
- The right to a budget billing plan and to at least one deferred payment plan a year for an overdue bill.
- The right to dispute a charge; service may not be shut off while the utility investigates, as long as the undisputed amount is paid.
- A free meter test once every 12 months if you think the meter is wrong.
- No late payment charges on residential bills.
The Winter Termination Program
From November 15 through March 15, eligible households are protected from having their utilities shut off. The program began for electric and gas service, and in 2021 it was expanded to cover water and sewer service as well.
Who qualifies
A household qualifies if it receives help from one of these programs:
- Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
- Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
- Supplemental Security Income
- Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled
- General Assistance
- Universal Service Fund
- Lifeline Credit Program
A household also qualifies if it cannot pay because of circumstances beyond its control. The state’s examples include unemployment, illness, medical expenses and the recent death of an immediate family member, along with any other circumstance causing financial hardship.
How to get the protection
Protection is not automatic. Contact your utility and tell it you are eligible, either by phone or by submitting the state’s self-certification form; the form is optional. The utility may ask for proof of enrollment in a qualifying program.
Tip: Keep paying what you can through the winter. The program stops shutoffs, but the balance keeps growing, and protection ends on March 15. Smaller good-faith payments now make the spring much easier.
When you rent and the landlord pays the utilities
State rules prohibit utilities from shutting off service in a tenant-occupied building because the owner failed to pay until tenants have been notified and given a chance to arrange future payments. In a multi-family building, the utility must post notice of a planned shutoff in a common area or send it to each occupant.
Tenants also have a protection in eviction law. If a landlord responsible for utilities stops paying and service is threatened, a tenant who uses part of the rent to keep electric, gas, water or sewer service on cannot be evicted for that unpaid portion; the money is treated as rent paid. See Repairs in a New Jersey Rental: The Warranty of Habitability, Heat Rules and What a Tenant Can Do for the broader repair rules.
If your bill includes someone else’s usage
If your bill looks unexplainably high, you can ask the utility for a diversion of service investigation at no cost. If it shows you are paying for service used elsewhere, the landlord is contacted to correct it. If a landlord does not fix a wrongful diversion within 30 days of notice, a tenant may go to court.
Help paying an overdue bill
| Program | What it offers | How to apply |
|---|---|---|
| LIHEAP | Heating assistance grants for households at or below 60 percent of state median income | DCAid portal or 1-800-510-3102 |
| Universal Service Fund | Monthly credits of $20 to $200 on electric and gas bills, same income limit | Same application as LIHEAP |
| SHARES | Energy and water assistance for low- and moderate-income customers with overdue balances | Statewide nonprofit, 866-657-4273 |
The Board notes that LIHEAP applications open October 1 and run until June 30 or until funds run out, while USF is available year-round. Calling 2-1-1 is another way to find utility assistance.
When the utility will not help
Start with the utility’s customer service line. If the problem is not resolved, the Board of Public Utilities Division of Customer Assistance takes complaints at 1-800-624-0241. Under the Board’s rules, service may not be terminated for nonpayment of disputed charges while the Board investigates.
Utility debt can also end up with a collection agency. If that happens, the rules in Dealing With Debt Collectors in New Jersey: Calls, Validation Notices, Disputes and What Collectors Cannot Do apply.