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Delinquency and service protection

Understand the shut-off process before it reaches your door

The safest time to ask about a past-due balance, payment arrangement, or hardship protection is before the final notice. This page translates the provider’s published rules into a practical checklist.

Notice and timing

How delinquency is handled

Grace period after the due date

The City’s discontinuation policy says a bill becomes delinquent 15 days after the bill date. The $5 late fee is assessed when the account remains unpaid 35 days after the bill date, after the initial Late Payment Notice. The printed due date controls, and mailed postmarks do not count as payment receipt.

Late-fee calculation

If a balance remains unpaid 35 days after the bill date, the City assesses a $5 late fee and sends a Late Payment Notice; the discontinuation policy states that no interest is charged. Additional field, notice, or restoration charges can apply if the account proceeds into delinquency service actions. Customers who cannot pay should contact Revenue at (510) 583-4600 or HSS@hayward-ca.gov to establish an arrangement, which generally requires repayment within 12 months unless hardship supports a longer schedule.

Disconnection timeline

The published progression is: bill date and printed due date; 15 days after the bill date the bill is delinquent; 35 days after the bill date a $5 late fee and Late Payment Notice are issued, requesting payment within 21 days; 21 days after that Late Payment Notice, the City attempts a telephone call or hand-delivers a Final Notice requiring payment within seven days; if still unpaid, service may be discontinued. If a payment plan is in place, failure to pay current charges or a balance that remains 60 days delinquent can lead to termination no sooner than five business days after a final notice is posted. A landlord-account protection and special seven-day tenant notice apply in specified rental situations.

Statutory warning protocol

What notice should you expect?

Hayward uses the bill, Late Payment Notice, attempted phone call or hand-delivered Final Notice, and a final notice posted at the property before discontinuation. The Final Notice gives seven days to pay or arrange an alternative schedule. Notices and the policy are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Korean. Customers may request a payment arrangement or alternative schedule; medical or financial hardship protections require medical certification where applicable, proof of financial inability such as income below 200% of the federal poverty level or qualifying benefits, and willingness to maintain a plan. For a single-family rental with a landlord account, the tenant receives written notice at least seven days before service is stopped; multifamily landlord accounts are subject to separate protections.

If a notice seems wrong

Document the account balance, payment confirmation, notice date, and any household medical or accessibility concern. Then call the provider using the contact information on its official bill or profile before the stated deadline.

Restoring service

Reconnection costs and timing

The current customer-service page lists a $255 reactivation fee after a nonpayment shutoff. A same-day reactivation request after a shutoff is listed at $142, in addition to any required deposit; the City’s current fee schedule also lists a service-restoration/unlock charge and separate meter-lock or removal charges depending on what field work occurred. The published page does not state a separate after-hours reconnection amount or promise overnight restoration, so customers should confirm the applicable field fee and service window with Revenue before paying. Same-day start-of-service activation, before a delinquency shutoff, is an additional $108.

Need a payment arrangement?

Ask before the shut-off date

Tell the customer-service representative that you are responding to a delinquency notice and ask specifically about installment plans, hardship protection, charity referrals, and the amount required to stop the disconnection order.

Customer protection guide

What to do when a bill becomes urgent

A delinquency notice from City of Hayward Water System – Revenue Division / Public Works and Utilities Department should be treated as a time-sensitive account document. Read the exact due date, amount required, notice method, and contact instructions on the notice, then compare them with the provider details in this guide.

If you have already paid, gather the confirmation number and posting date. If you cannot pay the full amount, call before the stated shut-off date and ask about arrangements, hardship protections, agency referrals, and the minimum amount needed to pause action.

Keep the conversation specific: ask what will stop the order, when the payment must post, whether a reconnection fee applies, and whether the utility requires a separate request for medical, accessibility, or household-protection status.

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