Independent U.S. water utility directory · 2026 edition
Water LedgerU.S. utility directorySearch directory
← Back to utility profile

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 bill's due date controls; SWBNO adds a 10% late fee to unpaid water and sewer balances remaining after the due date and 15% to unpaid sanitation charges. For disconnection, the FAQ states that service is interrupted only when a bill remains unpaid for more than 60 days, subject to payment-plan, dispute, estimation, and assistance protections.

Late-fee calculation

SWBNO's current bill explanation applies a 10% late fee to the unpaid water and sewer balance after the due date and a 15% fee to unpaid sanitation charges. Customers can dispute water, sewer, and sanitation charges through SWBNO or the third-party Hammerman & Gainer International process; a PromisePay plan can prevent late fees and possible shutoff when the customer stays current on both the plan and current SWBNO bills.

Disconnection timeline

SWBNO describes service interruption as a last resort and says water is interrupted only when a bill remains unpaid for more than 60 days. A customer receiving a shutoff letter can avoid interruption by paying in full, entering a payment plan, disputing an eligible bill, or qualifying for the relevant assistance process. If payment is made by 2:30 p.m., SWBNO sends a representative to restore service the same day; payment after 2:30 p.m. is restored the next business day, and an adult over 18 must be present for reconnection. A current Customer Care policy has also offered a one-time waiver of the $75 disconnection fee when a customer enters a payment arrangement within 10 days of disconnection.

Statutory warning protocol

What notice should you expect?

SWBNO uses mailed shutoff letters and bill notices, and customers can contact Customer Service to establish payment plans. Current Customer Care policy exempts customers who call to enter a payment plan, whose latest bill was estimated or over 33 days, whose bill dispute is pending, or who remain current on a prior plan; customers expected to qualify for LIHWAP are also exempt from the shutoff process. PromisePay sends text reminders and notifications and can manage allowable extensions and due-date changes.

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 SWBNO Customer Care policy references a $75 disconnection fee and provides a one-time waiver if the customer enters a payment plan within 10 days after disconnection. The FAQ states that payment by 2:30 p.m. results in same-day restoration, while later payment is restored the next business day; it does not publish a separate after-hours reconnection amount. An adult over 18 must be present when the service representative arrives.

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 Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO) 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.

Open payment methods →Review leak relief →