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

A bill paid more than 10 days after the due date is subject to disconnection without further notice. The schedule does not state a separate courtesy grace period beyond those 10 days.

Late-fee calculation

The 2026 schedule says the net bill applies by the due date and the gross bill, 10% higher, applies later. A $30 service charge applies to returned checks or e-checks because of insufficient funds, closed accounts, stop payments, or incorrect banking information.

Disconnection timeline

The published calendar is due date on the bill, then ten days after the due date without payment, after which service is subject to disconnection without further notice. Restoration requires the total past-due bill plus the $30 service charge; a turn-on after 4:00 p.m. adds another $50.

Statutory warning protocol

What notice should you expect?

The 2026 rate schedule expressly states that service may be disconnected if payment is not made within ten days of the due date without further notice. First Utility also uses email for planned-outage and emergency notifications when customers add or maintain an email address in the portal; no separate door-hanger or text sequence is published.

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

Before service is restored, the customer must pay the total past-due bill and a $30 service charge. If the turn-on is made after 4:00 p.m., an additional $50 fee applies, making the stated restoration surcharge $80 before the past-due balance; the public schedule does not describe a separate weekend rate.

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 FIRST U.D. OF KNOX COUNTY 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 →