Independent U.S. water utility directory · 2026 edition
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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 bill is due on the date printed on the statement. If payment is not received by 5:00 p.m. on that due date, the first delinquent fee is assessed; the City does not publish an additional grace period after 5:00 p.m.

Late-fee calculation

If payment is not received by 5:00 p.m. on the due date, a $5.00 first delinquent/late fee is charged. A second delinquent fee of $20.00 applies for the next month late. The FY2025-26 schedule also allows utility customers to roll over $30.00 of the total utility bill to avoid delinquent fees, subject to the City’s account rules.

Disconnection timeline

The City code requires the first unpaid bill to be followed by a second bill containing a cutoff notice. The notice states that service will be discontinued if the balance is not paid within 10 days of mailing the second bill. The code also provides a meaningful opportunity to dispute the bill and request a hearing before termination; exact calendar dates depend on the billing and mailing cycle.

Statutory warning protocol

What notice should you expect?

The published code protocol is a second mailed bill with a clearly visible cutoff notice and a 10-day payment period. The City’s online payment page also warns customers who are scheduled for disconnection to contact the Water Department at 254-953-5630 after processing payment so the account can be reinstated. No separate door hanger, pink mailer, automated call sequence, or pay-by-text warning was found.

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 FY2025-26 fee schedule lists a $25.00 reconnect fee when a delinquent payment is made and service is reinstated. It separately lists customer-requested water/sewer service requests at $15.00 during working hours and $50.00 during non-duty hours, plus a $25.00 second-trip fee; an after-hours new-service connection from 5:00–8:00 p.m. is also $50.00. These are distinct from the $25.00 delinquency reconnect charge.

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 Harker Heights Water and Utility Services / Utility Administration 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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