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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

Bills become delinquent on the 12th day from the mailing date under McAllen Code §106-221. Bills unpaid on or before the 20th day from the billing date are assessed the late fee; the code therefore provides an approximately eight-day interval between delinquency and the late-fee trigger, subject to the statement's actual dates.

Late-fee calculation

A late fee equal to 5% of the past-due balance is assessed on bills not paid on or before the 20th day from the billing date. The code states that the 5% fee is charged monthly to each delinquent account. A returned check or ACH draft adds a $25 returned-payment fee. MPU also lists a $20 fee for a requested payment extension and a $100 additional fee where an unauthorized reconnect is evidenced by a broken meter lock.

Disconnection timeline

Under McAllen Code §106-221, a bill becomes delinquent on the 12th day from mailing; if it remains delinquent for 10 days, the utility manager may disconnect service. A disconnect notice must be issued before the shutoff, and the notice provides 10 calendar days from its mailing for all amounts due to be paid. The online portal warns that a payment made after service is disconnected or already scheduled for disconnection will not itself reconnect service; the customer must contact Customer Service and pay as directed.

Statutory warning protocol

What notice should you expect?

The ordinance requires a utility disconnect notice before service termination. The notice must state the reason for disconnection, say that service will be disconnected unless all amounts due are paid within the next 10 calendar days from mailing, and explain that the customer may contact the utility manager if the bill is erroneous, already paid, or otherwise not subject to discontinuance. The current public materials do not promise a separate automated-call, SMS, or door-hanger sequence.

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 City code sets a $25 reconnection fee per meter after a nonpayment disconnect, in addition to all utility charges and any required deposit, replenishment, or increase; all must be paid before reconnection. MPU's FAQ says the order is processed as soon as the total or past-due payment and required deposit are paid, with utility servicemen working 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; it does not publish a separate after-hours surcharge or guarantee an exact restoration time.

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 McAllen Public Utility (MPU) Customer Relations and Utility Billing 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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