Utility Shutoff Protections by State

The Protection Calendar: When Date-Window States Shield You

30 jurisdictions restrict disconnection during a fixed calendar window. Filled cells show protected months. Almost every window is conditional: it may protect only certain households, or require you to apply, certify, or enter a payment plan. Read your state's row in the full table before relying on a filled cell.

* = pay-to-keep-service right, not a disconnection ban. You can still be disconnected; you just have a capped-payment option to stop or reverse it.

Temperature-Trigger States: Protection Only When the Forecast Fires

These states protect any date on the calendar, but only when the weather crosses the line. The gap runs the other way from date windows: a 33F day in Texas triggers nothing, and there is no season a struggling household can plan around.

All 51 Jurisdictions: Cold, Heat, Medical, and Notice Rules

Every row links to its own primary source. "Unverified" means we could not source the field to a citable rule and refused to guess; it never means "no rule exists." Rows marked † carry at least one medium-confidence figure (see that row's source and the notes in the state sections).

Notice minimums are as each state's rule states them; some count business days (Colorado: 12 business days; Washington: 8 business days) and mailing rules vary. Most state rules bind commission-regulated utilities only; co-ops and municipal utilities are often exempt.

Texas: No Winter Window, a Weather Trigger That Includes Prepaid

Texas has no fixed winter dates. Disconnection for nonpayment stops during an "extreme weather emergency": a day after the previous day's high stayed at or below 32F with cold forecast to persist another 24 hours, or any day the National Weather Service issues a heat advisory for your county (or issued one on either of the two prior days). We walk the full mechanic, with a real 19-day Dallas County advisory chain from August 2026, in our Texas heat moratorium explainer. The same weather rule covers prepaid plans. Notice minimum: 10 days (16 TAC 25.483).

Who can pull the plug: The competitive REP cannot physically cut power; it can only order disconnection through the TDU, and only within the limits of 16 TAC 25.483. Leaving or losing a REP moves the customer to another REP or provider of last resort, not to darkness. (16 TAC 25.483 (only a TDU, MOU, or co-op may perform physical disconnections))

More help paying: programs that help with a Texas electric bill. Source: 16 TAC 25.483 (Disconnection of Service). Verified 2026-08-21.

Ohio: $175 Keeps the Lights On Once Per Winter

Ohio's winter protection is not a moratorium. It is the Special Reconnect Order, which the PUCO reissues each fall. Per the PUCO's announcement of the 2025-2026 order (which ran October 13, 2025 through April 15, 2026), any residential customer of a PUCO-regulated utility, at any income, can pay a maximum of $175 once per heating season per utility to keep, restore, or start service, no matter how much is owed. The reconnection fee is capped at $36 up front; anything above that goes on the next bill. 204,107 Ohioans used it the prior season, per the release. The 2026-2027 order, expected around September 2026, will set new dates; re-check before relying on the old ones.

Who can pull the plug: A competitive retail electric supplier (CRES) cannot physically disconnect anyone; disconnection rules in OAC 4901:1-18 bind the electric distribution utility. If a supplier fails or is dropped, ORC 4928.14 defaults the customer to the utility's standard service offer after reasonable notice, never to loss of power. (ORC 4928.14 (default to the utility's standard service offer))

Full commission playbook: our PUCO consumer protection guide. Source: OAC 4901:1-18-06 (disconnection notice, winter notice, medical certification). Verified 2026-08-21.

Pennsylvania: A Winter Ban That Depends on Your Income

From December 1 through March 31, Pennsylvania utilities may not terminate service to households at or below 250 percent of the federal poverty level (52 Pa. Code 56.100). Above that line, the PUC's own consumer booklet is blunt: service can be terminated in winter without PUC approval. The 10-day written notice stays valid for 60 days, and the utility must attempt contact at least 3 days before shutoff. Winter restorations are fast by rule: within 24 hours of payment, or 7 days if the street must be dug up.

Who can pull the plug: Chapter 56 termination rules bind public utilities (the electric distribution company); an electric generation supplier (EGS) has no termination right over distribution service. If an EGS fails to deliver, the default service provider must acquire replacement supply under its Commission-approved contingency plan (52 Pa. Code 54.187), so losing or dropping a supplier lands you on default service, not in the dark. (52 Pa. Code 54.187 (Default service supply; supplier failure contingency))

Full commission playbook: our PA PUC consumer rights guide. Source: 52 Pa. Code 56.100 (Winter termination procedures). Verified 2026-08-21.

Massachusetts: Year-Round Shields for the Elderly, Ill, and Infants

The statutory winter ban runs November 15 through March 15: no shutoff of a residential customer who cannot pay because of financial hardship, where the service provides heat or runs the heating system (M.G.L. c. 164, s. 124F). You must claim the hardship, usually on the utility's hardship form. Massachusetts then goes further than most states, all year: households where every resident is 65 or older cannot be shut off without DPU permission (s. 124E); a home with an infant under 12 months plus financial hardship cannot be shut off (s. 124H); and a certified serious illness plus hardship blocks shutoff for as long as the illness lasts, with no fixed day cap (s. 124A).

Who can pull the plug: Shutoff protections and physical disconnection sit with the distribution company. A competitive supplier's failure does not cut power: M.G.L. c. 164, s. 1B requires each distribution company to provide default (basic) service to customers whose chosen generation company or supplier fails to provide contracted service, and to all customers at the end of standard offer terms. (M.G.L. c. 164, s. 1B (default service obligation))

Honest gaps: the DPU regulation holding notice periods and payment plan mechanics (220 CMR 25) could not be retrieved for this review, so we publish neither rather than guess. Reports of a DPU extension of the 2025-2026 winter window are unconfirmed; only the statutory November 15 to March 15 dates appear on this page.

Full commission playbook: our Massachusetts DPU consumer protection guide. Source: M.G.L. c. 164, s. 124F (winter financial hardship shutoff ban). Verified 2026-08-21.

New Jersey: A Winter Program You Can Self-Certify Into

New Jersey layers a categorical winter program on top of year-round weather triggers. The Winter Termination Program (November 15 to March 15) bars shutoff for customers on Lifeline, LIHEAP, TANF, SSI, PAAD, General Assistance, or the Universal Service Fund, for water-assistance applicants, and for anyone who certifies financial hardship from circumstances beyond their control. Self-certification to the utility or the BPU is in the rule text (N.J.A.C. 14:3-3A.5). Year-round: no shutoff when the high is forecast at or below 32F in the next 24 hours, or at 90F or higher within the next 48 hours. Shutoffs are confined to 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday.

Who can pull the plug: A third party supplier cannot shut anyone off. N.J.A.C. 14:4-7.4: 'The TPS shall not represent that it can terminate any services from the LDC, including, but not limited to, delivery of electricity and/or natural gas.' Only the local distribution company may discontinue service, under the 14:3-3A rules. A customer who drops or loses a TPS reverts to the utility's Basic Generation Service (N.J.S.A. 48:3-57, not independently fetched this session; the 14:4-7.4 non-termination language is the verified anchor). (N.J.A.C. 14:4-7.4 (TPS marketing standards; no power to terminate LDC service))

Source: N.J.A.C. 14:3-3A.5 (Winter Termination Program). Verified 2026-08-21.

Washington DC: Forecast Rules That Roll Through the Weekend

DC keys everything to the National Weather Service forecast for the District. No electric disconnection the day before and the day of a forecast of 32F or below, or 95F or above; if the forecast lands before a weekend or holiday, the ban covers every day of it (D.C. Code 34-1506.01). The regulations add wind chill and heat index to the call for electric service. Separate timing floors: no disconnection from 5 p.m. Thursday until 8 a.m. Monday, none on holidays, and the notice must arrive at least 15 days ahead with at least two contact attempts.

Who can pull the plug: The disconnection procedures in 15 DCMR ch. 3 and the extreme-temperature statute bind the electric company (Pepco), not competitive suppliers. A customer who does not choose a supplier, or whose supplier's contract fails, receives standard offer service: D.C. Code 34-1509 covers 'customers who are not yet eligible for choice, those whose supplier contracts fail, those unable to arrange supply independently, and those who simply do not select a supplier.' Dropping a supplier reverts you to SOS, never to darkness. (D.C. Code 34-1509 (Standard offer service))

Source: D.C. Code 34-1506.01 (Disconnection of electric service in extreme temperature prohibited). Verified 2026-08-21.

LIHEAP and 211: The Money Side of Stopping a Shutoff

Moratoriums pause disconnection; they do not shrink the bill. LIHEAP is the federal program that pays it down. States run their own versions, so forms and eligibility vary, but the federal deadline does not: under 42 U.S.C. 8623(c), a state must provide crisis assistance that resolves the emergency within 48 hours of an eligible application, and within 18 hours if the situation is life-threatening.

In several states, applying is itself the protection: Indiana and Iowa shield winter customers who have applied for energy assistance, and New Mexico's moratorium covers LIHEAP-certified households that have no past-due balance as of November 15, or that stay current on a payment plan for it.

One absence worth naming: no federal law creates a utility shutoff protection for servicemembers. The SCRA's contract-termination right covers phone, internet, TV, gym, and home-security contracts, not electricity. Military households facing shutoff should use the civilian tools on this page plus the installation legal assistance office.

Sources: ACF, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) (OCS administration; NEAR hotline 1-866-674-6327, weekdays 9 am to 7 pm Eastern; EnergyHelp.us) | 42 U.S.C. 8623(c), LIHEAP crisis assistance timing (48 hours; 18 hours life-threatening) | LIHEAP Clearinghouse home (NEAR referral service) | 50 U.S.C. 3956, Termination of certain consumer contracts (official U.S. Code, utilities not covered). Verified 2026-08-21.

Medical Certificates and Life-Support Registries: Powerful, Not Permanent

Every deep-verified state lets a seriously ill customer, or a household with life-support equipment, register with the utility through a physician-signed certification. And in every one, the protection is time-limited and conditional, never immunity. The bill keeps accruing the whole time.

The takeaway holds everywhere the table above holds: register before a crisis, keep the certification current, and pair it with a payment plan. A registry entry alone will not keep the power on when the certificate expires.

Sources: 16 Tex. Admin. Code Subchapter R (25.480, 25.483, 25.497), Customer Protection Rules for Retail Electric Service | PUCT Substantive Rule 25.483, Disconnection of Service (ill-customer deferral, deferred payment plan condition) | PUCT Substantive Rule 25.497 rulemaking page (Critical Care and Chronic Condition designations) | 52 Pa. Code 56.113, Medical certifications (who certifies). Verified 2026-08-21.

Date Windows vs. Temperature Triggers: Where Each Design Leaves You Exposed

Per the federal LIHEAP Clearinghouse compilation, 42 states have cold-weather disconnection policies, 21 have hot-weather policies, only 2 have extreme-weather-event policies, and 44 have vulnerable-population policies. The design your state picked determines when you are exposed:

• Date-only states (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and others) protect a fixed season. The gap: a 25F day in April is unprotected in Massachusetts or Indiana because the window closed in mid-March, and an October hard freeze in Connecticut arrives before the window opens.
• Temperature-only states (Texas, Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Oregon, Vermont's 10F rule, DC) protect any date, but only when the trigger fires. The gap: a week of 35F weather in Alabama, or a 33F day in Texas, triggers nothing, and there is no predictable season a struggling household can plan around.
• Hybrid states (Arkansas per the federal table, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey) carry both a window and a trigger, which closes most cold-side gaps.

Heat is the bigger national hole: only 21 states have any hot-weather policy at all. And two caveats run under every design: moratoriums pause disconnection while the bill keeps growing, and the policies generally bind only commission-regulated utilities, not municipal utilities, rural co-ops, or propane and heating-oil vendors.

Sources: LIHEAP Clearinghouse, Cold Weather Disconnect Policies (state-by-state date vs temperature table) | LIHEAP Clearinghouse, Disconnect Policies (national summary counts; muni/co-op and arrears caveats) | LIHEAP Clearinghouse, Hot Weather Disconnect Policies. Verified 2026-08-21.

Buying More Time: The Complaint Pause and Payment Plans

Filing a complaint freezes the disputed amount

In all three states verified on this point, a properly filed dispute blocks disconnection over the disputed portion while it is pending. Texas: no collection activity or disconnection on the disputed part of the bill during an informal PUCT complaint (16 TAC 25.485). Pennsylvania: termination is prohibited until the dispute or complaint is resolved (52 Pa. Code 56.141). Massachusetts: disputed amounts are not due while a complaint or investigation is pending, and service cannot be terminated over them (220 CMR 25.02). The universal condition: keep paying the part you do not dispute.

Payment plans: a right in some situations, a courtesy in others

In Texas a deferred payment plan is a right on request in defined cases: bills due during an extreme weather emergency, bills in a governor-declared disaster area, underbilling, and July, August, or September bills (plus certain January and February bills) for critical-care customers and customers who state they cannot pay, with a mandated structure (no more than 50 percent down, the rest over at least five billing cycles). Ohio utilities must offer structured extended payment plans, and the Special Reconnect Order adds the once-per-season $175 path. Outside mandated situations, a plan is provider discretion. Ask anyway; then put the request in your complaint if refused.

How to use this today: call the utility first and say explicitly, "I dispute this bill and I request a deferred payment plan." If that fails, file the informal complaint with your commission the same day.

Sources: 16 Tex. Admin. Code 25.485(e), Customer Access and Complaint Handling (no collection or disconnection of disputed portion pending informal complaint) | 16 Tex. Admin. Code 25.480(j), Bill Payment and Adjustments (mandatory deferred payment plan circumstances and structure) | 52 Pa. Code 56.141, Dispute procedures (termination prohibited until resolution) | 220 CMR 25.02 (Mass.), disputed amounts not due during pendency; no termination for disputed portion. Verified 2026-08-21.

Reconnection Fees: What Is Verifiable

There is no national reconnection fee schedule. Fees sit in each utility's commission-approved tariff, so any flat dollar range quoted for the whole country would be made up. What the rules do verify:

• Ohio has the one hard sourced number: during the heating season, the Special Reconnect Order caps the up-front reconnection charge at $36 (on top of the $175 payment); any tariff charge above $36 goes on the next bill. The order is reissued annually; confirm each fall's dates.
• Pennsylvania caps the concept, not the number: a reconnection fee must be cost-based, commission-approved, and in the filed tariff (52 Pa. Code 56.191). Reconnection deadlines: 24 hours for erroneous terminations, valid medical certificates, and any reconnection between November 30 and April 1; 3 days otherwise (7 if the street must be dug up).
• Texas requires the provider to request reconnection promptly once you pay, and premium same-day reconnect fees may be charged only when you expressly request same-day service. The dollar amounts live in utility and provider tariffs and vary.

Before you pay a quoted fee, ask the utility to point to the tariff line it comes from, or ask your commission's consumer office to check it.

Sources: 52 Pa. Code 56.191, Payment and timing (cost-based tariff reconnection fee; 24-hour and 3-day reconnection deadlines) | PUCO, PUCO approves Winter Reconnect Order (2021 announcement; confirms the standing $175 payment and $36 up-front reconnection charge cap structure, with any excess billed later; the order is reissued annually) | Ohio Consumers' Counsel, Special Reconnect Order factsheet (current season: Oct 13, 2025 through Apr 15, 2026; $175; $36 reconnection fee cap; no income restrictions) | 16 Tex. Admin. Code 25.483 (reconnection timing; standard vs same-day reconnect fees per tariff). Verified 2026-08-21.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources, Verification, and Limits

Every state row on this page was verified against a primary source (state statute, utility commission rule, or the commission's own consumer page) or, where no primary source was reachable, against the federal LIHEAP Clearinghouse compilation, with that reliance disclosed on the row. Each row carries its source link and verification date (August 21, 2026 throughout). Fields we could not source are marked "Unverified" rather than filled in.

For advocates and attorneys who need depth beyond a consumer page: the National Consumer Law Center's treatise Access to Utility Service (NCLC Digital Library) is the field's standard reference on utility terminations, low-income payment protections, and assistance programs.