Utility shutoff protection

Sometimes the heat is off because the utilities (water, electric, gas) were turned off over unpaid bills. You may have protection: 42 states have cold weather rules that limit when service can be turned off. Ask your utility company what cold weather protections apply to you, and ask about help paying the bill.

Your landlord cannot shut off your utilities (water, electric, gas) to try to make you pay or leave, even if you owe rent. Florida law bans this, no matter who normally pays for the utility. If your utilities go out and you believe your landlord did it on purpose, write down the date and time and contact legal aid.

Your landlord cannot cut off your utilities (water, electric, gas) or any other utility service to your home, directly or indirectly. This is true even if your landlord does not pay the utility bill or control the utility.

If you are facing eviction in Georgia, your landlord cannot knowingly and on purpose suspend your utilities (heat, cooling, light, and water service). The ban lasts until after the judge’s final decision.

The Idaho Attorney General says a landlord may not shut off utilities (water, electric, gas) to force a tenant out of a rental property. Doing so is unlawful.

A landlord or utility company may shut off a utility (water, electric, gas) for a reasonable amount of time. The Idaho Attorney General says this is allowed if repairs need to be made.

Say the landlord refuses to help restore service right away. The Idaho Attorney General says you next should serve written notice on the landlord. The notice says that service needs to be restored immediately.

The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) Consumer Services Division handles complaints about utilities (gas, electric, and water) that it regulates. Its counselors work with the utility to fix billing and service problems, usually within 1 to 14 days. If you got a notice that your service will be turned off, call instead of filing online: 1-800-524-0795, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Spanish-speaking counselors are available.

If your lease says the landlord pays for water, gas, or electricity, the landlord cannot cut it off. The landlord also cannot let the utility (water, gas, or electric) company shut it off for unpaid bills.

If the landlord cuts off service when the law does not allow it, you owe no rent for each month the service was off. For part of a month, you owe no rent for those days. The court can also award more money for harm caused by cutting off the service. If your landlord sues and wins, you can still owe the money. Get legal help first.

The law allows the landlord to turn off service for a short time in an emergency, such as a gas leak or fire. It also allows a short turn-off for building repairs, after 7 days' written notice to you.

Kansas law does not allow your landlord to turn off your utilities (water, electric, gas) or another needed service on purpose. Kansas law calls this acting willfully (on purpose), not by accident.

A Maine landlord may not willfully (on purpose) cut off your utilities (water, electric, gas). The law names, for example, water, heat, light, electricity, gas and telephone. It applies even if the landlord does not control the service. A temporary stop is allowed when needed while actual repairs are in process or during temporary emergencies.

Your landlord cannot deliberately cut off necessary utilities (water, hot water, heat, electricity, gas) or services like the elevator when you need them. Doing this on purpose is a crime. Your landlord must pay you your actual losses or 3 months' rent, whichever is more. For example, 3 months of $1,500 rent is $4,500. You can also get your court costs and lawyer's fees back.

Your landlord cannot cut off or interrupt a service you arranged for yourself, or one your landlord must provide, such as heat, water, or gas. This applies when losing that service would be serious enough to force you to leave your home.

Your landlord, or someone acting for them, can commit a crime under Minnesota law. This happens if they cut off your electricity, heat, gas, or water on purpose to force you out of your home. If it is shown that they cut off the service on purpose, the law assumes they meant to force you out. Your landlord then has to prove otherwise.

If your landlord, or someone acting for them, cuts off your electricity, heat, gas, or water, you can sue your landlord. This does not apply if you, or someone you let into your home, caused the loss of service on purpose or through carelessness. You can collect 3 times your actual money losses, or $500, whichever is more, plus your reasonable lawyer fees. In some cases the law limits you to only your actual losses. For example, 3 times $600 in losses is $1,800, more than the $500 minimum. You get this money only if you win your case and your landlord pays.

Your landlord may not cut essential services on purpose. Examples are utilities (water, electric, gas), heat, and hot water. If it happens, you may recover possession (get back into your home) or end the rental agreement. If you end it and a court later disagrees, you can owe the rent and face eviction. Get legal help first.

Your landlord cannot cut off your utilities (water, electric, gas) or phone service to try to force you out. This does not apply if the utility company itself shuts off service because you did not pay your bill.

Your landlord cannot shut off your utilities (water, heat, electric, gas) to push you out for unpaid rent. Doing this on purpose breaks a state law called a violation. A violation is not a crime. It carries at most 15 days in jail. Cutting off water, heat, or other needed services to make you leave is also an unlawful eviction. That is a class A misdemeanor (a low-level crime), with a civil penalty of $1,000 to $10,000 for each act. This is the same penalty as when a landlord locks you out illegally.

The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) helps lower-income households pay the cost of heating their homes. To qualify, everyone in your household must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or qualified non-citizen. You must give a valid Social Security number for each person. You may qualify if your household's total monthly income before taxes is at or below the limit. You may also qualify if your household gets SNAP, Temporary Assistance, or SSI. For 2026-2027, the limit is $3,563 a month before taxes for 1 person.

If the heating bill is in your own name and you are behind, you have extra protection in winter. From December 1 through March 31, electric and gas companies cannot shut off households below an income limit set by state rules. They need permission first from the Public Utility Commission, the state agency for utilities (water, electric, and gas). If you get a notice that your service will be turned off in winter, contact the company and share your household size and income.

From December 1 through March 31, a utility (water, electric, or gas) company cannot shut off service to your home. This applies if the account is in your landlord's name. It can still shut off service in a few cases, such as fraud, someone changing the meter without permission, or using service without permission.

A serious illness in your home can keep the company from shutting off service. A licensed doctor, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner can write a letter saying that someone in the home is seriously ill. The letter also works for a condition that would get worse if the service stops. With it, the company cannot shut off service or refuse to restore it. Get the letter to the company quickly.

Your landlord cannot cut off your electricity or water because you did not pay. This rule applies on any day the national weather service issues a heat alert.

If your power or water is already cut off, you can ask for it back during a heat alert. Your landlord must try to turn it back on quickly.

South Dakota law covers a landlord of residential property who willfully diminishes (cuts) services. The landlord does it by interrupting utilities (water, electric, gas) or other essential service. You have three choices. You may sue for injunctive relief (a court order). You may recover possession by suit. You may end the rental agreement. Ending it is risky. If a court later disagrees, you can still owe the rent. Get legal help first.

South Dakota law covers a landlord of residential property who willfully diminishes (cuts) services. The landlord does it by interrupting utilities (water, electric, gas) or other essential service. You can recover money from the landlord. The amount is equal to 2 months rent. You can also recover any advance rent and deposit you paid. Example: if rent is $800, 2 months rent is $1,600. You get this money only if you win your case and your landlord pays.

Public Utility Commission of Texas takes complaints about electric, telephone, water, and sewer companies. This includes utilities (electric, gas, water, and similar services) being shut off unfairly, and billing problems. Contact your utility company first. If that does not fix it, file an informal complaint online or call 888-782-8477. The company must respond to the PUC within 15 days. The PUC does not oversee landlords who buy utility service and bill tenants for it directly; for that, use legal aid or the justice court.

Your landlord cannot cut water, gas, or electric service the landlord provides, unless it is for real repairs, construction, or an emergency. Submetered electricity has separate rules. If it is illegal, file a sworn complaint at the justice court. Ask for a writ of restoration (a court order to turn it back on). You can sue for your losses, 1 month's rent, $1,000, court costs, and lawyer's fees, minus any rent you owe. You get this money only if you win your case and your landlord pays.

If your landlord bills you for electricity through a submeter (a separate meter for just your unit) or a shared meter, it can cut power. This applies for an unpaid electric bill. Your lease must allow it. The bill must be unpaid on the 12th day after it was issued. You must also get a written notice at least 5 days before it cuts power. Other limits also apply.

A Vermont landlord may not on purpose, directly or indirectly, stop your utilities (water, electric, gas). Temporary stops for emergency repairs are allowed.

The Washington Department of Commerce runs the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). It helps low-income households pay energy bills and avoid losing service. It covers any heat source: electric, gas, propane (a gas sold in tanks), oil, coal, or wood. It can also pay to repair or replace an unsafe or broken heating or cooling unit. You may qualify based on your heating costs, income, and household size. Contact your local LIHEAP provider to check if you qualify and to schedule an appointment. Commerce does not take applications directly.

The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission regulates privately owned (investor-owned) utility companies. If your utility company will not fix a billing problem or sends a shutoff notice, you can file a complaint with the commission. Use its online complaint form. If your service is about to be shut off, call the commission's consumer protection help line at 1-888-333-9882. If your utility is a Public Utility District (PUD), a city-run utility, or a special district, contact that utility directly.

If your landlord turns off your utilities (water, electric, gas) on purpose, a court can order it to pay your actual losses. This does not apply if the utilities are off for a reasonable time to make needed repairs. The court can also order up to $100 for each day or part of a day without service. For 5 days without heat, that is up to $500. Whoever wins can also get court costs and a reasonable lawyer's fee. You get this money only if you win your case and your landlord pays.