In Arkansas, an electric utility must give you at least five days’ written notice before shutting off your power for an unpaid bill, and it cannot disconnect during freezing weather or when doing so would endanger someone in the home with a serious medical condition. These are the core Arkansas electricity shut-off laws, and they come from the Arkansas Public Service Commission (APSC), which regulates investor-owned electric utilities and most electric cooperatives. City-owned utilities set their own rules through local boards, so the protections below may not apply if your power comes from a municipal provider.1Arkansas Public Service Commission. Electric
How Much Notice You Get Before a Shut-Off
Before your utility can cut power for nonpayment, it has to send you a written shut-off notice at least five calendar days in advance. If the notice comes by mail, the utility adds three days for delivery, so the effective minimum is eight calendar days from the mailing date.2Code of Arkansas Rules. 23 CAR 455-604 – Notification of Suspension of Service A hand-delivered notice has to be left somewhere easy to spot.
The notice itself must state the reason for disconnection, the amount you owe, the deadline to pay, and the reconnection charge if service is actually cut off.3Arkansas Public Service Commission. General Service Rules – Rule 6.07 The utility also cannot disconnect on a day when no one is available to authorize reconnection, which generally means shut-offs will not happen right before weekends or holidays unless staff are on duty.
Reasons a Utility Can Cut Your Power
Nonpayment after the deadline on your shut-off notice is the most common reason, but the APSC allows a few others. Your utility can also disconnect you for failing to pay a required deposit, breaking the terms of a payment agreement, refusing access to utility equipment on your property, or maintaining wiring that creates a safety hazard.4Arkansas Public Service Commission. General Service Rules – Rule 6.01
A short list of situations allows immediate disconnection with no advance written notice: tampering with a meter, threatening a utility employee, or damaging utility equipment. Even in those cases, the utility must send or leave a notice at the premises explaining why service was suspended.2Code of Arkansas Rules. 23 CAR 455-604 – Notification of Suspension of Service
Cold Weather Rule
Arkansas has a cold weather rule that blocks disconnection when temperatures fall to dangerous levels. Residential gas and electric service cannot be cut off on any day when the National Weather Service forecasts 32°F or below at any point during the next 24 hours.5Arkansas Public Service Commission. Suspension of Service A separate date-based protection runs from November 1 through March 31.6The LIHEAP Clearinghouse. Cold Weather Disconnect Policies
The rule delays disconnection; it does not erase what you owe. Bills keep accruing through the winter, and once the moratorium lifts, the utility can issue a fresh shut-off notice for the full balance. If you are falling behind through the winter, call your utility before April to arrange a plan rather than waiting for a spring disconnection notice.
Medical Necessity Certificate
If someone in your household has a serious medical condition, a physician’s certificate filed with the utility will delay a shut-off. The certificate must state that losing power would create a substantial risk of death or gravely impair the health of the customer or another permanent resident of the home.7Code of Arkansas Rules. 23 CAR 455-617 – Medical Need for Utility Service
A licensed physician or other healthcare professional can call the utility to trigger immediate protection, but a signed written certificate has to follow within seven days. Once it is on file, the utility must postpone the suspension or restore service that was recently cut. The protection lasts 30 days and can be renewed once for another 30 days if the physician submits a new certificate before the first expires.7Code of Arkansas Rules. 23 CAR 455-617 – Medical Need for Utility Service
Medical status does not erase the balance. Use that 30- or 60-day window to apply for assistance or set up a payment plan. Letting the protection expire without addressing what you owe puts you right back at risk.
Payment Plans That Stop a Shut-Off
If you cannot pay the full balance by the deadline, call your utility and ask for a Delayed Payment Agreement (DPA). This is a written contract that lets you put one-fourth of the overdue amount down and spread the rest across your next three monthly bills.8Arkansas Public Service Commission. Your Utility Bills You must request it before close of business on the last day to pay shown on your most recent shut-off notice. Miss that deadline and the utility has no obligation to offer one.
Breaking a DPA has teeth. The utility can suspend service without any additional notice, and you become ineligible for another DPA for 12 months.8Arkansas Public Service Commission. Your Utility Bills That lockout is the detail people learn too late. Treat DPA payments the way you treat rent.
If a social service agency agrees in writing to cover at least one-fourth of the overdue bill, the utility must continue or reconnect service as long as you sign a DPA for the rest.5Arkansas Public Service Commission. Suspension of Service Community action agencies and church-based assistance programs often work this way.
LIHEAP and Other Financial Help
The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is federal money to help qualifying households pay heating and cooling bills. For Arkansas fiscal year 2026, eligibility runs off State Median Income for households of one to seven people, and Federal Poverty Guidelines for larger households.9Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment. LIHEAP Eligibility Chart 2026 A single-person household can earn up to $2,347 per month; a family of four can earn up to $4,514 per month.
LIHEAP includes heating help, cooling help, and crisis assistance for emergencies like a pending disconnection. Arkansas also runs weatherization assistance for households up to 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, which lowers future bills through insulation and HVAC improvements.10The LIHEAP Clearinghouse. LIHEAP Income Eligibility for States and Territories If your utilities are included in your rent, you may still qualify with a lease showing your energy burden.
Getting Reconnected After a Shut-Off
Once power is off, getting it back requires clearing the overdue balance or entering a valid payment arrangement. The utility can also charge a reconnection fee, and the amount is set in each utility’s APSC-approved tariff, so it varies by provider.11Arkansas Public Service Commission. General Service Rules – Rule 6.12 For reference, at least one Arkansas electric cooperative charges $50 for a standard reconnection during business hours.12Southwest Arkansas Electric Cooperative. Rates and Fees After-hours reconnections usually cost more.
If power was cut for a safety hazard rather than an unpaid bill, the utility will not restore service until an inspection confirms the problem is fixed. Depending on the issue, that may mean sign-off from a licensed electrician or your local code enforcement office before the utility comes back out.
Disputing a Bill or an Improper Shut-Off
Start with the utility. If you pay the portion of the bill you do not dispute, the utility should not disconnect you while the contested amount is under review.
When that goes nowhere, escalate to the APSC. The commission takes informal complaints by phone, letter, or through its online form and begins investigating the same day. Utilities have 15 days to respond under APSC rules, and most complaints are resolved at this informal stage.13Arkansas Public Service Commission. File a Complaint One limit worth knowing: the APSC cannot award monetary damages. If you lost money because of an improper disconnection, that claim would have to go to court.
If Your Landlord Cuts Your Power
When your landlord controls the electric account for your rental, Arkansas law does not let them shut off your power to push you out. Turning off utilities, removing doors, and changing locks are all illegal self-help eviction tactics. A landlord who wants you gone has to use the court eviction process. If your landlord kills the power, contact local law enforcement and consider talking to a legal aid attorney about recovering damages.
If Your Power Comes From a City Utility
The APSC regulates investor-owned electric utilities and distribution electric cooperatives. It does not regulate municipally owned utilities or public power agencies.1Arkansas Public Service Commission. Electric If your provider is a city utility, the notice rules, DPA option, cold weather rule, medical necessity protection, and complaint process described here may not apply. Contact your city utility office directly to find out what protections it offers.