Whether utilities can be shut off right now in Missouri depends on the calendar, the weather forecast, who lives in your home, and whether the utility has sent you the required written notice. Between November 1 and March 31, gas and electric companies cannot disconnect heat-related service on any day the National Weather Service forecasts a temperature below 32°F in the next 24 hours, and they cannot disconnect at all during that window if you’ve entered a cold weather payment plan. In summer, electric service is protected when the heat index is forecast to hit 95°F or higher. Outside those triggers, a utility regulated by the Missouri Public Service Commission can disconnect for nonpayment, but only after proper notice and only on certain days of the week.
The Winter Rule: November 1 Through March 31
Missouri’s Cold Weather Rule prohibits gas and electric utilities from disconnecting heat-related service on any day when the National Weather Service local forecast, issued between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., predicts the temperature will fall below 32°F within the next 24 hours.1Cornell Law School. Missouri Code 20 CSR 4240-13.055 – Cold Weather Maintenance of Service The protection applies only when that utility supplies your primary heat source.
The forecast trigger is just one piece. From November 1 through March 31, the utility cannot shut off heat-related service for nonpayment at all if you contact the company, acknowledge you can’t pay in full, provide income information if asked, and enter a cold weather payment plan.1Cornell Law School. Missouri Code 20 CSR 4240-13.055 – Cold Weather Maintenance of Service If you were already disconnected before November 1, the utility must reconnect you without a deposit once you enter the plan and make the first payment.
What the Payment Plan Requires
Protection is not automatic. You have to call and set it up. For customers who haven’t previously defaulted on a cold weather plan, the initial payment is capped at 12% of the 12-month budget bill amount. If you have defaulted on a prior plan, the initial payment jumps to 80% of your outstanding balance, unless you and the utility agree otherwise.1Cornell Law School. Missouri Code 20 CSR 4240-13.055 – Cold Weather Maintenance of Service
After the initial payment, you must keep paying at least 50% of the lesser of your actual bill for that period or the levelized payment in your plan.1Cornell Law School. Missouri Code 20 CSR 4240-13.055 – Cold Weather Maintenance of Service Natural gas service must be restored on payment of the lesser of 50% or $500 of pre-existing arrears, with the rest spread across the plan. Miss a payment and you can lose the protection. Gas utilities also have to defer reconnection, trip, and collection fees into the plan rather than demanding them up front.2Missouri Secretary of State. 20 CSR 4240-13 – Service and Billing Practices for Residential Customers
The Summer Rule: Hot Weather
In warmer months, Missouri restricts electric disconnections when the National Weather Service forecasts the heat index to reach 95°F or higher. These protections generally apply between June 1 and September 30 and target electric providers because air conditioning is the main defense against heat illness.
The hot weather rule pauses disconnection during the dangerous forecast period. It does not erase what you owe. Once the forecast drops back below 95°F and stays there, the utility can proceed with a shut-off if the debt is still open. Use any paused day to apply for assistance or set up a payment arrangement.
The 10-Day Notice Requirement
Whatever the season, a Missouri utility cannot disconnect residential service without first sending you written notice by first-class mail at least 10 days before the proposed shut-off date. Hand delivery of the written notice at least 96 hours before disconnection is the alternative.3Legal Information Institute. Missouri Code 20 CSR 4240-13.050 – Discontinuance of Service You get one method or the other, not both.
A valid notice must state:
- The reason service is being discontinued
- The specific date on or after which service will be shut off
- What you can do to prevent the disconnection
- That you can enter a payment agreement if you can’t pay in full
- A toll-free phone number and the utility’s address for inquiries
A notice missing any of those elements may not satisfy the legal requirements for disconnection. If yours is incomplete, contact the utility and the Missouri Public Service Commission.3Legal Information Institute. Missouri Code 20 CSR 4240-13.050 – Discontinuance of Service
Days a Shut-Off Cannot Happen
Even with proper notice and no weather protection in play, utilities cannot disconnect on any day the business office is closed, which rules out weekends and state-recognized holidays. They also cannot disconnect on the day immediately before a closure. That means no Friday shut-offs before a closed Saturday, and no shut-offs the day before a holiday. The rule exists so you aren’t stranded without service and no one to call.
Medical Postponement
If someone in the household has a medical condition that would be made worse by losing utility service, you can request a postponement of disconnection for up to 21 days. The utility can ask for “reasonable evidence of the necessity,” such as a note from a medical professional.2Missouri Secretary of State. 20 CSR 4240-13 – Service and Billing Practices for Residential Customers The protection covers the customer, family members, and anyone else who permanently lives at the address.
The 21 days do not reduce or forgive the balance. They buy time to find help or negotiate a plan. If the account isn’t resolved by the end of the postponement, the utility can proceed.
Bankruptcy
Filing bankruptcy triggers a federal protection that overrides the seasonal rules. A utility cannot shut off, refuse, or alter your service solely because you filed, or because you owe money for service provided before the filing date.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 USC 366 – Utility Service This protection lasts at least 20 days from the date of the bankruptcy order.
Within those 20 days, you have to give the utility adequate assurance you’ll pay for ongoing service. That can be a cash deposit, a letter of credit, a prepayment, or another arrangement you and the utility agree on.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 USC 366 – Utility Service Miss the deadline and the utility can disconnect. In Chapter 11 cases, the utility has 30 days to assess whether the assurance is satisfactory. If you and the utility disagree on the deposit amount, the bankruptcy court can set a reasonable figure.
Which Providers These Rules Apply To
The Missouri Public Service Commission regulates investor-owned electric, natural gas, water, and sewer utilities. The PSC does not regulate rates or service practices for municipal utility systems or rural electric cooperatives. If your service comes from a city-owned system or a co-op, these specific disconnection rules may not apply the same way, though many municipal utilities adopt similar policies on their own. If you’re unsure, check your bill and call the PSC’s Consumer Services Unit at 1-800-392-4211.5Missouri Public Service Commission. Submit A Complaint
If a Shut-Off Is Happening Anyway
Call the utility first and ask what rule they’re operating under, especially if you believe a weather protection, the 10-day notice requirement, or a day-of-week restriction should apply. If that doesn’t resolve it, file a complaint with the Missouri Public Service Commission’s Consumer Services Unit at 1-800-392-4211, by email at pscinfo@psc.mo.gov, or through the PSC website.5Missouri Public Service Commission. Submit A Complaint If an informal complaint doesn’t resolve the issue, you can escalate it to a formal complaint, which the PSC handles more like a legal proceeding.
Missouri also participates in the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which helps eligible households pay heating and cooling bills. The LIHEAP helpline is 855-373-4636, and applications are handled through local administering agencies.6LIHEAP Clearinghouse. Missouri LIHEAP Profile Showing proof of a pending LIHEAP application or payment can be the fastest way to get a shut-off paused while you sort out the balance.