To cancel Long Beach Utilities service, submit a stop-service request through the city’s utility portal, by phone at (562) 570-5700, or in person at the customer service office before the date you want service to end. Long Beach Utilities bills for water, natural gas, and sewer, and charges keep accruing in your name until the account is formally closed. Electricity is not part of this account; Southern California Edison serves Long Beach, and you’ll need to cancel with SCE separately.
What to Have Ready
Gather these before you start so the request goes through on the first try:
- Your account number, from a past bill or your online profile.
- The exact service address.
- The shut-off date you want. Pick a date after any final cleaning or move-out work that still needs water or gas.
- A forwarding address for your final bill and any refund check.
- Identification. The city asks for a Social Security number when opening an account, so expect a similar identity check on the way out.1City of Long Beach. Start Service
If you rent, the account is in your name and you are responsible for charges until it’s closed. Don’t assume a landlord will handle it.
Three Ways to Submit the Request
Online
Go to myutilityportal.longbeach.gov, open the Moving section, and click Stop Service.2City of Long Beach Utility Portal. Moving Services The portal walks through an account lookup and takes your shut-off date and forwarding address. Save the confirmation number it gives you at the end.
By Phone
Call (562) 570-5700.3Long Beach Utilities. Customer Service The customer service line runs Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.4City of Long Beach. Customer Support The representative verifies your identity, enters the shut-off date, and confirms the request verbally.
In Person
The customer service window is at 411 West Ocean Boulevard, Lobby Level, Long Beach, CA 90802, on the same weekday hours as the phone line.4City of Long Beach. Customer Support Going in person is worth the trip for complicated situations: a disputed balance, a shared account you need to separate, or final-bill questions that are easier to resolve face to face.
Moving Within Long Beach
If you’re relocating to another Long Beach address, don’t cancel. The utility portal has a Transfer Service option that moves your account to the new address,2City of Long Beach Utility Portal. Moving Services which keeps your account history and avoids a new deposit. You can also request a transfer by calling (562) 570-5700.3Long Beach Utilities. Customer Service
Give Yourself Lead Time
Submit the request at least a few business days before the date you want service off. A final meter reading has to happen on your chosen shut-off date, and last-minute requests may not get scheduled in time.
Final Bill and Deposit Refund
Your final bill covers water, gas, and sewer usage from the end of your last regular billing cycle through the date of the final meter reading. It goes to the forwarding address you provided.
If you paid a security deposit when you opened the account, it gets applied to the final balance. The city holds deposits for 12 months, so if your account is older than that and your bills were paid on time, the deposit may already have been credited back to your account.5City of Long Beach. Frequently Asked Questions If a deposit balance is left over after your final bill is paid, you’ll get a refund check for the difference.
What Happens If You Don’t Cancel
If you move out without closing the account, billing continues in your name. Water for landscaping, a new occupant running the gas — those charges post to your account, and you remain legally responsible for them.
An unpaid final balance will eventually be referred to collections. Utility providers generally don’t report routine on-time payments to the credit bureaus, but once an account is turned over to collections or written off, it typically shows up on your credit reports with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.6Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Does My History of Paying Utility Bills Go in My Credit Report A collections entry can stay there for up to seven years, even after you pay it off. Closing the account properly, and paying the final bill, is what prevents that.
Closing an Account After a Death
When the account holder has died, someone with legal authority over the estate has to cancel the service, and the city will want documentation. In California that usually means one of the following:
- Letters Testamentary, issued by probate court to the executor named in a will.
- Letters of Administration, issued by probate court when there’s no will and an administrator has been appointed.
- A Certificate of Trust, when the deceased had a living trust and a successor trustee is acting for the estate.
Bring a certified copy of the death certificate along with the proof of authority. Call ahead to confirm exactly what the department needs so you don’t make a wasted trip. Charges that accrue between the date of death and the date service actually stops remain the estate’s responsibility, so this is worth handling early rather than letting it sit.