New Jersey electricity shut-off laws require your utility to give you written notice, offer a payment plan, and honor several categories of protection before it can disconnect residential service. The Board of Public Utilities (BPU) enforces these rules, and if any step is missed, the shut-off is not authorized.
Notice Your Utility Must Send Before Disconnecting
Your electric company has to give you 15 days from the postmark date of a bill to pay it. If the bill goes unpaid, the company then sends a separate written notice of discontinuance, and that notice must give you at least 10 more days before service can actually be cut.1NJ.gov. FAQs – Board of Public Utilities In practice, that means about 25 days of lead time between the bill arriving and any possible disconnection.
The discontinuance notice itself has to contain specific information, and if any of it is missing, the utility has not met its legal obligation:2Legal Information Institute. NJ Admin Code 14:3-3A.4 – Additional Notice Requirements
- The BPU’s address and toll-free phone number (800-624-0241).
- A statement that you can dispute any charge, request a BPU investigation, and keep service during the investigation as long as you pay the undisputed portion.
- A statement that you can contact the utility to arrange a deferred payment agreement on the balance.
- A statement that you can bring a lawyer or any third party of your choice when contesting a charge.
If your notice is missing any of these elements, call the BPU before the disconnection date.
When a Shut-Off Is Not Allowed
Days and Hours
Even with proper notice, residential electric service can only be disconnected Monday through Thursday between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. It cannot be cut on Fridays, weekends, state holidays, or the day before a state holiday.3NJ.gov. General Residential Customer Rights Anyone showing up outside that window claiming to shut off your power is not acting under authority.
Winter Termination Program
From November 15 through March 15, qualifying households cannot have electric, gas, or water service disconnected.4NJ.gov Board of Public Utilities. Winter Termination Program Now Active – Eligible NJ Households Protected from Utility Shutoffs Through March 15 You qualify if you receive:
- Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
- Universal Service Fund (USF)
- Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD)
- General Assistance (GA)
- Lifeline Credit Program
- Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP)
You can also qualify if you’re unable to pay because of circumstances beyond your control, including unemployment, illness, medical expenses, or the recent death of a family member.5New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. Winter Termination Program
This protection is not automatic. You have to contact your utility, tell them you qualify, and either say so verbally or submit a self-certification form available from the utility or the Department of Community Affairs.4NJ.gov Board of Public Utilities. Winter Termination Program Now Active – Eligible NJ Households Protected from Utility Shutoffs Through March 15 Without that notice, you won’t be protected even if you clearly qualify. The program also does not erase the debt; it delays disconnection, and you’re expected to make good-faith payments during the protected months.
Medical Emergency Hold
If you or someone in your household has a medical condition that would worsen without electricity, or you rely on power for medical equipment, the utility cannot disconnect you. To activate the hold, get a written certification from a New Jersey licensed doctor or advanced practice nurse. It must include the patient’s name and address, a description of the condition, how long it’s expected to last, and the provider’s signature and license number.6NJ.gov Board of Public Utilities. NJ Admin Code 14:3-3A.2(i) – Medical Emergency
The initial certification lasts 60 days and can be renewed once for another 30 days, for a total of 90 days in any 12-month period. You still owe for service during the hold, and the utility can still pursue the debt. It just cannot cut your power while the certification is active.
Disputing a Charge to Stop Disconnection
If you believe your bill is wrong, disputing it correctly keeps your service on. Within five days of telling the utility you dispute the charge, you must also contact the BPU and request an investigation. As long as you pay the undisputed portion, the utility cannot disconnect you while the investigation is pending.2Legal Information Institute. NJ Admin Code 14:3-3A.4 – Additional Notice Requirements
If your bill looks unusually high, don’t let it snowball. Dispute the charge, pay what you believe you owe, and let the BPU investigate. You can also request a formal hearing and bring a lawyer or anyone else to represent you.
Payment Plans and Getting Reconnected
Deferred Payment Agreements
If you fall behind, the utility must offer a deferred payment agreement, and it cannot require a down payment of more than 25 percent of your outstanding balance.7Legal Information Institute. NJ Admin Code 14:3-7.7 – Deferred Payment Agreements Any agreement longer than two months has to be in writing. You’re entitled to at least one such agreement per year.3NJ.gov. General Residential Customer Rights
If your finances change significantly after you sign, say you lose a job or face unexpected medical bills, the utility must renegotiate the terms. And if you get both gas and electric from the same company, you’re entitled to separate agreements for each and cannot be forced into overlapping plans.7Legal Information Institute. NJ Admin Code 14:3-7.7 – Deferred Payment Agreements
If Your Power Is Already Off
After a disconnection, the utility may charge a reconnection fee and require a security deposit equal to two times your average monthly bill over the previous 12 months.8Legal Information Institute. NJ Admin Code 14:3-3.4 – Deposits for Service The deposit can later be adjusted if your actual usage is different.
There’s a major exception. If you can show you’ve applied for USF, LIHEAP, PAGE, or the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program, the utility must reconnect on request and cannot charge a down payment, deposit, or reconnection fee.9NJ.gov Board of Public Utilities. Utility Customer Bill of Rights Proof of application is enough; you don’t need to wait for approval.
Assistance Programs That Can Help
LIHEAP
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program provides federal grants for heating and cooling costs. You qualify if your household income is at or below 60 percent of the state median. For FY2026, a household of four can earn up to $96,165 and a single person up to $50,005.10NJ.gov Department of Community Affairs. FY2026 LIHEAP/USF Income Eligibility Fact Sheet Benefits go directly to your utility. There is no application fee; anyone asking for one is running a scam.11Administration for Children & Families. Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
Universal Service Fund
USF is a New Jersey program providing a monthly credit that lowers your bill to an affordable percentage of your income. It uses the same 60-percent-of-state-median threshold as LIHEAP, so most people who qualify for one qualify for the other.12NJ.gov Department of Community Affairs. Universal Service Fund (USF)
PAGE
Payment Assistance for Gas and Electric covers a broader income range. A household of four can earn up to $160,276 and still qualify.13NJ.gov Board of Public Utilities. Utility Assistance Programs PAGE is one-time relief for households facing temporary hardship and disconnection risk. No Social Security number is required. Apply at sharesnation.org or call 1-866-657-4273.
If You Rent and the Landlord Pays the Bill
When the landlord is responsible for the electric bill and doesn’t pay it, you can use a portion of your rent to pay the utility directly and keep service on. That amount counts as rent, so the landlord cannot evict you for withholding it.14NJ.gov Department of Community Affairs. Public Utilities – Discontinuance of Services Bulletin
A landlord who deliberately shuts off your electricity to force you out is committing an illegal self-help eviction, which is a disorderly persons offense. Police who learn of an illegal shutoff must warn the landlord to stop and, if service is already off, order it restored. Refusal can bring criminal charges. The only lawful way to remove a tenant in New Jersey is through a court eviction proceeding.
Shut-Off Scams to Watch For
Scammers call, text, and show up in person claiming your power will be cut off “today” unless you pay right now. The real rules make the fraud easy to identify. Your utility must send written notice at least 10 days in advance, can only disconnect Monday through Thursday during business hours, and will never demand payment by gift card, prepaid card, or payment app.3NJ.gov. General Residential Customer Rights Any demand for instant payment through those methods is a scam. When in doubt, hang up and call the number printed on your actual bill.
Filing a Complaint With the BPU
If your utility disconnects without proper notice, cuts service during a protected period, or refuses to offer a payment plan, you can file a complaint with the Board of Public Utilities. Try to resolve it with the utility first. If that fails, call the BPU’s Division of Customer Assistance at 800-624-0241 (or 609-341-9188 from outside New Jersey), or file online at nj.gov/bpu/assistance/complaints.15NJ.gov Board of Public Utilities. FAQs – Board of Public Utilities The Division handles billing disputes, service quality issues, disconnection complaints, and deposit disputes.