For Immediate Release: March 8, 2021
Contact: Brian.Rademaekers@phila.gov | (215) 800-5271
Philadelphia’s Water Department Announces Major Shutoff Freeze Extension
More than 70,000 customers have benefitted from shutoff protection during pandemic year.
PHILADELPHIA—The Philadelphia Water Department is again extending a freeze on shutoffs for residential customers, protecting those account holders from losing water services until April 2022.
Since the start of the pandemic, more than 70,000 customers have benefitted from shutoff protection. Another 15,000 previously shut off customers had water restored at the start of the pandemic.
What to Know:
- No shutoffs for residential customers until April 2022.
- For customers enrolled in the Tiered Assistance Program or Senior Citizen Discount program, there will be no penalties or enforcement measures until April 1, 2022.
- For customers not in these assistance programs, penalties for overdue water bills start on May 1, 2021.
- Enforcement measures, including referrals to collection agencies, will go into effect August 2, 2021.
Some non-residential accounts could face shutoff enforcement starting summer 2021, and efforts to make payment arrangements with those customers are underway.
Any customer struggling to pay should explore customer assistance options.
Philadelphia created one of the nation’s first income- and hardship-based affordability programs, and ways to get help have been expanded in response to the pandemic.
Learn more:
