North Carolina Administrative Code
Title 04 - COMMERCE
Chapter 11 - UTILITIES COMMISSION
Chapter 12
Section 11 R12-10 - DISCONNECTION OF RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER'S NATURAL GAS SERVICE

(a) The date after which the bill is due, or the past due after date, shall be disclosed in the bill and shall not be less than twenty-five (25) days after the billing date. Payment within this twenty-five day period will either maintain or count toward establishment of the customer's credit with the utility.

(b) For purposes of this rule, payment shall be defined as delivery of the amount due to a company business office or designated payment agency during regular business hours by 5:00 p.m. on the twenty-fifth (25th) day, unless such day is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday in which event the last day for payment runs until the end of the next day which is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday.

(c) Those natural gas customers from whom deposits are required under the provisions of Commission Rules R12-2 or R12-3 and who receive their largest bills seasonally (such as customers who use natural gas for heating) may be considered seasonal customers in determining the amount of deposit under Rule R12-4. The deposits collectible from such customers shall not exceed one-third of the estimated charge for service for the season involved. For purposes of this provision the heating season shall be the calendar months October through March.

(d) Each gas utility shall file tariffs with the Commission to impose charges, not to exceed the charges allowed by G.S. 25-3-506, for checks tendered on a customer's account and returned for insufficient funds. This charge shall apply regardless of when the check is tendered.

(e) Each gas utility, through its meter reader, office, or designated payment agency is authorized to collect payment by cash or check for bills past due and in arrears, and for current bills once the meter reader has left the office with a list of customers whose service is to be disconnected, unless the day on which the meter reader has left the office with such list is prior to the third day preceding the past due date of the current bill of any customer whose service is to be disconnected, in which case the utility is authorized only to collect payment for bills past due and in arrears.

"Current bill" is defined as a bill rendered but not past due. "Bill in arrears" is defined as a bill rendered and past due.

(f) Each gas utility operating under the jurisdiction of the North Carolina Utilities Commission shall revise its billing procedures to conform to the following approximate schedule with respect to all customers:

(g) No disconnects will be made prior to their being personally reviewed and ordered by a supervisor.

(h) Gas service to a residential customer shall not be terminated for nonpayment of a delinquent account until the utility has given such customer at least 10 days' written notice that his service is subject to termination. This notice of proposed termination shall, at a minimum, contain the following information:

(i) Personal Contact Prior to Termination.

(j) Each gas utility shall offer its residential customers the opportunity to designate a third party to receive a copy of any proposed termination notice which may be mailed to the customer. Each residential customer shall be given notification of this option at the time service is initiated and at least once annually thereafter. Notice of the availability of this option shall be given in writing, either by mailing a copy of such notice as a bill insert or by means of a separate mailing, to all residential customers. Such notice shall clearly indicate that this duplicate notification process will not obligate the third party to pay the customer's bill.

(k) Informal Appeal of Termination Action.

(l) Residential gas service shall not be terminated on Fridays, on weekends, on state or federal holidays, or on days before state or federal holidays. If a disconnection occurs, the customer shall have immediate recourse to the utility regardless of the time of day.

(m) Each gas utility shall establish an internal procedure whereby the utility will endeavor to identify by a special code a customer whose household is known to have an individual residing therein who is either chronically or seriously ill, handicapped, or on a life support system. The purpose of assigning such code shall be to identify that account for careful handling whenever service to such account becomes subject to termination as a result of nonpayment of a delinquent bill.

(n) Nothing in this rule shall preclude a natural gas utility from exercising reasonable discretion in waiving or extending the times provided herein pertaining to termination of service, particularly when such waiver or extension would result in the prevention of undue hardship in those cases where termination of service would be especially dangerous to health or where the customer or a member of the customer's household is elderly or handicapped.