Late Payments & Discontinued Service

Penalties

Payments are applied according to the oldest outstanding balance. The penalty date is generally 15 calendar days after the billing date. The penalty date is noted on the billing received by the customer. A penalty of 10% of the outstanding balance is applied on any outstanding balance remaining as of the penalty date, as per Augusta Richmond County Code Title 5, Chapter 2, Section 49.

Customers not satisfying the outstanding balance, including penalty, by the penalty date of the succeeding billing will have service discontinued until all arrears are paid. As stated in Title 5, "the water will not be turned on until all arrears are paid together with a delinquent fee of $25..."

Delinquent Fees

The delinquent fee is added to the bill and a notice of shut-off date or proposed shut-off date is either hand delivered to the customer's place of business or residence or posted on the door.

Termination Of Service

Termination of service does not relieve the customer of the obligation to pay all outstanding bills and charges. Where service has been discontinued for lack of payment, meters are checked regularly to ensure that the meter is not tampered with. All additional fees and penalties, including unauthorized usage penalties, are applied as stated in this document. If a customer has been disconnected for 30 days and settlement of the account has not been made the residence will be reported to the health department as a possible health hazard and the account will be finalized and turned over to collections.

This information may not apply if you are a customer dependent upon life support.