Bills are rendered at approximately 30-day intervals and are due and payable when rendered.
Warning: If you have received an urgent notice and are in imminent danger of having your services disconnected, we recommend you speak to a customer service agent when making your utility payment. Please call 941.764.4300 if this applies.
When is my bill past due?
After 20 days from the billing date, the bill will be considered past due and delinquent. 23 days after the bill date, late penalties are assessed at 3% on each outstanding line item.
Am I notified when my bill is past due?
25 days after the bill date, if payment is not received and posted to the account, an Urgent Notice is mailed.
What should I do if I receive an Urgent Notice?
Regardless of the method you use to pay your bill, if you have received an urgent notice, you must speak to a customer service representative to ensure your services are not disrupted. Please call 941.764.4300.
Why did I receive an Urgent Notice when I already mailed my payment?
Urgent Notices are generated when payment has not been received after 24 days from date of billing. If you have already made a payment, you should verify the payment has been received by either:
- Vuebill online to verify the amount due. Select "Pay Your Utility Bill/Enroll in Online Bill Payment", Select "Quick Pay", enter your Utilities Department account number and house number as it appears on your bill, email address and your phone number and press "Next". If the "Amount to Pay" is 0, then payment has been received.
- Verifying with the financial institution you used to pay your bill that it has cleared.
Contact a Customer Service Representative at 941.764.4300 to verify payment has been received.
Disruption of services for non-payment or returned items
Five days after the urgent notice is mailed, if payment is not received and posted to the account, services will be disrupted.
Water restoration for non-payment of bill: If your service is interrupted due to non-payment of your bill, and we do not receive payment and your request by 3 p.m., we cannot guarantee same day turn on without an overtime fee.
Service restoration requests after normal business hours: Disruption of services for non-payment - If the request to restore services comes after normal business hours, and the answering service sends a representative to the field, an additional premise visit fee will be added to the account and services will not be restored.
Return Items: Florida State Statute 125.0105, provides that a governing body of a county may adopt a service fee not to exceed fees under 832.05 (5) or 5% of the face amount of the check, draft, or order, whichever is greater for the collection of a dishonored check, draft or other order for payment to a county official or agency. The Utilities Department has adopted this statute for returned item.
Returned items are any payment that could not be processed against the payment originator's account. They may be returned for many reasons, such as insufficient or unavailable funds, stop payment, closed account, post-dated payments, questionable or missing signature, account unable to locate, counterfeit or fraud, etc.
If a payment is unable to be processed and is returned; the Utilities Department will adjust the account accordingly by reversing the payment posted to the account, and assess a returned item fee to the account in accordance with Florida State Statute 125.0105.
Accounts where a payment is returned, the Utility will make an attempt to notify the customer using contact information available.
Accounts are subject to disconnection 5 days after the Utility is notified that the payment has been returned; except for payments that have been returned for re-connection of services, or multiple instances of returned items, services are subject to immediate disconnection.
Can I turn the water off/on at the meter myself?
No. The meter is the property of the Utility and only authorized personnel can turn the water off/on at the meter. Should you need the water turned off/on at the meter, please contact our Customer Service Representative at 941.764.4300 and select Customer Service for assistance. If someone other than an authorized Utilities Department employee turns off/on the water, a meter tampering fee may be assessed to your account.
Liens on the property
Per Florida Statute 153.67, any unpaid fees, rates or charges for the services and facilities of any water or sewer system that are not paid as and when due, or any unpaid balance thereof and all interest accruing shall be a lien on any parcel or property affected thereby.
The Utilities Department will file documents to place liens on properties for reasons that would cause Charlotte County Utilities to suffer potential losses of revenues.
- Liens will remain on said property until property debt has been satisfied.
- All liens must be satisfied before services are restored to the same customer (owner) or any new customer (owner) of the property.
- Utilities liens are superior and paramount to any interest on the property or parcel.
- The Utilities Department does not accept requests to subordinate the lien.
- The Utilities Department will provide prior notice of intent to lien property. If payment is not made within 10 days of notice date, the property will be liened.
Lien Release
To have the lien removed, all outstanding fees, rates, or charges must be paid, plus an additional filing fee to release the lien. Please contact the Utilities Department when all outstanding fees, rates, or charges have been paid, and our office will file a lien release with the Charlotte County Clerk of the Circuit Court.