(A) Except as provided in subsection (B) of this section, a municipality must not interrupt electric or gas service to any residential customer for nonpayment of a bill until twenty-five days have elapsed from the date of billing.

(B) A municipality may interrupt electric or natural gas service to any residential customer who has voluntarily enrolled in a prepay program if the prepay program allows the customer to monitor his consumption of electricity or natural gas and his account balance on a daily basis and the balance of that customer's prepay account is zero, provided that the following conditions are met: (1) at the time the residential customer enrolls in the prepay program, the residential customer is informed and agrees that his electric or natural gas service may be interrupted when the balance of his prepay account reaches zero; (2) electric or natural gas service must not be interrupted before 10:00 a.m. on the next business day following an attempt by the municipality to give the customer notice of the impending interruption by telephone or electronically; and (3) electric or natural gas service must not be interrupted except during hours when the municipality is accepting cash payments. For purposes of this subsection, a business day is a day in which the municipality, or an agent, is accepting cash payments.

(C) Nothing contained herein shall be construed so as to relieve a municipality of the requirements of Act 313 of 2006.

(D) Any person aggrieved by a violation of this section may petition the courts of this State for redress in accordance with applicable law and notwithstanding Section 58-27-210, the Public Service Commission shall have no jurisdiction over a municipality by reason of this section.

HISTORY: 2010 Act No. 258, Section 5, eff June 11, 2010.