Beginning August 1 2024, SB 3 (Dodd) will require water systems with 15-200 service connections to follow specific procedures before shutting off residential water service for non-payment. SB 3 is an extension of the Water Shutoff Protection Act (SB 998), signed into law in 2018.

Under SB 3, water systems with 15-200 service connections are required to:

• Develop a Service Discontinuation Policy that applies to residential water service. The policy must include:
• a plan for deferred or reduced payments
• alternative payment schedules that are translated into any language spoken by at least 10% of the residents in the service area or at the request of a customer for other Section 1632 languages (Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese or Korean)
• Implement a formal appeal process for customers and have a telephone number available to customers to discuss payments or questions related to discontinuation of services. If services are discontinued, the system must report the total number of shut-offs to the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) annually.

CalMutuals developed a sample Service Discontinuation Policy that can be easily adopted for use by your water system.

To view a recording of the webinar, sample policies, and additional resources, visit the “SB 3 Webinar” section in our Resources Library HERE.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Managing Director Karina Cervantez (karina@calmutuals.org)