Late Payment and Cut-off Procedures

All fees and charges for utilities and utility services furnished by Berea Municipal Utilities are due and payable on the 10th of each month, or the next business day if the 10th falls on a weekend or holiday. Bills are mailed no later than the last day of the month, but are often mailed early. Utility bills can also be accessed through the online customer portal.

Payments not received by the 10th are considered late and will be assessed a 10% late payment penalty.

Please note, online payments made through your bank or through other third-party websites are credited to your account when payment is received in our office, which may take several days after you authorize the transaction. Payments received from these third parties after the due date will be subject to late fees. Only payments made through the BMU website will be credited to your account immediately. See Bill Pay Options for more information on making payments.

A Friendly Reminder will be mailed to those customers who have not paid by the due date. If you feel you have received a Friendly Reminder in error, please call a BMU customer service representative at 859-986-4391 or email bereautilities@bereaky.gov to verify that your payment has been received.

Late Fee Waiver

BMU will waive late fees once per 12-months of service. To be eligible for this waiver, the customer must have had no disconnection fees, returned checks or tampering fees with in the 12 months. Customers requesting the waiver should complete the Penalty Waiver Request  form. The form can be emailed to bereautilities@bereaky.gov or brought to our location at 212 Chestnut Street.

Disconnection for Non-Payment

Unless payment is received on or before the 20th of each month, service is subject to disconnection. Once service has been disconnected for nonpayment, an additional charge for $20 ($40 for Southern Madison Water customers), will be added to the account. Payment in full is expected before services will be restored. BMU will make every effort to reinstate services on the same day if all fees are paid by 4:00 pm. Otherwise, services will be reinstated the following business day.

To avoid disconnection, please see the Payment Assistance page for potential options. Payment arrangements and other options must be made prior to disconnection.

Account Closure

If payment is not received within ten business days of disconnection, your account will be closed. Your security deposit will be applied to the outstanding balance. If you are owed a refund, it will be mailed to the address on file. If there is a remaining balance due, BMU will proceed with debt collection by any means available.

Reinstatement of services after the account has been closed will require full payment of any remaining balance as well as payment of a new security deposit.