Missouri’s Cold Weather Rule: Keeping Your Heat On

From November 1 through March 31, a state-regulated Missouri gas or electric company cannot shut off your heat for nonpayment on any day when the forecast for the next 72 hours calls for temperatures below freezing. That window was 24 hours until a 2025 state law tripled it (RSMo §393.109). Apartment tenants are covered too.

The forecast only pauses a shutoff. When the weather warms up, the utility can move ahead again, and nothing about the rule erases what you owe. What actually keeps the heat on all winter is the Cold Weather Rule payment plan, on terms the utility has to accept.

Who the rule covers

• Gas and electric heat customers of utilities the Missouri Public Service Commission regulates. The statute names “all residential users, including all residential tenants of apartment buildings” whose gas or electricity runs their heat. In most of the St. Louis area that means Ameren Missouri for electricity and Spire for gas, both PSC-regulated.
• Heat in your landlord’s name? The no-shutoff days still protect you, but the payment plan below is made by whoever holds the account. Before shutting off a building where the landlord pays, the utility must post a notice in common areas of a single-meter building, or, for separately metered units, notify tenants it knows are not the account holder and explain how to open service in your own name (20 CSR 4240-13.050(7)). Missouri law also lets a tenant ask the county’s associate circuit court to appoint a receiver to collect rent and pay the heat bill, and the utility may not shut off heat while a tenant’s petition is pending once it has 24 hours’ written notice (RSMo §441.650). Call free legal aid as soon as you see a notice; contacts are in our Missouri tenant rights guide.
• Not covered: city-owned utilities (such as Kirkwood Electric), electric cooperatives, and propane delivered by truck, which the PSC does not regulate (PSC flier; it predates the 2025 law and still shows the old 24-hour window). If you are not sure who regulates your utility, call the PSC at 1-800-392-4211.

The no-shutoff days

From November 1 through March 31, the utility may not disconnect heat-related service for nonpayment on any day when the National Weather Service local forecast, issued between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m., predicts temperatures below 32°F during the next 72 hours. It also may not disconnect the day before a stretch when no one is available to reconnect service if the forecast for that stretch drops below freezing (20 CSR 4240-13.055).

The test is the forecast, not the month. Even in January, if the 72-hour forecast stays above freezing and you are not on a payment plan, the utility can go ahead with a shutoff once it has given the required notices. The payment plan below does not depend on the weather.

The payment plan that keeps your heat on

Call the utility before the shutoff date and say you cannot pay in full. From November 1 through March 31, the utility may not disconnect you if you then make the initial payment, sign a payment agreement, and answer its questions about your income (20 CSR 4240-13.055).

• The first offer is a 12-month budget plan that spreads your past-due balance, current bill and expected bills over a year. If you cannot afford that, you and the utility may agree to a longer period for the old balance.
• The initial payment is capped at 12% of the 12-month budget amount if you have not broken a Cold Weather Rule plan before. If you have, it can be 80% of your balance, unless you and the utility agree to something different.
• Gas customers get extra room. A gas utility must restore or keep service for an initial payment of the lesser of 50% of your past-due balance or $500, with the rest spread over a 12-month plan. Reconnection and collection fees are deferred, and you pay no late charges or interest while you keep the plan. A gas utility does not have to offer this more than once every two years, or to a customer who has broken this kind of plan three or more times.
• A LIHEAP pledge counts. If the LIHEAP agency pledges an amount equal to your required payment, the rule treats the pledge as the payment. Check whether you qualify against the current Missouri LIHEAP income limits.
• No new deposit while you keep the agreement.

If your heat is already off, the same steps apply: from November 1 through March 31, the utility must reconnect you without a deposit once you make the initial payment and sign the agreement.

The notice you are owed

Before a winter shutoff, the utility must mail you a notice at least 10 days ahead, try to reach you again within 96 hours of the shutoff (a second letter, a door hanger, or at least two phone calls), and try to contact you at the time of the shutoff. Every notice has to explain the payment terms and where to find financial help. The 10-day letter is the one to act on. Calling then leaves time to set up the plan before the shutoff date.

Extra protection if you are 65 or older or disabled

You can register with your utility if someone in your household is 65 or older, has a doctor’s form saying the home needs gas or electric service to maintain life or health, or has a federal disability award letter. Registration is renewed every year, and the rule says renewals should be done by October 1. A first registration has no deadline in the rule, so if you have never registered or you missed October 1, call the utility now and ask to register. If your household income is also under 150% of the federal poverty guidelines and you sign an income affidavit with the utility, it cannot shut you off for nonpayment from November 1 through March 31, as long as you are on a Cold Weather Rule plan, make its initial payment, and then pay each month at least half of your actual bill or half of your plan amount, whichever is less (20 CSR 4240-13.055).

Summer: the Hot Weather Rule

A matching law covers cooling from June 1 through September 30: no disconnection for nonpayment on a day when the forecast for the next 72 hours calls for temperatures above 95°F or a heat index above 105°F (RSMo §393.108).

What to do this week

1. If you are behind, call your utility (Ameren Missouri or Spire in most of the area) before you get a shutoff notice and ask for a Cold Weather Rule payment plan.
2. Apply for LIHEAP. In St. Louis County, CAASTLC opens winter applications to everyone on November 1; households with someone 60 or older or with a disability (including a child) can apply now, from October 1.
3. If a utility will not follow the rule, call the Missouri PSC at 1-800-392-4211.

Other help with bills and rent is in our rent and utility assistance guide.