Frequently Asked Questions
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1. What is the mailing address for payments?
Mail payments to: Atlantic City Municipal Utilities Authority P.O. Box 117 Atlantic City, NJ 08404-0117 2. What are your business hours? Our office hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You can reach us at (609) 345-3315, extension 10. 3. Can I contact someone in Customer Service by e-mail? Yes. You can e-mail all inquiries to CUSTOMER.SERVICE@ACMUA.ORG 4. Will an employee of the ACMUA ever need to come into my home? It is extremely unlikely that an ACMUA employee will need to enter your home. If you request an inside inspection, or if an inspection is recommended to you and you agree, then an employee will need to enter your home in order to perform the inspection. However, under no other circumstances shall an ACMUA employee need to enter your home. 5. What is the monthly customer charge? All of our charges consist of a flat and an excess charge. See Rate Schedule found on this website for specific rates. 6. How often will I get a bill? Most customers receive a bill quarterly. However, some commercial customers receive bills monthly. 7. Can I pay my bill with a credit card or debit card? Yes, we accept all major credit and debit cards at our Administrative Offices or payments can be made by phone by dialing 1-866-923-8243. However, when you are using the phone system, please make sure you enter your account number slowly in order for the information to be processed correctly. In addition, credit, debit or electronic payments can be made online. To pay online, click here. 8. Where are your payment centers? Payments can be made at our Administrative Office, which is located at 401 N. Virginia Avenue. However, payments can also be made at the local Wachovia Branch in Atlantic City or Ventnor. 9. When is my meter read and when is the bill mailed? If you are a customer that is billed quarterly, your meter is read approximately 4 weeks prior to your receipt of the bill. However, if you receive a bill monthly, your meter is read 2-3 weeks prior to your receipt of the bill. 10. Why did I get an estimated bill and what does it mean? You may receive an estimated bill if something prevented us from reading your meter or if we were unable to read your meter due to time constraints. A problem with meter communications could also prohibit us from reading your meter. Estimated bills are based on the meter readings from the same period from the prior year. Your next actual meter reading will adjust for any inaccuracy. If your account is estimated for a few quarters in a row and your next actual meter reading shows more water was used than we estimated, your next bill may be considerably higher. If this is the case, we may be willing to make arrangements so that the amount due can be paid over a period of time. 11. What if I can't pay my bill? If there is no dispute regarding your bill, besides the fact that you temporarily can't pay it, call us. After reviewing your account and other criteria, we will try to work out a mutually agreeable payment schedule. 12. What happens if my service is shut-off? If your service is shut off for non-payment, please call our offices immediately. Our office hours are 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. During this time period, you can reach us at (609) 345-3315. If calling after normal business hours, you should call (609) 345-3315, extension 34. 13. What does flat and excess mean? The flat charge is the minimum customer charge billed. This charge does not vary and it is not associated with the actual water usage. This charge is based on our cost to provide service to your accounts, regardless of the amount of water used. On the other hand, the excess charge is based on the water used in excess of the allowance. 14. What happens if my service is shut off and the meter is removed? Once the meter has been removed, for at least one quarter where no quarterly service charge has been placed on the account, the property is considered to be no longer connected to the ACMUA's system. Therefore, if you want service restored, you have an option of paying either the connection fee or the total minimum charges that would have accrued had the meter not been removed, plus costs to reinstall the meter. After 10 years, the service is considered abandoned. 15. Why do we receive a bill when we do not use any water? As long as a meter is installed at your property, a flat charge will be billed to your account whether water is used or not. 16. What is an abatement? The ACMUA Policy allows for an abatement of water charges where substantial charges are billed due to a leak that has been repaired. Abatements granted are normally 50% of the abnormal excess. Once an abatement has been granted to an account, it will not be eligible for a second abatement. Abatements can only be approved by the Board of Directors. 17. Who is responsible for the payment? Owner/Tenant? The contractual relationship is between the ACMUA and the property owner. Therefore, all amounts billed to an account are the owner's responsibility. As a courtesy, after the owner has completed the proper documentation, the ACMUA will send a bill to a tenant. Nevertheless, that will not relieve the owner of responsibility of any amounts due. 18. What does fire line mean? Why do I need that? Some properties are required by law to maintain fire sprinklers. The City Code Enforcement includes the stipulations as to what type of properties are required to maintain sprinklers. Fire service charges are billed based on the service size on a monthly or quarterly basis (for additional details on fire service rates, see the Rate Schedule found on this website). 19. If my payment is not received by the due date, will I be charged a late fee? A late penalty is charged on outstanding principal balances at a rate of 4.5% each quarter for accounts that are billed quarterly, and 1.5% each month for accounts that are billed monthly (18% per year). |
Please use the forms below to contact ACMUA online:
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