Find Posts By Topic

Resources for Residential and Business City Light Customers Impacted by COVID-19

City Light offers a variety of resources to help customers who have been financially impacted by COVID-19 and the Stay Home, Stay Healthy order. We aren’t disconnecting anyone for nonpayment during this trying time, and we have payment options available for both residential and business customers.

We are offering payment plans and waived interest charges/late fees to residential customers, small business customers and medium business customers. Large business customers with more than $5 million in 2019 gross receipts are not eligible for waived interest charges/late fees, but they may contact us to create a payment plan.  Fees are waived for all nonprofit and government agencies.

If you have concerns about your bill, please give us a call or email us! Our representatives will help you navigate your options.

Residential customers seeking payment plans may call (206) 684-3000 to sign up today, and they can also email us using the form at http://www.seattle.gov/utilities/about-us/email-question.

Business customers seeking payment plans may call (206) 256-5200 to make arrangements or email us at SCL_BusinessServices@Seattle.gov.

A chart outlining the options for both residential and business customers follows below.

Payment Plans
When setting up a payment plan, you will be asked to make an initial payment of 25%. Your payment plan will be good for up to 60 days. The full bill payment will be due at that time. If you are unable to make the 25% down payment or cannot commit to paying the balance within 60 days, we will work with you to make other arrangements.

If you are on autopay, be sure to turn it off when signing up for a payment plan. If you don’t update it, you will be charged the full amount when the automatic payment is scheduled to be made. 

New Late Fee Policy
Late fees will be waived for residential customers and business customers that had less than $5 million in gross receipts in 2019 (B&O Tax Relief qualifications). This new policy is in effect until the end of the emergency declaration or through August 1, 2020, whichever is earlier. This policy also applies to non-profits and government agencies.

We will continue to update you during this time of emergency and will reevaluate our approaches as necessary.