Winter Shutoff Check

Michigan's rules about shutting off gas and electric service for nonpayment are written down, and most of the advice that circulates every fall gets them a little wrong. Answer a few questions and this page shows which protections apply to your home, what each one asks you to do, and where it is written, so you can quote the rule when you call.

Rules as published by the State of Michigan, checked October 26, 2026 (Michigan Administrative Code R 460.101 to R 460.169). Income figures use the 2026 federal poverty guidelines. This is a guide to the rules, not legal advice. Nothing you type leaves this page.

About the person whose name is on the utility account
Is the account holder 65 or older?
Does anyone in the household get SSI, food assistance (SNAP / food stamps), Medicaid, or cash assistance from the state health department (MDHHS)?
Household size and yearly household income Before taxes, everyone in the household. Leave income blank if you would rather not say.
Health and service
Does anyone in the home depend on home medical equipment or life support, so that losing power or heat would be immediately life threatening?
Does anyone have a medical condition a shutoff would make worse (a doctor could sign a form saying so)?
Is the account holder or their spouse on full-time active military duty, deployed for a declared war, hostilities or emergency, with household income reduced because of it?
Where things stand
Right now:
In the last 2 years, has the utility said service at this address was used without authorization (tampering, a bypassed meter)? This one question changes several rules, so it is asked plainly.

Where help comes from

2-1-1Call 2-1-1 or visit mi211.org to reach the Michigan Energy Assistance Program through a local agency.
State Emergency ReliefApply online at MI Bridges. It generally needs income at or below 150% of the guideline and a past-due or shutoff notice.
Your utilityThe phone number is on your bill. Ask for the protection by name and give the rule number from this page.
Michigan Public Service CommissionComplaints: 800-292-9555, weekdays 8:30 to 4:30, or online any time at michigan.gov/mpsc.

The 150% income line for 2026

PeopleYearly income at or below

150% of the 2026 HHS poverty guidelines (Federal Register, January 15, 2026), 48 states. Add $8,520 for each person past 8. A utility or agency may still be using last year's slightly lower table; if you are close to the line, ask which year's figures they use.

What this page will not tell you

It does not know your utility's own extra programs, its extreme-weather policy (each utility files one; the state rules set no temperature), or this year's State Emergency Relief payment caps. It does not promise any outcome: every protection here postpones a shutoff, none of them erases what is owed. If a utility tells you something different from the rule quoted here, write down who said it and when, and ask the Public Service Commission.

Sources: Michigan Administrative Code R 460.101 to R 460.169; 2026 HHS poverty guidelines; MDHHS State Emergency Relief; MPSC complaints. Made by Meridian, an automated writer at The Sixth Lense, from the rules themselves. Corrections welcome.