Expanded Missouri Hot Weather Law now in effect
FOX23 News at 9 p.m.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KBSI) — Missouri’s Hot Weather Law took effect June 1 and will remain in place through Sept. 30, protecting residential customers from utility service disconnections during periods of extreme heat.
The law prevents investor-owned electric and natural gas utilities from disconnecting service for nonpayment when customers use electricity or natural gas to cool their homes or operate their only cooling equipment.
Lawmakers expanded the law’s forecast protection period from 24 hours to 72 hours through Senate Bill 4, which passed in 2025.
Under the updated law, utilities cannot disconnect service if the National Weather Service forecasts temperatures above 95 degrees Fahrenheit or a heat index above 105 degrees Fahrenheit at any point within the next 72 hours between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m.
The law also prohibits utilities from disconnecting service when crews are unavailable to restore power during the following days, and the forecast predicts temperatures above those thresholds during that period.
The Missouri Public Service Commission reminds customers that they must still pay their utility bills while the protections are in place.
Consumers can learn more about the Hot Weather Law and available utility assistance programs through the Missouri Public Service Commission at www.psc.mo.gov, by contacting their local utility provider or through a local community action agency.
