Governor Cooper Extends Executive Order 124

Executive Order 142 was issued by Governor Cooper on May 30, 2020, and extends for another 60 days the requirements of Executive Order 124 (EO 124) concerning utilities operated by local governments and public authorities. What does this mean to you as providers of these services? You must continue to provide service to residential customers regardless of payment until the new order expires at 11:59 p.m. on July 29, 2020. You may not charge late fees or any other fees that were not permitted under EO 124. The six-month period during which residential customers must bring their accounts current will now begin on July 30, 2020. The new order says that service providers should “reasonably inform their customers” about this extension. We are trying to get more details about what is considered reasonable. Service providers may want to post a new notice, similar to the one required by EO 124, noting the extension of the payment period. We will update you when more information becomes available.