Subd. 1. Non-Payment. If rates or rents are not paid within 30 days after they become due, the city, upon recommendation from the Public Works Director, may order the water shut off; and it shall not be turned on again until the bills, together with a fee as set in the fee schedule for the cost of turning off the service, and an additional fee is paid to turn on the water. No water shall be shut off until the owner and/or tenant shall have been given notice and a chance to be heard. No water shall be shut off from October 15 until the following April 15 if part of the premises’s primary heat source except in compliance with the Cold Weather Rule, M.S. § 216B.097, as it may be amended from time to time.
Subd. 2. Vacated Properties. The purpose of this subdivision is to prevent property loss and strain on city water and sewer systems caused by unattended water use in vacant residential units. A residential unit in which the occupant has vacated with no intent to return is considered vacant for purposes of this section. A residential unit in which the occupant is absent for an extended period of time but intends to return on a date certain is not vacant. Water service shall not be shut off, except in the case of an emergency, at a vacant property until the owner or tenant, if the city is aware of a landlord-tenant relationship, has been sent a notice by first class mail. The notice shall state that the city has reasonable belief that the premises served is vacant and that if the owner or tenant does not respond within ten days that the residential unit is supplied with adequate heat, the city may order the water shut off, and it shall not be turned on again until the water shut off charge and water turn on charge as set in the fee schedule have been paid, unless the charges are waived by the City Council.