Utilities in Louisiana come from a patchwork of private companies, city departments, parish water districts and member-owned cooperatives. Which one bills you depends on where your home sits, not on a single statewide provider. A household in Shreveport, one in Houma and one in rural Morehouse Parish can each deal with a different kind of organisation for power, gas and water. This page explains who is responsible for what, and how to reach the right office.

One note on wording. Louisiana is divided into parishes, not counties. Our database labels every state's divisions as counties, so the links below read "Caddo Parish County" and similar. They point to the same parishes you know from your tax bill.

How Louisiana Divides Electric, Gas and Water Service

Four kinds of provider cover the state, and most households deal with more than one.

Investor-owned companies. Large private utilities sell most of the electricity and natural gas in Louisiana. Entergy Louisiana serves Baton Rouge and many communities in the southern half of the state. Cleco, based in Pineville across the Red River from Alexandria, serves central Louisiana. Southwestern Electric Power Company covers the northwest around Shreveport. For gas, our listings include Atmos Energy in Lafayette and CenterPoint Energy in Shreveport.

Municipal systems. Many cities own their utilities. Alexandria City Utility on Murray Street, Slidell City Utility Service, the Lake Charles Water Division and the City of Hammond Water and Sewer office all answer to local elected officials. Denham Springs even runs its own gas department. Rates and shut-off rules for these systems typically come from the city council rather than a state commission.

Water districts and rural corporations. Outside city limits, water usually comes from a district or a nonprofit. Water Works District 3 in New Iberia, the Greater Ward 1 Water Work District in Ruston, the Cadeville Water District and the St Tammany Water District in Covington all fit this pattern. Parish governing authorities create water districts under state law, and each district has a board that sets policy and hires staff. The Rural Franklinton Water Corporation is a rural water system serving the Franklinton area.

Electric cooperatives. Rural parishes also have member-owned electric cooperatives. They are governed by boards chosen from the customers they serve, and they work much like a small utility with local owners.

The Louisiana Public Service Commission and Other Agencies Behind Your Bill

The Louisiana Public Service Commission, based in Baton Rouge, is the main state regulator. Five commissioners are elected from districts around the state. The commission sets rates and approves major projects for investor-owned electric, natural gas and water companies. It also takes consumer complaints about them.

Its authority has limits. Entergy New Orleans answers to the New Orleans City Council rather than the state commission. City-owned systems generally set their own rates through local government. If your bill comes from a city department, your first call on a rate question is city hall, not Baton Rouge.

Other agencies cover other risks. The Louisiana Department of Health, through its Office of Public Health, oversees the safety of public drinking water systems, including the rules behind boil water advisories. The Office of Conservation, part of the state's natural resources agency, regulates intrastate pipeline safety. That matters in a state with as much gas infrastructure as Louisiana.

A practical order of steps works for most disputes. Start with the utility's customer service line and ask for a reference number. Put the problem in writing and keep copies. If the provider is one the commission regulates and you cannot get a fair answer, file a complaint with the commission. For a municipal system, ask the city clerk how to bring the matter before the council.

Metro Louisiana Versus the Rural Parishes: Where the Offices Are

In the larger cities, the main offices are easy to find. CenterPoint Energy is listed at 2434 Levy Street in Shreveport, phone 318-227-7338. Atmos Energy is on Eraste Landry Road in Lafayette, phone 337-268-4400. In Baton Rouge, Enbridge Energy is listed at 6155 Sanchez Street, phone 225-356-6161. The parishes behind those cities, Caddo Parish County and East Baton Rouge Parish County, hold most of the urban customers in their regions.

Central and southwest Louisiana show the heaviest concentration of listings. Rapides County is anchored by Alexandria, where Alexandria City Utility is at 625 Murray Street, phone 318-441-6310. St. Landry County spreads across Opelousas and Eunice. Acadian Gas Pipeline is listed in Opelousas and the Acadia Power Station on the Crowley Eunice Highway. In Calcasieu County, the Lake Charles Water Division at 326 Pujo Street, phone 337-491-1307, serves a city that spent years rebuilding after Hurricane Laura in 2020.

North Louisiana has its own mix. Ouachita Parish listings include L & R Utilities Inc on Balboa Drive in Monroe and the Cadeville Water District on Winnfield Road in West Monroe. Lincoln Parish, home of Ruston, lists the Greater Ward 1 Water Work District on Haddox Road. In Bossier Parish, the Bossier City Utility Warehouse on Old Shed Road sounds like a supply site, so call before you go expecting a customer counter.

Rural parishes lean on small local offices. Evangeline Gas Co serves the Ville Platte area, Louisiana Gas Services Co is listed on West Madison Avenue in Bastrop, and the Church Point Water Works Department sits on South Guidry Street. Offices like these often keep shorter hours than a big-city branch. Some close for lunch. Phone ahead, especially if you plan to pay in person.

Storms, Boil Advisories and Other Louisiana Conditions That Shape Service

Hurricanes are the biggest test of Louisiana utilities. Hurricane Laura in August 2020 and Hurricane Ida in August 2021 both left customers without power for days or weeks. After a storm, restoration is handled by crews and control centres, not by walk-in offices. Check your provider's outage map or recorded phone line first, and keep your account number handy when you report a problem.

Storms and main breaks also cause pressure loss in water systems, which can trigger a boil water advisory. Your local water system announces the notice and later announces when it ends. Gas leaks need a different response entirely. Leave the building, then call 911 and your gas company from outside.

Not every listing is a place to pay a bill. Some entries are energy-industry sites, such as the Acadia Power Station in Eunice, SM Energy Co in Franklin and Quality Energy Services in Houma. Pipeline operators appear too. These sites may not have a customer counter. For a bill or a new account, contact the company that sends your statement.

What to Bring to a Louisiana Utility Office

A short checklist saves a second trip:

Call before you drive. Small-town offices in places such as Franklinton, Ville Platte and Church Point may keep limited hours. Many questions can be settled by phone or online without a visit, and written notes make any later appeal much easier.

Municipal utility departments throughout Louisiana provide electricity, water, sewer, and related services to millions of residents and businesses. Utility governance in Louisiana is shaped by the state's public utility commission, which regulates investor-owned utilities, while municipally owned systems operate under local authority.

Utilities locations are available in 164 cities across Louisiana. They are spread across 59 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration of utility offices include Shreveport, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, reflecting their larger populations and service area demands.

Louisiana residents should contact their local utility provider directly for account setup, billing questions, and outage reporting. State-level utility assistance programs may also be available through the state's health and human services agency.

Utilities by Counties

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Louisiana residents who need help paying utility bills may qualify for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), administered through the state's community services offices. Contact your local utility provider to inquire about budget billing, shut-off protection, and additional assistance programs available in your area.

Browse Utilities by county across Louisiana to find your local utility department's contact information and service office locations.

Choosing the Right Louisiana Office for a Move, a Dispute or an Outage

Most utility problems in Louisiana come down to picking the right door. A renter in Covington may pay the St Tammany Water District for water and a different company for power and gas. A homeowner in Hammond deals with the City of Hammond Water and Sewer office. Rural customers elsewhere in Tangipahoa Parish may be served by a district such as the one listed as Helena Parish Water Works District 2 in Amite City.

For a move, start with the address. Ask the landlord or seller which providers serve the property, then open each account separately. Water is often tied to the city or district. Power and gas follow each company's service territory. The St. Tammany County page lists offices on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain.

For a dispute, keep records. Note dates, names and reference numbers, and save every bill. Billing errors are easiest to fix in the first cycle after they appear. Offices tend to be busiest in the days after bills come due, so a weekday morning visit is usually quieter.

For an outage, check the provider's outage map or phone line before driving anywhere. Crews, not counters, restore power. If you smell gas, leave first and call afterward.

The Louisiana Public Service Commission regulates the rates and service of investor-owned electric, natural gas and water companies. Five elected commissioners, each representing a district, vote on rate cases and hear consumer complaints. There are exceptions. Entergy New Orleans is overseen by the New Orleans City Council. City-owned systems, such as Alexandria City Utility or the Lake Charles Water Division, are governed by local officials. Member-owned cooperatives answer to their own boards. Check the company name at the top of your bill, then ask whether the commission, a council or a board sets your rates.

Louisiana is the only state organised into parishes, a system that dates back to the colonial era. Our database uses the label County for every state, so a page called Caddo Parish County covers Caddo Parish. The boundaries are the ones you already know. When you phone a utility office, use the word parish and you will be understood. Government records, tax bills and the Public Service Commission all use parish names. Treat the county label here as a technical convention for the directory, not as a different kind of jurisdiction or a separate set of offices.

Rules differ by system, so call the office first. The City of Hammond Water and Sewer office is at 310 East Charles Street, phone 985-542-3415. Slidell City Utility Service is at 2055 2nd Street, phone 985-646-4309. Expect to show photo ID and proof that you rent or own the address, such as a lease or closing papers. Many systems charge a deposit or a connection fee for new accounts, but amounts vary and we do not list them. Ask whether you can apply by phone or online, and request your meter-read date so the first bill makes sense.

A boil water advisory means the water system lost pressure or failed a test, so bacteria could be present. Louisiana Department of Health guidance is to bring tap water to a rolling boil for at least one minute before drinking, cooking, making ice or brushing teeth. Let it cool and store it in clean, covered containers. Advisories often follow hurricanes, main breaks and power failures at pumping stations. Your water system announces when the advisory ends, usually after test results come back clear. If the notice is unclear, call the system's office, such as your parish water works district.

Yes. The federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program helps eligible households with heating and cooling costs, and the Louisiana Housing Corporation administers it through local community action agencies. Eligibility depends on household income and size, and funding windows can open and close, so check current rules before you apply. Calling 211 connects you with local assistance, including charity and church funds. Separately, ask your utility about a payment plan before you fall behind. A city utility department can often explain what arrangements it allows. Bring your latest bill and proof of income to any appointment.

Call 811 before any digging, including fence posts, trees and new garden beds. The call reaches Louisiana One Call, which notifies the owners of buried lines so they can mark where gas, electric, water and telecom lines run. The service is free. Louisiana's damage-prevention law requires notice before excavation, and a strike on a gas line is dangerous as well as expensive. Allow the waiting time the call center gives you before you start, and hand-dig carefully near marked lines. If you hit a gas line, leave the area and call 911 and the gas company from a safe distance.