How Electric, Gas and Water Service Is Organised in Michigan

Michigan has no single utility office. Electricity, natural gas, water and sewer service come from investor-owned companies, city departments, cooperatives and regional authorities, and the one that serves you depends on your address. Our database lists 252 Michigan utility offices, from Detroit Water & Sewerage on Grand River Avenue to the Bessemer Area Sewer Authority in the western Upper Peninsula. Use the listings to find the counter or phone line that handles your account.

Energy is concentrated in two large companies. DTE Energy serves much of southeastern Michigan, while Consumers Energy covers most of the rest of the Lower Peninsula. The Consumers Energy listing here is at 4000 Clay Avenue Southwest in Grand Rapids, and its phone number is 800-477-5050. Smaller investor-owned companies, municipal systems and cooperatives fill the gaps, especially in the northern Lower Peninsula and the Upper Peninsula.

Water and sewer service works differently, because almost all of it is local. A city, village, township or authority owns the pipes, sets the rates and sends the bill. That is why one county can show several unrelated offices, and why moving across a city line can change who you call.

What the Michigan Public Service Commission Does

The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) is the state's main utility regulator. It sits within the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, and its three commissioners are appointed by the governor. The MPSC reviews rate requests from investor-owned electric and natural gas companies, weighs their long-term plans, and enforces consumer billing and shutoff standards.

Its reach has limits. City-owned electric systems, such as Traverse City Light & Power, answer to local boards and councils. Many rural cooperatives are run by member-elected boards. Municipal water and sewer rates are set by city governments or authorities. If your provider is a city department, your first appeal usually goes to a billing supervisor and then the city council, not a state agency.

Who Oversees Drinking Water and Wastewater

The Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) regulates public drinking water systems and wastewater discharge permits in Michigan. Water systems must test on a schedule and report results, and many mail an annual water quality report to customers. After the Flint water crisis, Michigan rewrote its lead and copper rule so that systems must inventory and replace lead service lines over time. The Flint Utilities Department, at 3310 East Court Street, is the city's service contact at 810-766-7225.

Utilities in Metro Detroit, Flint and Grand Rapids

Wayne County has the most listings in our database, with 25, and Oakland County follows with 21. Detroit Water & Sewerage (313-270-2960) handles water and sewer service for the city. Since 2016 the Great Lakes Water Authority has operated the regional treatment plants and major transmission lines serving Detroit and many surrounding communities. Detroit's department keeps the local pipes and the customer accounts.

Not every listing is a place to open a household account. Dearborn Industrial Generation, at 2400 Miller Road in Dearborn, is an industrial power listing. In Troy, Lakeshore Energy Service at 700 Tower Drive (248-879-0010) is a separate kind of business from a city water office. Phone first and ask whether the office handles residential accounts.

Flint and Grand Rapids show how a city's system can reach beyond its borders. Grand Rapids draws its water from Lake Michigan, and the Grand Rapids Water Filtration Plant is listed at 17350 Lake Michigan Drive in Grand Haven, in Ottawa County (616-842-7427). That address is a treatment facility, not a customer window. Flint has six listings in Genesee County, and Grand Rapids has six in Kent County. For billing questions in either city, start with the city utility office rather than the plant.

Small Cities, Rural Townships and the Upper Peninsula

Outside the big metro areas, the picture changes. Traverse City Light & Power, at 1131 Hastings Street (231-922-4940), is a municipal electric utility, so its policies come from its own board. Alpena Power Company (401 North 9th Avenue, 989-358-4900) serves the Alpena area. Cheboygan Utility Billing, at 403 North Huron Street (231-627-3592), handles city accounts. Ludington Utility Maintenance, at 602 Lakeview Street (231-845-1500), is the Mason County contact for maintenance.

Many rural townships have no public water or sewer at all. Homes there use private wells and septic systems, which are handled through the county health department rather than a utility. Sunrise Gas, at 1929 North Evergreen Drive in White Cloud (231-689-6649), is an example of a local gas supplier. In the Upper Peninsula, the Bessemer Area Sewer Authority on Stone Road (906-667-0022) shows how a sewer authority can serve a small community on its own.

Southern Michigan has dense clusters of municipal departments. Adrian has four listings and Berrien County has twelve. City of Adrian Utilities (135 East Maumee Street, 517-265-7151) and Rollin-Woodstock WW Treatment in Addison (517-547-6389) are public offices. Jackson Water Department is at 515 Water Street (517-788-4090), Kalamazoo Water Division at 241 West South Street (269-337-8149), and Port Huron Sewer Utilities at 1808 Bancroft Street (810-984-9770). Bay City Water Department-Meter Division is at 800 South Water Street (989-894-8320).

In Berrien County, Bridgman Water Works (5247 Lake Street, 269-465-5407) is a village water system. The American Electric Power Co listing in Buchanan (269-695-0295) reflects the company that owns Indiana Michigan Power, which serves the southwest corner of the state. Wolverine Pipe Line Company in Albion is a pipeline operator, not a billing office.

Michigan Rules That Affect Your Account

Several protections apply to customers of regulated electric and gas companies. Check them before a problem becomes a shutoff notice.

Before You Call or Visit a Michigan Utility Office

Have your service address, account number and photo ID ready. For a new account, bring a lease or closing statement and your move-in date. Some providers ask for a deposit from new customers, so ask what applies to you. Hours vary by office, and many city departments close at midday on holidays, so phone ahead.

If the power is out, report it to your electric company, not to 911, unless a downed line poses immediate danger. For a water main break, call the city or authority that bills you. The listings on this page give you the address and phone number for each office we hold on record.

Municipal utility departments throughout Michigan provide electricity, water, sewer, and related services to millions of residents and businesses. Utility governance in Michigan 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 156 cities across Michigan. They are spread across 68 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration of utility offices include Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, reflecting their larger populations and service area demands.

Michigan 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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Michigan 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 Michigan to find your local utility department's contact information and service office locations.

Michigan Utility Offices Through the Seasons

Michigan's weather shapes what residents ask their utilities for. Long winters raise heating bills, so the months before the first hard freeze are the time to ask about payment plans and winter protection. Spring thaw brings water main breaks and sewer backups in older city systems. Summer thunderstorms and winter ice storms cause most electric outages in the Lower Peninsula, and heavy snow can slow repairs in the Upper Peninsula.

Choose the office by the kind of problem you have. A billing question goes to the department that sends your bill, such as Kalamazoo Water Division, Jackson Water Department or Port Huron Sewer Utilities. A leaking meter or street problem usually goes to the same city department. In northern communities around Grand Traverse County, the municipal electric provider and the city water office are separate, so you may need two calls when you move. Keep a note of each account number so that closing an old account is quick.

The Michigan Public Service Commission, part of the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, regulates rates for investor-owned electric and natural gas companies such as DTE Energy and Consumers Energy. Its three commissioners are appointed by the governor. City-owned electric systems like Traverse City Light & Power and member-run cooperatives are governed locally, so their rates are set by their own boards. Check your bill to see which kind of provider you have before deciding where to send a complaint.

Look at a recent bill or property tax statement first. If you have neither, call city hall or the township office, which can tell you whether the service is municipal, run by an authority, or not available. In Detroit the provider is Detroit Water & Sewerage, while in Flint it is the Flint Utilities Department. If your home has a private well and septic system, the county health department is the right contact, not a utility.

Call your electric or gas company before the bill goes unpaid and ask about a payment plan. Low-income customers and seniors aged 65 and older can ask about the Winter Protection Plan, which limits shutoffs during the cold months. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services offers energy assistance, and local community action agencies often help with applications. Bring recent bills, proof of income and photo ID to any appointment. Apply early, because funds can run short.

Start with the company or city department that sends the bill, and keep the date, the name of the person you spoke to and what was promised. If a regulated electric or gas company does not fix the problem, you can file a complaint with the Michigan Public Service Commission. For city water bills, ask for a supervisor and then take the issue to the city council. Concerns about the safety of drinking water can also be raised with the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.

Contact MISS DIG 811, Michigan's one-call system, a few working days before you dig. Member utilities then mark the approximate location of buried electric, gas, water, sewer and communication lines, and the service is free. Pipelines are also buried across the state, including the Wolverine Pipe Line Company route near Albion in Calhoun County. Hitting a line can cause injury, outages and repair bills, so wait for the marks, and dig by hand near them.

Utility-related categories in public records include trade and industrial businesses as well as service providers. Names such as DTS Fluid Power in Cadillac, L & K Electric Inc in Beaverton and Englewood Electrical Supply in Adrian point to equipment or contracting work rather than a city billing window. Dearborn Industrial Generation is an industrial power listing. Phone the number shown and ask what the office handles before you travel, especially if you need to open, close or dispute a household account.