Vermont does not have one central utility office. Electricity, water, sewer, gas and broadband reach Vermont homes through investor-owned companies, member-owned cooperatives, town departments and special water districts, and each has its own counter, phone line and billing rules. This page explains which kind of office handles which job, how the state oversees them, and what to have ready before you call or drive over.

How Vermont Regulates Electric, Gas and Water Service

State utility law sits mainly in Title 30 of the Vermont Statutes Annotated. The Vermont Public Utility Commission, based in Montpelier, is the quasi-judicial body that sets rates for investor-owned electric and gas companies, approves new power lines and generating projects, and hears formal customer disputes. Before 2017 it was known as the Public Service Board.

A separate agency, the Department of Public Service, speaks for ratepayers. It writes the state's long-range energy plan and runs a Consumer Assistance Program that takes complaints about electric, gas, telephone and cable service. The usual order is simple: raise the problem with the utility first, then go to the Department if the answer does not resolve it.

Drinking water follows a different track. Public water systems answer to the Drinking Water and Groundwater Protection Division of the Department of Environmental Conservation, part of the Agency of Natural Resources. That division sets testing and treatment standards. Your town or water district still sets your rates and sends your bill, so a complaint about price goes to the local board, not to Montpelier.

Municipal electric departments work on the same local model. Ludlow Electric Department and Morrisville Water & Light are community-owned, and local officials or a local board oversee their budgets. A rate change is therefore usually discussed at a public local meeting rather than in the statewide proceedings that investor-owned companies go through. Attend or read the minutes if you want a say.

If you plan to install rooftop solar, the Commission's net-metering rules govern how your electric provider credits the power you send back to the grid. Your utility's interconnection staff are the first contact, and they can explain the application steps and any equipment they require.

Broadband is a growing part of the picture too. In many rural areas, communications union districts, which are groups of towns that build fiber networks together, now deliver service that private carriers never extended. Check with your town office to see whether one covers your road.

Who Answers the Phone: Municipal Departments, Cooperatives and the Transmission Grid

Most Vermont households buy electricity from Green Mountain Power, the state's largest electric company, from Vermont Electric Cooperative, or from a municipal system. Our directory concentrates on offices with a local address. Washington Electric Cooperative Inc., on Church Street in East Montpelier (802-223-5245), is owned by its members, who elect the board that sets policy. Co-op customers are called members, and the annual meeting is where they vote. Residents of Washington County can look there for nearby offices.

Ludlow Electric Department sits at 9 Pond Street in Ludlow (802-228-7766), part of Windsor County. Morrisville Water & Light, at 857 Elmore Road in Morristown (802-888-3348), serves Lamoille County. Small municipal offices like these often know individual streets and neighbors well, which helps when you are reporting a flickering streetlight or a low-pressure faucet.

Two listings are not customer-service counters at all. Vermont Electric Power Company, at 366 Pinnacle Ridge Road in Rutland (802-773-9161), owns and operates the high-voltage transmission grid that moves power between distribution utilities. It does not bill homes, so call your local electric provider about an outage. The Joseph C. McNeil Generating Station, at 111 Intervale Road in Burlington (802-865-7482), is a wood-chip-fired plant operated by Burlington Electric Department. Both are useful stops if you are researching where Vermont's power comes from. Other Rutland County listings are easy to browse from the county page.

Water and Sewer Offices in the Burlington Area

Water service is the most local of all utilities, and the Burlington area has the densest cluster of offices. Lake Champlain supplies much of the region's public water. These are the offices in our database that handle it:

The two South Burlington listings share an address, so one trip can cover either, but call first to confirm which counter handles your question. In many cases the Champlain Water District deals with treatment and bulk supply, while a municipal department handles your connection, meter and bill. Ask which applies before you drive over.

Chittenden County Compared With Rural Vermont

Chittenden County holds more than half of the offices in our database, which matches where Vermonters live. Municipal water and sewer lines, a few large electric providers and several offices within a short drive make it the easiest part of the state for in-person service. The page for Chittenden County lets you compare departments side by side.

Outside that corridor the picture changes. Many Vermont villages have no public water at all, and households depend on drilled wells and septic systems. Where public water exists, it is often run by a village, a fire district or a small town department with limited counter hours. Central Vermont's cooperative serves a largely rural, hilly territory, and a service call there can take longer than in town.

Franklin County, along the Canadian border, is home to the St. Albans listing, and Vermont Gas Systems supplies natural gas in parts of Franklin and Chittenden counties. Elsewhere, heat comes from fuel oil, propane, wood or electricity, and fuel dealers are private businesses rather than regulated utilities. That distinction matters when you need help. The Commission can look into a gas or electric bill, but a dispute with an oil dealer belongs with a consumer protection office instead.

What to Bring and When to Visit a Vermont Utility Office

Most counters ask for the same few items. Bring a photo ID, your service address and your account number if you have one. For a new account you may also need a lease or closing statement, plus the name of the previous owner or tenant so the meter can be transferred cleanly. Ask whether a deposit applies, because policies differ between departments.

Call ahead before driving. Small-town departments often share space with the town clerk or run on limited hours, and some close for lunch. Late spring and early fall are the best times for non-urgent business. Winter storms and mud season, when frost heaves and washouts slow crews, are when phone lines get busiest.

For emergencies, skip the office. Report a downed line, a gas smell or a water main break through the utility's emergency number, and stay well back from any fallen wire. Before any digging project, including fence posts and trees, call 811 so underground lines are marked.

If you are struggling with a bill, ask about a payment plan before the balance grows. Fuel assistance and weatherization programs run through regional community action agencies, and dialing 2-1-1 connects you with a referral line that can point you to the right one.

Municipal utility departments throughout Vermont provide electricity, water, sewer, and related services to millions of residents and businesses. Utility governance in Vermont 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 11 cities across Vermont. They are spread across 7 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration of utility offices include South Burlington, Burlington, Rutland, reflecting their larger populations and service area demands.

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

Setting Up Utility Service at a New Vermont Address

Moving into a Vermont home means opening several accounts, and few of them share one office. Electricity comes from the distribution company that serves your town. Water and sewer come from the town, village or district if your street is connected. Heat comes from whichever fuel your building uses, and fuel dealers are private businesses. A good first stop is the town clerk, who can tell you whether public water and sewer reach your address and which electric provider covers it.

Service territory does not always match the address on the door. The Brattleboro Water Department, for example, is listed on Fairground Road in Guilford, in Windham County, even though its name points to a different town. Likewise, the Champlain Water District and South Burlington Water Department share a building on Queen City Park Road. When you are unsure which office to contact, check a recent bill or ask by phone instead of assuming the town line decides.

Property owners carry extra responsibilities that renters rarely see. Sewer-use ordinances, connection fees and meter rules are set by the town or district and can differ sharply between neighboring municipalities. Ask for the current fee schedule in writing before you budget for a new connection. Keep copies of permits, inspection reports and account numbers in one folder. A rural Vermont property may rely on a well and septic system that no utility will ever inspect, so the records you keep matter more than they do in a city.

The answers below cover questions that come up most often at Vermont counters.

The Vermont Public Utility Commission regulates rates for investor-owned electric and gas companies and handles formal disputes. The Department of Public Service represents ratepayers and runs a Consumer Assistance Program for complaints about electric, gas, telephone and cable service. Start with your utility's billing office, give them your account number and the specific charge you question, and ask for a written explanation. If that does not resolve it, contact the Consumer Assistance Program, which can intervene informally. Municipal departments and cooperatives set rates through local boards, so a dispute with them usually goes to the board or general manager first.

Vermont rules limit disconnections for residential customers of regulated electric and gas utilities during the coldest part of the year, generally from mid-November into mid-April, and they require written notice and a chance to arrange payment beforehand. Exact protections depend on the type of utility and your situation, so confirm the current rule with your provider or the Department of Public Service. If you fall behind, call the billing office right away and ask about a payment arrangement rather than waiting for a notice. Medical circumstances can also affect timing, and utilities will explain what paperwork they accept.

Vermont's fuel assistance program, funded with federal money and administered by the Office of Economic Opportunity within the Department for Children and Families, helps eligible households with heating costs. Applications are generally handled through regional community action agencies, and in Chittenden County that includes the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity. Income limits apply and change from year to year, so check current figures before you apply. Weatherization help comes through the same network and can lower your bills over time. Dialing 2-1-1 connects you with a referral line that can point you to the right agency for your town.

Much of Chittenden County's public water comes from Lake Champlain, and the Champlain Water District, at 403 Queen City Park Road in South Burlington (802-864-7454), is a major supplier. For billing and service questions, contact the department for your street: Burlington Water Division Office at 802-863-4501, South Burlington Water Department at 802-864-4361, Colchester Water Department at 802-862-4621, Williston Water & Sewer Department at 802-878-1239, or Winooski Water Department at 802-655-6422. If you are unsure which applies, check a recent bill or ask your town clerk.

Yes. Vermont law requires you to notify the state's one-call system before you excavate, and the call is free. Dial 811 or contact Dig Safe System, and allow at least 48 hours, not counting weekends and holidays, for utility crews to mark buried lines. This applies to small jobs such as planting a tree, setting fence posts or installing a mailbox post, not only to large construction. Dig by hand near the painted marks. Marking covers the utilities' own lines, so private lines, such as one running to a detached garage or well, may not be marked.

Public utilities do not serve every Vermont address, and nobody tests a private well for you. Schedule water testing through the Vermont Department of Health Laboratory or a certified private lab, covering contaminants such as bacteria, arsenic and lead. For septic systems, the Department of Environmental Conservation's wastewater program issues permits under the state's Wastewater System and Potable Water Supply Rules for new buildings and many replacements, and its regional offices can answer questions. Ask your town clerk about local ordinances as well. Keep test results and permit paperwork, since buyers and lenders often ask for them when you sell.