For a Pinellas County Utilities customer, changing a name, changing the person responsible for service and turning water off temporarily are not interchangeable requests. Tell Customer Service which situation actually applies before asking it to change the account. The County’s billing hub routes account inquiries; the utility’s May 6, 2025 policy manual supplies the distinctions below.
Which change are you making?
| Situation | Question to resolve with PCU |
|---|---|
| Same residential customer, new legal name | Which marriage, divorce or court document establishes the change? |
| Different responsible customer | Does this require a new account and final reading rather than editing the old name? |
| Seasonal absence | Which base charges continue while service is off, and what will reactivation require? |
| Moving out | What is the scheduled stop date, forwarding address and final-bill destination? |
Section 4.7 distinguishes residential legal-name changes from a different account holder. For example, after divorce, a change of responsible party requires a new account; transferring the old deposit requires written requests from both parties and remains subject to the deposit policy. Do not assume authorization from one account holder resolves the other person’s interest. Name-change policy
Before moving into an already supplied property
Running water does not establish an account in the new occupant’s name. Section 3.3 requires the new customer to contact PCU; tenants may need proof of lawful possession such as a lease. Request the actual effective date and applicable first-reading or service charges.
For a residential deposit waiver, section 4.2 describes a utility reference covering the preceding 12 months. The same section mentions both payment by the first bill’s due date and a deposit before service is provided. Ask which timing applies to your application; do not rely on the later date without confirmation. A waiver is discretionary, and this guide does not quote a deposit amount. Application and deposit rules
Turning the water off is not closing every charge
The manual requires at least 24 hours’ notice to schedule a requested discontinuance on a normal workday. A changed move-out date needs a changed request; notifying PCU after its representative arrives can produce an additional-trip fee.
A temporary or seasonal disconnect retains the deposit and continues applicable base charges and charges for other services PCU bills. Before choosing that option, ask for an explanation of the expected ongoing bill and reactivation conditions. Do not budget it as a zero-dollar account. Sections 6.2 and 6.2.1
Check the final bill before expecting a refund
For closure, provide a forwarding address. The manual applies retained deposit and interest after calculating the final bill; that can leave a balance owed rather than a refund. It treats credits below $5 differently: those refunds require a customer request. Compare the final charges, deposit credit and remaining balance instead of treating the original deposit as the refund amount. Sections 4.5 and 6.2.2
Use the current billing hub to reach the account service. The policy landing lists 727-464-4000, with weekday telephone/office operations 8 a.m.–5 p.m. and lobby payment processing ending at 4:30 p.m.; confirm the appropriate channel before visiting.
LSL checked the policy landing, billing hub and relevant manual sections on September 21, 2026. The manual review covered PDF pages 18–20, 24–26 and 34–35, not every chapter of its 70 pages. The comparison is for PCU customers, not every address in Pinellas County. No account, tenancy, deposit entitlement or final balance was examined.