§ 31-11. Estimated bills prohibited; conditions for exception; termination of service.

Each meter shall be read for the purpose of rendering a bill and it shall be unlawful for any public gas utility corporation to estimate any gas bill for any customer, however, if for any of the following reasons the meter reader is unable to read the customer's meter, the bill for that month may be estimated if the public gas utility corporation notifies the director of finance of the City of Irving of the reason within five (5) days of the date the meter could not be read:

(1)

Owner, lessee, tenant, occupant or person in control of the premises refuses to permit the meter to be read; or

(2)

The meter is broken; or

(3)

The meter is inaccessible due to a vehicle parking over same, a vicious dog within same enclosure as meter; or

(4)

Construction work upon premises renders meter inaccessible.

Any of the above enumerated reasons which authorize the estimation of bills are also just cause for the utility to terminate service and not renew service until the customer has made the meter accessible and has paid the entire cost of disconnection and reinauguration of service.

(Ord. No. 2837, § 1(A), 2-26-76)