A. Before water shall be supplied to any property, the owner, contract vendee, or his authorized agent shall make application for the use of the water according to Section 13.04.050 of this code. In the event it become necessary to shut off the water due to nonpayment, the last known owner will be notified at the last known address. Should this result in no response or payment, the City will promptly take action to place a lien on the property and assume first payment status should the property be sold. Should the water be turned off for nonpayment, the water will not be turned on until all past due accounts have been paid. “Past due account” may be, but is not limited to past due bills, service charges, cost of postage, lien filing fees, attorney’s fees, etc.

B. All City utility accounts shall be kept in the name of the owner of that real property serviced by utilities, and the owner shall be responsible for the payment of utilities provided.

C. Utility accounts may be put in the name of a residential or commercial tenant only upon written authorization by the property owner and a guarantee of payment by the property owner on a standard form as provided by the City. Provided that, if the owner is delinquent on a bill and the tenant requests services be placed in his/her name, no owner authorization or guarantee is required.

D. Utility accounts currently in the name of a tenant shall remain in that tenant’s name for that specific piece of property until that tenant vacates that specific piece of property; then, at that time, the account shall be transferred to the owner’s name, and the owner shall be responsible for all utilities provided to the property.