Where Oncor delivers power, you start or stop electricity through a retail provider, not Oncor. Fort Worth Water charges a $20 activation fee and a $50 minimum residential deposit that can be waived; Dallas waives its deposit for owners. Atmos needs an adult present to reconnect gas.
Own an empty house in Fort Worth, Dallas or a nearby suburb? Our Texas guide to utilities in a vacant house covers the statewide side: insurance conditions, TDI's freeze advice and the PUCT's billing rules. This page is the DFW layer. It names the companies you actually call, what they charge to open an account, and the tools that let you watch an idle house from across town.
Start with the old bills
Before calling anyone, find the most recent electric, water and gas bills for the address. If you inherited the house or bought it empty, ask the estate, the prior owner or the title company. Each bill names the company that serves the house, which settles most of the guesswork.
The electric bill holds one number worth copying down: the ESI ID. Oncor describes it as a 17-digit Electric Service Identifier that is unique to a property address. Oncor says a retail provider can use it to set up an account and establish service.
Electricity where Oncor owns the wires
Oncor's FAQ lists Fort Worth and Arlington among the cities where it delivers electric service. Oncor also says plainly that it delivers electricity but is not a retailer and does not sell power directly to customers. That changes who you call:
- Service already on: call the retail electric provider at the number on the bill to stop it or move it into a new name.
- No active service: compare plans on powertochoose.org, the PUCT's shopping site, pick a provider and contact it to start service.
The PUCT says choice applies in the ERCOT region except where an electric cooperative or a city-owned utility serves the address. If your DFW bill comes from a co-op or a city utility, you deal with that utility directly and Power to Choose does not apply.
Two Oncor details help an absent owner. Its site links to Smart Meter Texas for checking meter usage, so you can see whether power use at an idle house suddenly climbs. And its FAQ warns that Oncor employees will never come to your home or contact you to ask for a payment to prevent a disconnection. A caller claiming to be Oncor and demanding payment for your vacant house is a red flag.
Fort Worth water accounts
Fort Worth Water handles accounts by phone at 817-392-4477 or at its customer service location. To open one, it asks for the responsible person's name, phone number, Social Security number and driver's license number, the name of the present property owner, and, if available, the name of the previous owner or tenant.
| Fort Worth Water charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Activation charge, on the first bill | $20 |
| Same-day service request | Additional $25 |
| Residential deposit | $50 minimum |
| Transfer service charge, on the first bill at the new address | $20 |
The city waives the residential deposit for a customer with at least 12 consecutive months of Fort Worth utility service in the previous 12 months and no late payments, or with a credit reference letter from another utility showing the same. Residential deposits may be refunded after one year of good payment history. When you stop service, any deposit on file is credited to the final bill.
Watch a Fort Worth meter from your phone
Fort Worth's MyH2O program fits water meters with digital displays and radio transmitters that send usage data to the utility. Through the MyH2O app or online portal, customers can see the previous day's water use in hourly steps. They can also set alerts for continuous flow, which the city says may indicate a leak, or for usage that passes a limit they choose.
The app is free, which makes it a low-cost way to keep watch on a vacant house. An empty house with the main valve closed should show almost no use. Steady overnight flow points to a leak or to someone using the house, and either one needs a visit.
Dallas Water Utilities accounts
In Dallas, you can open an account online or call Dallas Water Utilities customer service at (214) 651-1441 on weekdays. The walk-in customer service lobby is at Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla Street.
Dallas bills deposits on the first bill, but it skips the deposit when the customer meets any one of these:
- A good credit history with Dallas Water Utilities.
- Age 65 or older.
- Owning, or being in the process of buying, the property to be served.
- A letter from another person with good credit history at the utility who backs the account.
- Twelve consecutive months of timely payments on an account with another utility.
The ownership item is the one to mention if the vacant house is yours.
Gas: what Atmos needs to reconnect
If your gas bill comes from Atmos Energy, its page on restoring service lays out the order of steps after gas was shut off for a leak or a repair. Have a qualified professional fix the piping or appliance, complete any city inspection or permit, and then call Atmos at 888.286.6700 during business hours to book a reconnection.
A responsible adult 18 or older must be at the house for the appointment. The technician may relight gas appliances that are accessible and in safe working condition, though Atmos says that visit does not replace routine inspection of your piping and appliances. For an owner who lives elsewhere, that means planning a trip or sending a trusted adult. If anyone ever smells gas at the house, Atmos says to leave the area and call 911 and Atmos at 866.322.8667.
Suburbs and other providers
Outside Fort Worth and Dallas, your water account sits with whatever city, district or company the bill names, and its deposit, transfer and restart rules may differ from the two big cities. Electric service may come from Oncor, a co-op or a city utility, depending on the address. The quickest route is the bill itself, then that provider's start-and-stop page.
City code rules for the empty house
Utilities are only part of what a city watches at a vacant property. Our DFW vacant house checklist walks through Fort Worth's and Dallas's code rules for empty houses, such as securing the structure and keeping grass cut, with links to each city's code compliance pages.
A DFW owner's utility setup, in order
- Collect the last bills and copy the ESI ID from the electric bill.
- Read your insurance policy's vacancy and heat conditions before changing anything.
- Move the electric account into your name, or start a plan if service is off.
- Open or transfer the water account and sign up for MyH2O if the house is in Fort Worth.
- Decide on gas based on whether the heat is gas, and schedule any Atmos reconnection when an adult can be there.
- Note every account number and phone number on one sheet.
When you would rather sell the empty house
Paying three utility bills on a house nobody lives in adds up. Cash Home Advisors is based in Fort Worth and buys houses across DFW. We can close in 7–14 days, we pay all closing costs, and you see the closing statement before you sign. Our guide to selling a vacant house in DFW covers the listing route too.
Get a free cash offer, or see how we buy in Fort Worth and Dallas.
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Frequently asked questions
Do I call Oncor to turn on power at a vacant house?
No. Oncor says it delivers electricity but is not a retailer and does not sell electricity directly to customers. If there is no active service, its FAQ says to compare plans on powertochoose.org, pick a retail electric provider and contact that provider to start service. To stop or move service, call the provider whose number is on the bill.
What does Fort Worth charge to open a water account?
Fort Worth Water lists a $20 activation charge on the first bill, an extra $25 for same-day service, and a minimum $50 deposit for residential accounts. The deposit can be waived with a qualifying payment history with the city or a credit reference letter from another utility.
Do I need a deposit for Dallas water if I own the house?
Dallas Water Utilities bills deposits on the first bill, but says a deposit is not required if you meet one of its criteria. One of them is that you own, or are in the process of buying, the property to be served.
Does someone have to be at the house for Atmos to reconnect gas?
Yes. Atmos Energy's page on restoring service says a responsible adult 18 or older must be present at the reconnection appointment, which you schedule by calling 888.286.6700 during business hours.
Sources
- Oncor, Start and stop service FAQ (retail providers, Power to Choose, ESI ID)
- City of Fort Worth Water, Opening, closing and transferring accounts
- City of Fort Worth Water, MyH2O program
- Dallas Water Utilities, Starting service and deposits
- Atmos Energy, Restoring your natural gas service
- Public Utility Commission of Texas, Choosing an electric plan
General information, not legal or tax advice. Talk to a Texas attorney or CPA about your situation.