Raising rates? Notify residents before the effective date.

By the USMail.ai team, more than 50 years of combined expertise in printing and mailing

Statutes checked October 29, 2026

Direct answer: Residents see the new rates and what they mean for a typical bill, and we print and mail a notice to every address on your list. You upload the notice and the list, check the proof and the full price, and approve. USPS delivery times vary, so mail early enough.

Statutes checked October 29, 2026: rate-change notice rules come from whoever regulates your rates: a state commission, a city charter or ordinance, or co-op bylaws. We found no single federal rule. State commissions: Kansas Corporation Commission, Nebraska Public Service Commission, Oklahoma Corporation Commission. General information, not legal advice.

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When does a utility mail a rate change notice?

After a city council, co-op board or state commission approves new rates and before they show up on a bill. Some utilities also mail a notice when a rate case is filed, and the hearing notice is its own mailing. A rate change letter is the plain explanation: what is changing, when it starts and what it means for a typical bill. Whoever regulates your rates may set the timing and the wording, so check with them before you set a mail date.

What should the notice say?

Most rate notices cover the effective date, the old and new rates or charges, the reason for the change in a sentence or two, an example bill for a typical household, and a phone number or web page for questions. Many utilities add how to sign up for budget billing or assistance. Keep it short and in plain words; residents read it to find out what their bill will be. Your board, regulator or counsel decides what yours must include.

Who gets it?

Usually every service address or billing address in the rate class that changes. Export the list from your billing system and remove duplicates. If a rate change affects only one class, such as irrigation or commercial accounts, filter the list before you upload. Every address comes from you. We check every address before mailing, and the AI never suggests or adds one.

How far ahead should it go out?

Start from the date your regulator, charter or bylaws require and work backward with room to spare. USPS lists First-Class Mail at 1-5 business days on its First-Class Mail page, and USPS delivery times vary, so mail early enough. If the change follows a public hearing, the rate hearing notice is a separate mailing. All utility notices are on the utility notices hub.

How does mailing work on USMail.ai?

You upload. You approve. We produce. You upload the notice as a PDF or document, add your mailing list, and check the proof on screen. You see the complete price before you approve, and nothing prints until a person on your staff says yes. From our own production floor: we print, envelope and hand each piece to USPS, and you see the proof and the full price before you approve.

If plans change, you can unapprove an approved job before its mail date, and the money goes back on your meter balance, not your card.

Which mail class fits a rate notice?

First-Class Mail is the everyday choice for a notice to every address on your list. Certified Mail is for a single letter where you want a USPS record, which rarely fits a rate notice to a whole class. Certified Mail is $1.15 plus the current USPS Certified Mail fee, which USPS publishes in Notice 123. You see the full price before you approve. We don't offer paper Return Receipt yet.

What does it cost?

Letters starting at $1.15, postage included. For a one-page, single-sided, black-and-white First-Class letter. You see the full price for the whole mailing before you approve. A meter balance is optional, and you can pay per mailing. USMail.ai is an AI print-to-mail platform, not USPS.

What does USMail.ai not do?

We don't set rates, write tariff language or run your billing system. Your board, council or commission sets the rates, and your billing system keeps the accounts. We print the notice you upload, as you approved it, and hand it to USPS.

What do people ask about USMail.ai?

Can we mail the rate notice only to one rate class?

Yes. Filter your billing export to that class and upload the filtered list with the notice.

Do you write the rate notice?

No. Your utility writes it, often with wording your regulator or board approved. We print the file you upload, as you approved it.

When should the rate notice go out?

Before the date your regulator, charter or bylaws require. USPS delivery times vary, so mail early enough.

Do you add addresses we're missing?

No. Every address comes from you, and the AI never suggests one. We check every address before mailing.

When does my letter go to USPS?

By default, letters you approve before 10 p.m. CT are handed to USPS the next business day (Monday to Friday). USPS delivery times vary. USPS handles delivery from there. There are no contracts, subscriptions or setup fees.

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