Rate hearing scheduled? Invite residents in one upload.

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

Statutes checked October 29, 2026

Direct answer: Residents learn when and where the hearing is and how to comment, 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 on screen, and approve. Mail early enough, because USPS delivery times vary.

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

Start MailingSee how it works

What is a rate hearing notice?

It is the notice that tells residents a utility has proposed new rates and that a public hearing is set before a decision. It usually names the hearing date, time and place, how to join remotely if that is offered, how to send written comments, and a short summary of the proposal. It is a mass notice: the same letter goes to every affected address. Your regulator, city charter or co-op bylaws decide whether mail is required and how far ahead it must arrive.

Who sets the notice rules?

Whoever regulates your rates. An investor-owned utility usually answers to a state commission. A city utility usually answers to its charter or an ordinance. A co-op answers to its bylaws and its members. We found no single federal rule. Ask your regulator or counsel what your notice needs and when it is due, then plan your mail date from that answer.

How far ahead should it go out?

Work backward from the hearing date and your rule's notice period, and leave room to spare. USPS lists First-Class Mail at 1-5 business days on its First-Class Mail page, and USPS delivery times vary. If your rule sets a short window, mail as early as it allows. When the rates are approved, the rate change notice is a separate mailing.

Who gets it?

Usually the customers of record in the affected rate classes, and sometimes property owners too. Export the list from your billing system, filter it to the classes in the proposal, and remove duplicates. Every address comes from you. We check every address before mailing, and the AI never suggests or adds one. Other utility mailings 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 hearing notice?

First-Class Mail is the everyday choice for a notice to every address on your list. A hearing notice goes to many residents at once, so Certified Mail rarely fits. 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 should the notice say?

Most hearing notices name the utility and the proposal, the hearing date, time and place, how to take part remotely if that is offered, how and by when to send written comments, and where to read the full filing. Many add an example of how a typical bill would change. Keep it in plain words so residents can tell at a glance whether it affects them. Your regulator, charter or bylaws may set required wording, and some regulators publish a form.

What do people ask about USMail.ai?

Is there a federal rule for rate hearing notices?

We found no single federal rule. Notice rules come from your state commission, your city charter or ordinance, or your co-op bylaws.

Can we mail the notice to just the affected rate classes?

Yes. Filter your billing export to those classes and upload the filtered list with the notice.

When should the hearing notice go out?

Before the deadline your rule sets for the hearing. USPS delivery times vary, so mail early enough.

Do you write or file the notice?

No. Your utility writes the notice and handles any filing. We print the file you upload, as you approved it, and mail it.

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.

Start Mailing