Stafford County has been awarded $428,924 in CARES Act funds to assist all eligible utility customers of Stafford County with unpaid water/sewer bills. Assistance is only available for bills dated March 1, 2020 to December 30, 2020 and may not be used for past due amounts prior to or after this period. Details concerning who is eligible to receive this financial assistance and how to apply are below. 

Who is Eligible to Receive Utility Relief Funding Assistance?
Funding assistance is available to any Stafford County Utilities customers – with the exception of any government entity –whose account is unpaid because of economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Please note that customers will need to attest that they were unable to pay their water/sewer bill between March 1, 2020, and December 30, 2020, due to temporary loss of income, reduction in hours, or unemployment, or any combination thereof, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

CARES Act assistance through the Utility Relief Program is designed to be a one-time opportunity with only one direct assistance payment per account. 

Non-residential customers need to note that applicants are not eligible to receive this assistance if they already received some level of assistance through other existing programs funded by the CARES Act for the same months. 

How to Apply for Assistance:
Customers who receive water and/or sewer bills from Stafford County, whose accounts are unpaid and meet specified eligibility criteria, can submit an application for consideration. Applications must be received by January 11, 2021. 

Applications can be filled out online, in-person, or over the phone.  Applications are available in the Utilities Customer Service office located on the second floor of the George L. Gordon, Jr., Government Center, 1300 Courthouse Road, Stafford, VA 22554. To fill out an application over the phone, please call (540) 658-8616. 

To apply as a residential customer or non-residential customer, please visit www.staffordcountyva.gov/utilityrelief.

Federal and State eligibility requirements apply, and the applicant's certification of the submitted request for COVID-19 Utility Assistance Funds will be kept on file for Federal and State auditing purposes. The rules and regulations associated under section 601(a) of the Social Security Act, as added by section 5001 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act ("CARES Act"), will govern the use of the COVID-19 Utility Assistance Funds. 

For more information about eligibility or how to apply, please visit www.staffordcountyva.gov/utilityrelief. Customers may contact Stafford County Utilities Customer Service at (540)-658-8616 or by email at covidutilityrelief@staffordcountyva.gov.