Has LESCO cut your supply for unpaid bills? Start here. This guide is a decision tree: pick your situation, then follow only the path that fits. It expands on the short reconnection note in our installments guide — without repeating officer installment limits.

Check what you still owe on our LESCO bill check page before you go to the office.

Decision tree

A. Light was cut, but I already paid the arrears. → Take the payment receipt to the division's customer services officer. LESCO's FAQ says a disconnection notice based on arrears you already paid can be reversed when you show proof. Then ask for reconnection if supply is still off.
B. I can pay all outstanding dues now. → Clear dues (plus late payment surcharge if due). Apply for reconnection. See "RCO path" and "How fast should supply return?" below.
C. I cannot pay everything at once. → Ask for installments and reconnection together. LESCO's FAQ path: RCO by CSO, stamped-paper undertaking, fresh security deposit, fresh agreement, then supply after the first installment and other formalities. Details and officer limits: LESCO bill installments.
D. Supply was cut months or years ago. → Still usually reconnection (not a brand-new connection) if you are within NEPRA's reconnection window. Extra fixed/minimum charges and material rules can apply by how long you were off. See "How long were you disconnected?"
E. Cut for theft or illegal reconnection — not simple non-payment. → Different chapter of the rules. This guide covers non-payment cuts. Ask your sub-division what extra steps apply in your case.

Before the cut: notice rules

NEPRA's Consumer Service Manual sets the non-payment disconnection sequence:

  • Supply is not cut for default on only the current month's bill when there are no older dues, and not for default of one month's bill alone.
  • For unpaid previous-month dues, LESCO must give a clear seven-day notice with the second month's bill (may be printed or stamped on the bill).
  • If that second-month bill stays unpaid after its due date, supply may be disconnected. Restoration needs full payment with late payment surcharge, or installments allowed by LESCO.
  • If the third month plus older arrears stay unpaid, LESCO may issue an Equipment Removal Order (ERO), remove metering material, and allot a permanently disconnected code.
  • On an installment plan, supply should stay on while you pay. If you default, supply can be cut without further notice and restored only after at least 50% of the dues are received.
Complaint pending? NEPRA says supply should not be disconnected for a consumer who has a wrong-billing complaint or related dispute with NEPRA where restraining orders have been issued — but you must keep paying current bills. See wrong bill correction.

RCO path (LESCO FAQ)

For consumers disconnected for non-payment, LESCO's FAQ describes reconnection like this:

  1. The Reconnection Order (RCO) is approved by the Customer Services Officer (CSO).
  2. Clear dues, or get installments approved. For installments, sign an undertaking on stamped paper stating supply can be cut at once if you miss an installment or a current bill.
  3. Pay a fresh security deposit at current rates and sign a fresh agreement.
  4. Supply is restored after you pay the first installment (if on installments) and finish the other formalities.

Bring your CNIC, the latest bill or reference number, and payment receipts. Office contacts: LESCO helpline and office directory.

NEPRA reconnection policy (what else can be due)

NEPRA's manual says a disconnected premises can be reconnected on the consumer's application for up to ten years, subject to:

  • Clearance of all outstanding dues, or partial payment as allowed by the company.
  • Payment of fixed/minimum charges for the disconnected period (rules differ by tariff and by how long supply was off — ask the office for the amount that applies to you).
  • Payment of a reconnection fee when it applies.

Reconnection fee (NEPRA CSM table). Fee bands by arrears: up to Rs 5,000 → Rs 500; Rs 5,001–20,000 → Rs 800; Rs 20,001–100,000 → Rs 2,000; Rs 100,001–1,000,000 → Rs 4,000; over Rs 1,000,000 → Rs 10,000 (separate band for dishonest abstraction; seasonal listed as nil). NEPRA says these charges apply only when supply was permanently disconnected and material was actually removed from site.

Security deposit on reconnection (NEPRA CSM 8.6). Extra deposit depends on whether your old deposit was adjusted against arrears and whether you were off for more or less than 365 days. The office calculates it; LESCO's FAQ simply says you pay a fresh security deposit at current rates.

Option after long disconnection. If you have been off for more than three years and up to ten, NEPRA lets you choose a new connection at the same premises after clearing old dues (instead of reconnection). After more than ten years, reconnection under this policy is not available.

How long were you disconnected?

SituationWhat to expect (high level)
Recently cut; material still in placeClear dues or approved installments, complete RCO formalities. Reconnection fee rules above may not apply if disconnection was not permanent with material removed.
Permanently disconnected; material removedDues + applicable fixed/minimum charges + reconnection fee band + security rules. Material cost rules depend on whether you apply within 365 days, within three years, or later.
On installments after reconnectPay every installment and every new bill. Default can mean another cut without further notice until at least 50% of dues are paid.

How fast should supply return?

NEPRA's Performance Standards (Distribution) Regulations 2026 set timelines for reconnection after disconnection for non-payment (GPS 2), once payment is realized:

  • Urban, 400 V or below: same day if reconnection is within one year of disconnection; three days if disconnection was more than one year ago (seven days for 11 kV and above in the longer-wait band).
  • Rural, 400 V or below: the next day if within one year; three days if more than one year (with matching longer bands for 11 kV and above).

Ask the office for the status of your RCO and keep payment proof handy.

Related guides
LESCO online bill checkLESCO Bill InstallmentsLESCO Wrong Bill / OverbillingLESCO Helpline and OfficesOld LESCO Bills Online

Quick questions

Who approves a LESCO reconnection order?

LESCO's FAQ says the Reconnection Order (RCO) is approved by the Customer Services Officer (CSO).

Can LESCO cut supply for only one unpaid month?

NEPRA's Consumer Service Manual says no connection shall be disconnected on default of one month's bill. For older unpaid dues, a clear seven-day notice must go with the second month's bill before disconnection.

Do I need a fresh security deposit to reconnect?

LESCO's FAQ says yes — a fresh security deposit at current rates, plus a fresh agreement. NEPRA's manual sets detailed cases based on whether the old deposit was adjusted against arrears and how long you were disconnected.

I want installments after disconnection. When does the light come back?

LESCO's FAQ says supply is restored after you pay the first installment and complete the other formalities, including the stamped-paper undertaking and fresh security deposit.

Is there a fixed reconnection fee?

NEPRA's Consumer Service Manual publishes fee bands by arrears size (from Rs 500 upward in the published table). Those charges apply when supply was permanently disconnected and material was actually removed. Ask your office which band applies to your arrears.

Sources: LESCO FAQs on reconnection after disconnection for non-payment (RCO by CSO, stamped-paper undertaking, fresh security deposit and agreement, restoration after first installment) via prior verified copies of lesco.gov.pk/FAQs; NEPRA revised Consumer Service Manual (26 Nov 2025), chapter 8 (disconnection procedure 8.2, reconnection policy 8.5, security deposit for reconnection 8.6, option of new connection 8.7); NEPRA Performance Standards (Distribution) Regulations 2026, GPS 2 (reconnection after non-payment). Last checked: 16 Oct 2026.