Los Alamos County service windows to close briefly for employee picnic
Residents needing utility help will face a 2.5-hour midday gap on June 24, when Customer Care and DPU windows close for an annual employee picnic.
Los Alamos County residents who need to pay a utility bill, start or stop service, or sort out a DPU account will not be able to do it in person for 2.5 hours on Wednesday, June 24, when the lobby-facing windows at the Customer Care Center and the Department of Public Utilities suite close from 11:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. The shutdown, tied to an annual employee picnic, is brief, but it affects the county’s main walk-up point for billing and collection questions at the Municipal Building.
The Customer Care Center at 1000 Central Ave. is the county’s one-stop shop for general county activities and services, including DPU billing and collection services. That makes the midday closure more than a minor inconvenience for anyone trying to resolve account changes, make a payment, ask about service charges, or handle a start-stop request without delay. The county said voicemail and email messages will be answered after staff returns, and customers can reach the office by phone at 505-662-8333 or by email at CustomerCare@losalamosnm.gov.
The June 24 closure comes on top of a separate countywide shutdown for Juneteenth. Los Alamos County government offices were closed Friday, June 19, in observance of the holiday, with essential personnel for police, fire and utility stand-by crews continuing to provide service 24/7. That means emergency and standby utility operations remained available even as the public-facing Customer Care and DPU offices were shut.
The Department of Public Utilities serves Los Alamos County residents and businesses with electric, natural gas, water and wastewater service, and it also provides wholesale electric and water service to Los Alamos National Laboratory. For customers who need face-to-face help, the practical window is limited: the offices are normally open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, but the June 24 picnic will cut straight through the middle of the business day.
The county’s notice reflects a recurring summer practice. Similar midday picnic closures were reported in June 2025 and again in 2022, when the same offices briefly shut for employee events. For anyone planning a trip to the Municipal Building, the safest move is to handle utility business outside the 11:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. closure or use the phone and email options instead of risking a wasted trip or a late payment problem.
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