R746-200-1. General Provisions

A. Title -- These rules shall be known and may be cited as the Residential Utility Service Rules.

B. Purpose -- The purpose of these Rules is to establish and enforce uniform residential utility service practices and procedures governing eligibility, deposits, account billing, termination, and deferred payment agreements.

C. Policy --

1. The policy of these rules is to assure the adequate provision of residential utility service, to restrict unreasonable termination of or refusal to provide residential utility service, to provide functional alternatives to termination or refusal to provide residential utility service, and to establish and enforce fair and equitable procedures governing eligibility, deposits, account billing, termination, and deferred payment agreements.

2. Nondiscrimination -- Residential utility service shall be provided to qualified persons without regard to employment, occupation, race, handicap, creed, sex, national origin, marital status, or number of dependents.

D. Requirement of Good Faith -- Each agreement or obligation within these rules imposes an obligation of good faith, honesty, and fair dealings in its performance and enforcement.

E. Customer Information -- When residential service is extended to an account holder, a public utility shall provide the consumer with a consumer information pamphlet approved by the Commission which clearly describes and summarizes the substance of these rules. The utility shall mail or deliver a copy of this pamphlet, or a summarized version approved by the Commission, to its residential customers annually in September or October. Copies of this pamphlet shall be prominently displayed in the business offices maintained by the utility and furnished to consumers upon request. The utility has a continuing obligation to inform its consumers of significant amendments to these rules. Each utility with over 10,000 customers receiving service shall print and make available upon request a Spanish edition of a consumer information pamphlet. The English edition of the pamphlet shall contain a prominent notice, written in Spanish and English, that the utility has a Spanish edition of its pamphlet and whether or not it has qualified personnel available to help Spanish-speaking customers. In this section, utilities with fewer than 10,000 users may use the pamphlets printed by the Division of Public Utilities for the distribution and availability requirements.

F. Scope --

1. These rules shall apply to gas, water, sewer, and electric utilities that are subject to the regulatory authority of the Commission. Except as provided in R746-200-7(G)(4), Notice of Proposed Termination, these rules do not apply to master metered apartment dwellings. Commercial, industrial, government accounts and special contracts are also excluded from the requirements of these rules.

2. Upon a showing that specified portions of these rules impose an undue hardship and provide limited benefit to its customers, a utility may petition the Commission for an exemption from specified portions of these rules.

G. Customer's Statement of Rights and Responsibilities -- When utility service is extended to an account holder, annually, and upon first notice of an impending service disconnection, a public utility shall provide a copy of the "Customer's Statement of Rights and Responsibilities" as approved by the Commission. The Statement of Rights and Responsibilities shall be a single page document. It shall be prominently displayed in each customer service center.