California Code
Public Utilities Code - PUC
DIVISION 4 - LAWS RELATING TO UTILITY CORPORATIONS AND THEIR EMPLOYEES

CHAPTER 1 - Railroad Corporations

ARTICLE 1 - Administration and Finance

Section 7503. - 7503. Any person or any corporation formed under the laws...

Section 7505. - 7505. (a) Revenue derived from passenger rail service on the...

Section 7508. - 7508. Subject to the provisions of Part 1 of Division...

ARTICLE 2 - Powers and Duties

Section 7526. - 7526. Every railroad corporation has all of the following powers:...

Section 7527. - 7527. Every railroad corporation also has all of the following...

Section 7528. - 7528. Every person or corporation authorized to operate a railroad...

Section 7529. - 7529. Railroad corporations doing business in this State and organized...

Section 7530. - 7530. Every railroad corporation in this State shall, within a...

Section 7531. - 7531. If, at any time after the location of the...

Section 7531.5. - 7531.5. Upon receipt by it of an application, filed with...

Section 7533. - 7533. The board of directors of any railroad corporation may...

Section 7535. - 7535. Whenever the track of one railroad intersects or crosses...

Section 7536. - 7536. Whenever the track of a railroad crosses another railroad...

Section 7537. - 7537. The owner of any lands along or through which...

Section 7538. - 7538. At every farm or private grade crossing of a...

ARTICLE 3 - Rights of Way and Franchises

Section 7551. - 7551. Every railroad corporation is granted the right of way...

Section 7551.1. - 7551.1. The Secretary of Transportation may grant to every railroad...

Section 7551.3. - 7551.3. (a) To ensure that a fair and reasonable price...

Section 7552. - 7552. (a) Every railroad corporation is granted the right, subject...

Section 7553. - 7553. When any selection of a right of way, or...

Section 7554. - 7554. If any corporation receiving state lands or appurtenances thereunder...

Section 7555. - 7555. No railroad corporation may use any street, alley, or...

Section 7556. - 7556. The governing body of a county, city and county,...

Section 7556.1. - 7556.1. Notwithstanding Section 7556, to railroad corporations whose primary business...

Section 7557. - 7557. Where any railroad or street railroad tracks are located...

ARTICLE 4 - Conditional Sale of Railroad Equipment

Section 7576. - 7576. In any contract for the sale of railroad or...

Section 7577. - 7577. In any contract for the leasing or hiring of...

Section 7578. - 7578. No contract of the type provided for in this...

ARTICLE 5 - Railroad Equipment

Section 7601. - 7601. Except as provided in Section 7602 every common carrier...

Section 7602. - 7602. Section 7601 does not apply to any track, siding,...

Section 7603. - 7603. Any corporation, company, or person, or any officer, superintendent,...

Section 7604. - 7604. (a) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (3), a...

Section 7605. - 7605. Every railroad corporation, or receiver or lessee thereof, operating...

Section 7606. - 7606. Every steam locomotive used upon a railroad in this...

Section 7607. - 7607. Every railroad corporation, or receiver or lessee thereof, operating...

Section 7608. - 7608. Every railroad company, or the receiver or receivers of...

Section 7609. - 7609. Every railroad company, or the receiver or receivers thereof,...

Section 7610. - 7610. The employee of any railroad company, or the receiver...

Section 7611. - 7611. Any person or any employee of any railroad company,...

Section 7612. - 7612. It shall be unlawful for any owner or operator...

Section 7613. - 7613. On and after July 1, 1954, any owner or...

Section 7614. - 7614. It shall be unlawful for any owner or operator...

ARTICLE 6 - Fences

Section 7626. - 7626. Every railroad corporation shall make and maintain a good...

Section 7627. - 7627. A railroad corporation that pays to the owner of...

Section 7628. - 7628. The commission may require every railroad corporation operating any...

Section 7629. - 7629. The authority of the commission to require such fences...

Section 7630. - 7630. Upon hearing the commission shall determine whether or not...

Section 7631. - 7631. The failure of any railroad corporation to comply with...

ARTICLE 7 - Operation

Section 7653. - 7653. Every railroad corporation shall furnish, on the inside of...

Section 7654. - 7654. Every railroad corporation shall print and conspicuously post on...

Section 7655. - 7655. A check shall be affixed to every package or...

Section 7656. - 7656. If any passenger refuses to pay his fare, or...

Section 7657. - 7657. Every conductor, baggage master, engineer, brakeman, or other employee...

Section 7658. - 7658. No city or county or city and county ordinance...

Section 7659. - 7659. Notwithstanding any city or county or city and county...

Section 7660. - 7660. The commission, in authorizing any restrictions on the speed...

Section 7661. - 7661. (a) The commission shall require every railroad corporation operating...

Section 7662. - 7662. (a) (1) A railroad corporation shall place appropriate signage...

Section 7663. - 7663. Whenever the Department of the California Highway Patrol or...

ARTICLE 7.3 - Local Community Rail Security Act of 2006

Section 7665. - 7665. (a) This article shall be known, and may be...

Section 7665.1. - 7665.1. Unless the context requires otherwise, for purposes of this...

Section 7665.2. - 7665.2. By July 1, 2007, every operator of rail facilities...

Section 7665.3. - 7665.3. The office may provide the risk assessment provided pursuant...

Section 7665.4. - 7665.4. (a) By January 1, 2008, every rail operator shall...

Section 7665.6. - 7665.6. Every rail operator shall, for all facilities that handle...

Section 7665.8. - 7665.8. Every rail operator shall provide communications capability that can...

Section 7666. - 7666. No rail operator or any other person covered by...

Section 7667. - 7667. The provisions of this article are severable. If any...

ARTICLE 7.5 - Hazardous Materials Transportation by Rail

Section 7671. - 7671. The Legislature finds and declares that the purpose of...

Section 7672. - 7672. For purposes of this article, “hazardous material” means either...

Section 7672.5. - 7672.5. Any railroad corporation which is involved in an incident...

Section 7673. - 7673. Each railroad corporation which transports hazardous materials in the...

ARTICLE 8 - Crimes

Section 7676. - 7676. Every person who, in making up or running any...

Section 7677. - 7677. No person, firm, or corporation operating a railroad with...

Section 7677.1. - 7677.1. Radio or other means of communication not hereinabove referred...

Section 7678. - 7678. Except as provided in paragraphs (1) to (3), inclusive,...

Section 7679. - 7679. Any person employed upon any railroad as engineer, conductor,...

Section 7680. - 7680. Every conductor, engineer, brakeman, switchman, or other person having...

Section 7681. - 7681. Every engineer, conductor, brakeman, switch-tender, or other officer, agent,...

ARTICLE 9 - Rail Service Assistance

Section 7700. - 7700. By Section 803 of the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory...

Section 7701. - 7701. The Department of Transportation, in cooperation with the commission...

Section 7702. - 7702. The Department of Transportation, in cooperation with the commission...

Section 7703. - 7703. The Department of Transportation shall administer a program of...

Section 7704. - 7704. To the maximum extent permitted by federal law, rules,...

Section 7705. - 7705. The Governor, the Secretary of the Business and Transportation...

ARTICLE 10 - Railroad Safety and Emergency Planning and Response

Section 7710. - 7710. For purposes of this article, the following definitions shall...

Section 7711.1. - 7711.1. The commission shall collect and analyze near-miss data generated...

Section 7712. - 7712. On or before January 1, 1993, the commission shall...

Section 7713. - 7713. (a) The Rail Accident Prevention and Response Fund is...

Section 7714. - 7714. (a) The Hazardous Spill Prevention Account in the Railroad...

Section 7714.5. - 7714.5. (a) In accordance with regulations adopted pursuant to Section...

Section 7718. - 7718. (a) The Railroad Accident Prevention and Immediate Deployment Force...

Section 7720. - 7720. (a) (1) When an appropriate prosecuting agency determines that...

Section 7721. - 7721. Every civil action commenced pursuant to this article for...

Section 7722. - 7722. Any civil action brought in the superior court pursuant...

Section 7723. - 7723. The civil and criminal penalties provided in this article...

Section 7724. - 7724. (a) Any person who commits any of the following...

Section 7724.1. - 7724.1. (a) If a person reasonably, and in good faith,...

Section 7724.5. - 7724.5. (a) Any person who commits any of the acts...

Section 7725. - 7725. Twenty-five percent of penalties and fines collected pursuant to...

Section 7726. - 7726. (a) When the secretary or the commission determines that...

Section 7727. - 7727. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, this chapter shall...

CHAPTER 2 - Street Railroads

Section 7801. - 7801. Street railroads are governed by Chapter 1 (commencing with...

Section 7802. - 7802. When a street railroad is constructed, owned, or operated...

Section 7803. - 7803. Any street railroad or any street railway corporation may...

Section 7804. - 7804. Authority to lay railroad tracks through the streets and...

Section 7805. - 7805. The city governing body, in granting the right of...

Section 7806. - 7806. The legislative body of any city or city and...

Section 7807. - 7807. Where the portion of the street is occupied by...

Section 7808. - 7808. Any city or city and county may own and...

Section 7809. - 7809. Any proposed railroad track may be permitted to cross...

Section 7810. - 7810. Street railway cars shall be of the most approved...

Section 7811. - 7811. Cities in or through which street railroads run may...

Section 7812. - 7812. In every grant to construct street railroads, the right...

Section 7813. - 7813. The right to lay down a track for grading...

Section 7814. - 7814. Any corporation, or agent or employee thereof, demanding or...

Section 7815. - 7815. Every street railroad corporation shall provide, and on request...

Section 7816. - 7816. Upon the trial of an action for any of...

Section 7817. - 7817. Any street railroad corporation operating cars on the streets...

Section 7818. - 7818. Any person operating or driving a street car who...

CHAPTER 3 - Telegraph or Telephone Corporations

Section 7901. - 7901. Telegraph or telephone corporations may construct lines of telegraph...

Section 7901.1. - 7901.1. (a) It is the intent of the Legislature, consistent...

Section 7903. - 7903. Every agent, operator, or employee of any telegraph or...

Section 7904. - 7904. Every agent, operator, or employee of any telegraph or...

Section 7905. - 7905. The Public Utilities Commission shall issue regulations requiring every...

Section 7906. - 7906. The Public Utilities Commission shall regularly make inquiry of...

Section 7910. - 7910. (a) Telephone corporations, holders of a state franchise pursuant...

Section 7912. - 7912. A public utility employing more than 750 total employees...

CHAPTER 3.5 - New Area Codes

Section 7930. - 7930. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:...

Section 7931. - 7931. (a) This chapter is applicable to telephone corporations, including...

Section 7932. - 7932. (a) Whenever a provider opens a new area code,...

Section 7933. - 7933. The rate structure of any call originating in or...

Section 7934. - 7934. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:...

Section 7935. - 7935. (a) The commission shall develop and implement any measures...

Section 7936. - 7936. The commission shall direct the North American Numbering Plan...

Section 7938. - 7938. The commission shall require, as an interim measure until...

Section 7939. - 7939. (a) If the commission or an authorized federal agency...

Section 7940. - 7940. A telephone corporation doing business in this state that...

Section 7943. - 7943. (a) It is the intent of the Legislature that...

CHAPTER 4 - Injury to Public Utility Property

Section 7951. - 7951. Any person who wilfully and maliciously does any injury...

Section 7952. - 7952. Any person who injures or destroys, through want of...

Section 7953. - 7953. No telegraph, telephone, electrical or gas corporation can recover...

CHAPTER 5 - Electrical Line Construction

ARTICLE 1 - Definitions

Section 8001. - 8001. Unless the particular provisions or the context otherwise requires,...

Section 8002. - 8002. “Person” includes any commission, officer, agent, or employee of...

Section 8003. - 8003. “Signal wires or cables” include telephone, telegraph, and other...

ARTICLE 2 - Surface Transmission

Section 8026. - 8026. No person shall run, place, erect, or maintain any...

Section 8027. - 8027. No person shall run, place, erect, or maintain in...

Section 8028. - 8028. No person shall run, place, erect, or maintain, above...

Section 8029. - 8029. No person shall run, place, erect, or maintain any...

Section 8029.5. - 8029.5. No person shall place, erect, or maintain on any...

Section 8030. - 8030. No person shall run, place, erect, or maintain any...

Section 8031. - 8031. No person shall run, place, erect, or maintain vertically...

Section 8032. - 8032. No person shall place, erect, or maintain on any...

Section 8033. - 8033. No person shall run, place, erect, or maintain any...

Section 8034. - 8034. No person shall run, place, erect, or maintain any...

Section 8035. - 8035. None of the provisions of Sections 8026 to 8034,...

Section 8036. - 8036. No person shall run, place, erect, or maintain any...

Section 8037. - 8037. The commission may grant such additional time and shall...

Section 8038. - 8038. Any violation of any provision of this article is...

ARTICLE 3 - Underground Transmission

Section 8051. - 8051. No person shall build or rebuild any subway, manhole,...

Section 8052. - 8052. No person shall build or rebuild in any subway,...

Section 8053. - 8053. No person shall build or rebuild in any subway,...

Section 8054. - 8054. No person shall build or rebuild any subway, manhole,...

Section 8055. - 8055. No person shall build or rebuild or maintain any...

Section 8056. - 8056. The commission may inspect all work which is included...

Section 8057. - 8057. Any violation of any provision of this article is...

CHAPTER 6 - Electric Service Areas

ARTICLE 1 - Designation by Public Utilities Commission

Section 8101. - 8101. Under certain conditions the sale and distribution of electric...

Section 8102. - 8102. Any utility may petition the commission setting forth in...

Section 8103. - 8103. Thereupon, the commission shall cause an investigation to be...

Section 8104. - 8104. If the commission finds that it is for the...

Section 8106. - 8106. Where limitation of areas to be served or limitations...

Section 8107. - 8107. In any civil or criminal action or proceeding for...

Section 8108. - 8108. If, in any contract submitted and approved by the...

CHAPTER 7 - Miscellaneous Regulations

ARTICLE 1 - Adequate Water Service

Section 8201. - 8201. Any water company having a franchise to use the...

Section 8202. - 8202. If the commission has jurisdiction of extensions and service...

Section 8203. - 8203. In addition to the penalties which may be provided...

Section 8204. - 8204. “Water company” as used in this article, includes any...

ARTICLE 2 - Railroad and Steamboat Police

Section 8226. - 8226. The Governor of the state may, upon the application...

Section 8227. - 8227. Every peace officer designated under Section 8226 shall, when...

ARTICLE 3 - Use of Spotter Reports

Section 8251. - 8251. It is unlawful for any public service corporation, or...

Section 8252. - 8252. Each violation of this article by any person, firm,...

ARTICLE 4 - Retirement Fund Investment Losses

Section 8276. - 8276. The commission shall prohibit any public utility that has...

Section 8277. - 8277. The commission shall require every public utility to provide...

Section 8278. - 8278. The commission shall verify the accuracy of the information...

Section 8279. - 8279. This article does not prevent the commission from applying...

ARTICLE 5 - Women, Minority, Disabled Veteran, and LGBT Business Enterprises

Section 8281. - 8281. (a) The Legislature hereby finds and declares that the...

Section 8282. - 8282. For the purposes of this article, the following definitions...

Section 8283. - 8283. (a) The commission shall require each electrical corporation, gas...

Section 8284. - 8284. (a) (1) The commission shall, by rule or order,...

Section 8285. - 8285. (a) Any person or corporation, through its directors, officers,...

Section 8286. - 8286. (a) In order to facilitate the participation of women,...