New York Laws
Article 2 - Residential Gas, Electric and Steam Utility Service
35 - Reconnection of Service.

§ 35. Reconnection of service. 1. The commission shall by regulation
establish reasonable conditions under which an electric or gas
corporation or municipality shall be required to take all actions within
such corporation or municipality's control and, where applicable,
consistent with the provision of the agreement for commodity service, if
any, between the corporation and the customer, provided such provisions
are consistent with this article to reconnect service to residential
customers. Such conditions shall include, but not be limited to,
requirements for reconnection of service within twenty-four hours,
unless prevented by circumstances beyond the utility's or municipality's
control, (a) upon receipt by a corporation or municipality of the full
amount of arrears which were the basis for termination of service, (b)
upon the signing of a deferred payment plan together with a down payment
based on criteria to be established by the commission, provided that no
such down payment shall exceed one-half of the amount which was the
basis of termination, or the amount of three months billing, whichever
is less, (c) upon the direction of the commission, (d) upon the receipt
of a commitment of a direct payment or a written guarantee of payment
from the social services official of the social services district in
which the customer resides or (e) where the utility or municipality has
notice that a serious impairment to health or safety is likely to result
if service is not reconnected. With respect to reconnection on the basis
of serious impairment of health or safety doubts shall be resolved in
favor of reconnection of service. The chairman shall designate such
officers and employees as he deems necessary to act on requests for
service reconnections.

2. Where any utility corporation or municipality is required to
reconnect service within twenty-four hours and fails or neglects to do
so without good cause as determined by the commission, it shall forfeit
and pay to the customer the sum of not less than twenty-five dollars nor
more than fifty dollars per day for each day thereafter, as determined
by the commission, that such service is not supplied.