reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4929 | Alternate Rate Plan for Natural Gas Companies; Certification of Governmental Aggregators and Retail Natural Gas Suppliers › Section 4929.29 | Order for Distribution of Service on Comparable and Nondiscriminatory Basis to Nonmercantile Consumers.

Effective:
June 26, 2001
Latest Legislation:
House Bill 9 - 124th General Assembly
(A)(1) The legislative authority of a municipal corporation described in division (K)(1) of section 4929.01 of the Revised Code, the board of township trustees of a township, or the board of county commissioners of a county may petition the public utilities commission to require a natural gas company with fifteen thousand or more customers in this state to provide, upon the effective date of an ordinance or resolution authorized and adopted under section 4929.26 or 4929.27 of the Revised Code, distribution service on a fully open, equal, and nondiscriminatory basis to consumers that are not mercantile customers and are within the area of the governmental aggregation and to which the company provides distribution service through distribution facilities it singly or jointly owns or operates.
(2) The legislative authority of a municipal corporation described in division (K)(2) of section 4929.01 of the Revised Code may petition the commission to require a natural gas company with fifteen thousand or more customers in this state to provide, upon the effective date of an ordinance adopted under Section 5 of Article XVIII, Ohio Constitution, distribution service on a fully open, equal, and nondiscriminatory basis to consumers that are within the area of the governmental aggregation and to which the company provides distribution service through distribution facilities it singly or jointly owns or operates.
(3) A retail natural gas supplier may petition the commission to require a natural gas company with fifteen thousand or more customers in this state to so provide such fully open, equal, and nondiscriminatory service to all consumers that are not mercantile customers and to which the company provides distribution service through distribution facilities it singly or jointly owns or operates.
(B) Upon petition under division (A)(1), (2), or (3) of this section, the commission, after notice and opportunity for hearing and by order, may require that the natural gas company provide the service within the area specified in the petition, provided that the commission finds that the provision of the service within the area is in the public interest. The applicant shall have the burden of proof under this division. Chapter 4903. of the Revised Code shall apply to a proceeding under this division.
(C) Upon the issuance of an order under division (B) of this section requiring distribution service on a comparable and nondiscriminatory basis within the area specified in the order, the natural gas company shall file with the commission under section 4905.30 of the Revised Code revised schedules under which the company shall provide the service so ordered. The commission shall act promptly to approve the schedules.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4929 | Alternate Rate Plan for Natural Gas Companies; Certification of Governmental Aggregators and Retail Natural Gas Suppliers › Section 4929.30 | Prior Arrangements, Contracts and Aggregation Programs.

Effective:
June 26, 2001
Latest Legislation:
House Bill 9 - 124th General Assembly
(A) Nothing in sections 4929.20 to 4929.29 of the Revised Code affects any arrangement or other contract to supply or arrange for the supply of commodity sales service or ancillary service to a consumer in this state, which arrangement or contract was entered into prior to the effective date of initial rules adopted pursuant to division (A) of section 4929.20 of the Revised Code, and was authorized as a result of a rule or order adopted or issued by the public utilities commission under Chapter 4905. of the Revised Code; and nothing in sections 4929.20 to 4929.29 of the Revised Code affects any rights or duties of any person under such an arrangement or contract for the term of the arrangement or contract.
(B) Nothing in sections 4929.20 to 4929.29 of the Revised Code applies to a community aggregation program that is designed and operated to avoid gaps in the cumulative coverage of the aggregation and under which more than fifty per cent of a natural gas company's customers were enrolled in the program as of January 1, 2001. A municipal corporation served under such a program by the facilities of a natural gas company may continue to provide competitive retail natural gas service to customers in the aggregation, including school districts and customers outside the boundaries of the municipal corporation.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4931 | Companies - Telegraph; Telephone › Section 4931.01 | "Telephone Company" Defined.

Effective:
September 13, 2010
Latest Legislation:
Senate Bill 162 - 128th General Assembly
As used in sections 4931.02 to 4931.05 of the Revised Code, "telephone company" has the same meaning as in section 4927.01 of the Revised Code.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4931 | Companies - Telegraph; Telephone › Section 4931.02 | Acquisition or Construction of Other Lines.

Effective:
September 13, 2010
Latest Legislation:
Senate Bill 162 - 128th General Assembly
(A) A telephone company may construct, own, use, and maintain telecommunications lines and facilities, whether described in its original articles of incorporation or not, and whether such lines or facilities are wholly within or partly beyond the limits of this state. It may join with another company or association in conducting, leasing, owning, using, or maintaining such lines or facilities, on terms agreed upon between the directors or managers of the respective companies. Such companies may own and hold any interest in such lines or facilities, or become lessees thereof on such terms as they agree upon, but no such company and the owner of rights of way shall contract for the exclusive use of such rights of way for telecommunications purposes.
(B) A telephone company's lines and facilities shall not unreasonably interfere with the practical uses of the property on which they are located. A telephone company shall repair defective lines and facilities, which repairs shall be consistent with reasonable business practices and applicable industry standards.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4931 | Companies - Telegraph; Telephone › Section 4931.03 | Construction in Unincorporated Area of Township.

Effective:
September 13, 2010
Latest Legislation:
Senate Bill 162 - 128th General Assembly
(A) A telephone company may do either of the following in the unincorporated area of the township:
(1) Construct telecommunications lines or facilities upon and along any of the public roads and highways and across any waters within that area by the erection of the necessary fixtures, including posts, piers, or abutments for sustaining the cords or wires of those lines or facilities. The lines and facilities shall be constructed so as not to incommode the public in the use of the roads or highways, or endanger or injuriously interrupt the navigation of the waters.
(2) Construct telecommunications lines and facilities in such a manner as to protect them beneath the surface of any of the public roads and highways and beneath any waters within that area. Those lines and facilities shall be constructed so as not to incommode the public in the use of the roads or highways, or endanger or injuriously interrupt the navigation of the waters.
(B)(1) This section does not authorize the construction of a bridge across any waters within the state.
(2) Construction under this section is subject to section 5571.16 of the Revised Code, as applicable, and any other applicable law, including, but not limited to, any law requiring approval of the legislative authority, the county engineer, or the director of transportation.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4931 | Companies - Telegraph; Telephone › Section 4931.04 | Right of Entry.

Effective:
September 13, 2010
Latest Legislation:
Senate Bill 162 - 128th General Assembly
A telephone company may enter upon any land held by an individual or a corporation, whether such land was acquired by purchase, appropriation, or by virtue of any provision in its charter, for the purpose of making preliminary examination and surveys, with a view to the location and construction of telecommunications lines and facilities, and may appropriate so much of such land in accordance with sections 163.01 to 163.22 of the Revised Code, as it deems necessary for the construction and maintenance of those lines and facilities, and the right of way in, through, over, across, and under such lands and adjacent lands, sufficient to enable it to construct and repair the lines and facilities.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4931 | Companies - Telegraph; Telephone › Section 4931.05 | Powers and Restrictions.

Effective:
September 13, 2010
Latest Legislation:
Senate Bill 162 - 128th General Assembly
Any company organized at any time to transact a telephone or communications business may construct, reconstruct, own, use, lease, operate, maintain, and improve communications systems for the transmission of voices, sounds, writings, signs, signals, pictures, visions, images, or other forms of intelligence, as public utility services, by means of wire, cable, radio, radio relay, or other telecommunications facilities, methods, or media. Any such company has the powers and is subject to the restrictions prescribed in sections 4931.02 to 4931.04 of the Revised Code for telephone companies.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4931 | Companies - Telegraph; Telephone › Section 4931.06 | Privileged Communications of Person With Communicative Impairment.

Effective:
September 13, 2010
Latest Legislation:
Senate Bill 162 - 128th General Assembly
(A) As used in this section and in sections 2317.02 and 2921.22 of the Revised Code:
(1) "Communications assistant" means a person who transliterates conversation from text to voice and from voice to text between the end users of a telecommunications relay service provided pursuant to this section or Title II of the "Communications Act of 1934," 104 Stat. 366 (1990), 47 U.S.C. 225.
(2) "Communicative impairment" means deafness or speech impairment.
(3) "Deafness" means a hearing loss that prevents a person from being able to understand speech over the telephone.
(4) "Speech impairment" means a speech impairment that renders a person's speech unintelligible on the telephone.
(5) "Telecommunications relay service" means telephone transmission services that provide the ability for an individual who has a communicative impairment to engage in a communication by wire or radio with a hearing individual in a manner that is functionally equivalent to the ability of an individual who does not have a communicative impairment to communicate using voice communication services by wire or radio. "Telecommunications relay service" includes services that enable two-way communication between an individual who uses a text telephone or other nonvoice terminal device and an individual who does not use such a device.
(B) Any communication made by or to a person with a communicative impairment with the assistance of a communications assistant at a telecommunications relay service is confidential and privileged and shall not be disclosed by the communications assistant in any civil case or proceeding or in any legislative or administrative proceeding, unless the person making the communication and the person to whom the communication is made each waive the privilege of confidentiality or the obligation to divulge the communication is mandated by federal law or regulation or pursuant to subpoena in a criminal proceeding.
(C) A communications assistant or a telecommunications relay service provider is not subject to criminal prosecution and is not liable in damages in any civil action on account of the act of transliterating or the content of any communication transliterated, or any injury, death, or loss to person or property allegedly arising from the act of transliterating or the content of any communication transliterated, between the end users of a telecommunications relay service, except in cases of willful or wanton misconduct.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4931 | Companies - Telegraph; Telephone › Section 4931.10 | Transmitting Advertising by Facsimile Device.

Effective:
December 20, 2012
Latest Legislation:
House Bill 360 - 129th General Assembly
(A) As used in this section:
(1) "Advertisement" means a message or material intended to cause the sale of realty, goods, or services.
(2) "Facsimile device" means a device that electronically or telephonically receives and copies onto paper reasonable reproductions or facsimiles of documents and photographs through connection with a telephone network.
(3) "Pre-existing business relationship" does not include transmitting an advertisement to the owner's or lessee's facsimile device.
(B)(1) No person shall transmit an advertisement to a facsimile device unless the person has received prior permission from the owner or, if the device is leased, from the lessee of the device to which the message is to be sent to transmit the advertisement; or the person has a pre-existing business relationship with such owner or lessee. Division (B)(1) of this section does not apply to a person who transmits an advertisement to a facsimile device located on residential premises.
(2) No person shall transmit an advertisement to a facsimile device located on residential premises unless the person has received prior written permission from the owner or, if the device is leased, from the lessee of the device to which the message is to be sent to transmit the advertisement. In addition to any other penalties or remedies, a recipient of an advertisement transmitted in violation of division (B)(2) of this section may bring a civil action against the person who transmitted that advertisement or caused it to be transmitted. In that action, the recipient may recover one thousand dollars for each violation.
(C) When requested by the owner or lessee, the transmission shall occur between seven p.m. and five a.m.
This section applies to all such advertisements intended to be so transmitted within this state.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4931 | Companies - Telegraph; Telephone › Section 4931.99 | Penalties.

Effective:
December 20, 2012
Latest Legislation:
House Bill 360 - 129th General Assembly
(A) Whoever violates division (B) of section 4931.06 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor in the first degree.
(B) Whoever violates section 4931.10 of the Revised Code is guilty of a minor misdemeanor for a first offense and a misdemeanor of the first degree on each subsequent offense.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4933 | Companies - Gas; Electric; Water; Others › Section 4933.01 | Powers.

Effective:
September 19, 1961
Latest Legislation:
Senate Bill 500 - 104th General Assembly
A company organized for the purpose of supplying gas for lighting the streets and public and private buildings of a municipal corporation or township may manufacture, sell, and furnish the gas required in such municipal corporation or township for such or other purposes, a company organized for the purpose of supplying the inhabitants of a municipal corporation or township with water may sell and furnish any quantity of water required in such municipal corporation or township for such or other purposes, and a company organized for the purpose of supplying the inhabitants of a municipal corporation or township with sewage disposal services may supply said services as required by such municipal corporation or township for such or other purposes. Such companies may lay conductors for conducting gas, sewage, or water through the streets, lands, alleys, and squares in such municipal corporation with the consent of the municipal authorities or the board of township trustees under such reasonable regulations as such authorities or board prescribes.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4933 | Companies - Gas; Electric; Water; Others › Section 4933.02 | Gas or Electric Companies May Manufacture and Supply Both Electricity and Gas.

Effective:
October 1, 1953
Latest Legislation:
House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly
Every corporation organized under the laws of this state to manufacture and supply artificial gas for light, heat, or power purposes and every corporation organized under the laws of this state to manufacture and supply electricity for light, heat, or power purposes, subject to statutory provisions relating to the granting of franchises by municipal corporations for any such purpose in force at the time of granting the franchise, may manufacture and supply electricity and artificial gas, respectively, for light, heat, or power purposes. Such corporations may make all contracts and do all things necessary and convenient for furnishing electricity and artificial gas for both public and private objects.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4933 | Companies - Gas; Electric; Water; Others › Section 4933.03 | Consent of Municipal Corporation.

Effective:
October 1, 1953
Latest Legislation:
House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly
Section 4933.02 of the Revised Code does not confer a right to engage in the business referred to in such section, or to erect or maintain structures in a street, alley, or public place, without the consent of the municipal corporation in which such structures are to be constructed.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4933 | Companies - Gas; Electric; Water; Others › Section 4933.04 | Contracts With Municipal Corporation for Light, Sewage Disposal, and Water.

Effective:
September 19, 1961
Latest Legislation:
Senate Bill 500 - 104th General Assembly
The proper officers of any municipal corporation or the board of township trustees of any township in which a gas, sewage disposal system company, or water company is organized may contract with such company for lighting, disposal of sewage, or supplying with water the streets, lands, lanes, squares, and public places in such municipal corporation or township.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4933 | Companies - Gas; Electric; Water; Others › Section 4933.05 | Gas Company May Extend Mains Beyond City.

Effective:
October 1, 1953
Latest Legislation:
House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly
A gas company in a municipal corporation may extend its pipes used for conveying gas to the various localities and inhabitants of the municipal corporation to any place in the vicinity of such municipal corporation outside the corporate limits; but the right of way must be obtained from the authorities or persons having control of the places to be affected by such extension.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4933 | Companies - Gas; Electric; Water; Others › Section 4933.06 | Minimum Heating Value of Natural Gas.

Effective:
April 16, 1993
Latest Legislation:
House Bill 365 - 119th General Assembly
Except as otherwise provided in arrangements approved under section 4905.31 of the Revised Code, natural gas delivered to customers shall have a heating value of not less than nine hundred British thermal units per cubic foot when measured in the laboratory by direct heat release or by chemical composition, according to the procedures of the American society for testing and materials or other recognized analytical methods in effect on the effective date of this section.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4933 | Companies - Gas; Electric; Water; Others › Section 4933.08 | Gas Meter Must Be Sealed and Stamped.

Effective:
October 1, 1953
Latest Legislation:
House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly
No gas meter shall be set unless it is tested by a meter-prover, sealed, and stamped as provided in section 4933.11 of the Revised Code. A company authorizing the setting of a meter, or allowing it to be used by a consumer of gas, without being so sealed and stamped, shall forfeit not less than twenty-five nor more than one hundred dollars, to be recovered upon the complaint of such consumer, in the name of the state, before any court of competent jurisdiction.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4933 | Companies - Gas; Electric; Water; Others › Section 4933.09 | Testing of Gas Meters.

Effective:
October 1, 1953
Latest Legislation:
House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly
Gas meters in use shall be tested on the request of the consumer, in his presence if desired by him, with a tested and sealed meter-prover, by an officer or servant of the gas company. If the meter is found to be correct, and it is deemed correct if the variation is not greater than three per cent, the party requesting the inspection shall pay a fee of twenty-five cents, and the expense of removing it for the purpose of being tested. The reinspection shall be stamped on the meter. If the meter is proved incorrect, no fees or expense shall be paid by the consumer, and the company shall furnish a new meter without charge to the consumer. No gas company shall charge rent for meters.
This section applies to all gas companies supplying the public with either natural or artificial gas. Any person, firm, or corporation providing either natural or artificial gas to the public which fails to comply with this section shall forfeit to the state not less than twenty-five nor more than one hundred dollars, to be recovered upon the complaint of any consumer of such gas in the name of the state before any court of competent jurisdiction.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4933 | Companies - Gas; Electric; Water; Others › Section 4933.10 | Inspection of Gas Meters.

Effective:
February 14, 1967
Latest Legislation:
House Bill 2 - 107th General Assembly
If authorized in writing by the president, treasurer, agent, or secretary of a gas company, its officer or servant may enter, at any reasonable time, any premises lighted with gas supplied by such company, to examine or remove the gas meters, and to ascertain the quantity of gas consumed or supplied. If a person prevents or hinders such officer or servant from so entering such premises, or from making such examination or removal, a judge of a county court or judge of a municipal court of the county in which the premises are located may, on complaint by the officer or servant under oath, stating the facts in the case, so far as he has knowledge of them, issue a warrant, directed to any constable of the municipal corporation where such company is located, commanding him to take sufficient aid and go to such premises, accompanied by such officer or servant who shall examine such meters and ascertain the quantity of gas consumed or supplied, and if required, remove any meters belonging to the company.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4933 | Companies - Gas; Electric; Water; Others › Section 4933.11 | Meter-Prover and Photometer.

Effective:
October 1, 1953
Latest Legislation:
House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly
All gas companies supplying the public with artificial or natural gas shall provide for their use a meter-prover, the holder of which must contain not less than five feet. Such meter-prover shall be tested in the place where it is to be used, stamped, and sealed by the public utilities commission. Such tests shall be open to the public. All gas companies supplying artificial or natural gas for illuminating purposes shall, on the order of the commission provide for their own use a photometer of a type approved by such commission. Any person, firm, or corporation supplying the public with artificial or natural gas which fails to comply with this section shall forfeit to the state not less than twenty-five nor more than one hundred dollars to be recovered upon the complaint of any consumer, in the name of the state, before any court of competent jurisdiction.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4933 | Companies - Gas; Electric; Water; Others › Section 4933.122 | Procedure for Terminating Residential Service.

Effective:
April 6, 2023
Latest Legislation:
House Bill 281 - 134th General Assembly
No natural gas, gas, or electric light company shall terminate service, except for safety reasons or upon the request of the customer, at any time to a residential consumer, except pursuant to procedures that provide for all of the following:
(A) Reasonable prior notice is given to such consumer, including notice of rights and remedies, and no due date shall be established, after which a customer's account is considered to be in arrears if unpaid, that is less than fourteen days after the mailing of the billing. This limitation does not apply to charges to customers that receive service pursuant to an arrangement authorized by section 4905.31 of the Revised Code, nor to electric light companies operated not for profit or public utilities that are owned or operated by a municipal corporation.
(B) A reasonable opportunity is given to dispute the reasons for such termination;
(C) In circumstances in which termination of service to a consumer would be especially dangerous to health, as determined by the public utilities commission, or make the operation of necessary medical or life-supporting equipment impossible or impractical, and such consumer establishes that the consumer is unable to pay for such service in accordance with the requirements of the utility's billing except under an extended payment plan.
Such procedures shall take into account the need to include reasonable provisions for consumers who are elderly and who have disabilities.
The commission shall hold hearings and adopt rules to carry out this section.
To the extent that any rules adopted for the purpose of division (C) of this section require a health care professional to validate the health of a consumer or the necessity of operation of a consumer's medical or life-supporting equipment, the rules shall include as a health care professional a physician assistant, a clinical nurse specialist, a certified nurse practitioner, or a certified nurse-midwife.
Last updated March 10, 2023 at 12:41 PM
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4933 | Companies - Gas; Electric; Water; Others › Section 4933.123 | Annual Report of Service Disconnections for Nonpayment.

Effective:
December 23, 1986
Latest Legislation:
House Bill 428 - 116th General Assembly
(A) For the purpose of this section:
(1) "Energy company" shall have the meaning assigned in division (A)(4) of section 5117.01 of the Revised Code.
(2) "Service disconnection for nonpayment" means the intentional discontinuation of gas or electric services to a residential customer by an energy company due to the failure of the customer to pay for such services.
(3) "Service reconnections" means the reconnection of gas or electric services by an energy company to a residential customer whose service was discontinued by such company for nonpayment.
(B) Annually, on or before the thirtieth day of June, each energy company shall file a written report on service disconnections for nonpayment with the public utilities commission and the consumers' counsel. The report shall include the following information for the twelve-month period ending on the preceding thirty-first day of May, by month:
(1) Total number of service disconnections for nonpayment and the total dollar amount of unpaid bills represented by such disconnections;
(2) Total number of final notices of actual disconnection issued for service disconnections for nonpayment and the total dollar amount of unpaid bills represented by such notices;
(3) Total number of residential customer accounts in arrears by more than sixty days and the total dollar amount of such arrearages;
(4) Total number of security deposits received from residential customers and the total dollar amount of such deposits;
(5) Total number of service reconnections;
(6) Total number of residential customers.
Last updated August 3, 2023 at 2:42 PM
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4933 | Companies - Gas; Electric; Water; Others › Section 4933.13 | Powers of Electric Light and Power Companies.

Effective:
October 1, 1953
Latest Legislation:
House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly
A company organized for supplying electricity for power purposes, and for lighting the streets and public and private buildings of a municipal corporation, may manufacture, sell, and furnish the electric light and power required in such municipal corporation for such or other purposes. With the consent of the municipal corporation, under such reasonable regulations as such municipal corporation prescribes, such company may construct lines for conducting electricity for power and light purposes through the streets, alleys, lanes, lands, squares, and public places of such municipal corporation, by the erection of the necessary fixtures, including posts, piers, and abutments necessary for the wires.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4933 | Companies - Gas; Electric; Water; Others › Section 4933.14 | Electric Light, Power, and Automatic Package Carrier Companies.

Effective:
September 13, 2010
Latest Legislation:
Senate Bill 162 - 128th General Assembly
(A) Except as otherwise provided in division (B) of this section, division (A) of section 4931.02, and sections 4931.03, 4931.04, and 4933.13 to 4933.16 of the Revised Code apply to a company organized for supplying public and private buildings, manufacturing establishments, streets, alleys, lanes, lands, squares, and public places with electric light and power, and to an automatic package carrier. Except as otherwise provided in division (B) of this section, every such company has the powers and is subject to the restrictions prescribed for a telephone company by division (A) of section 4931.02 and sections 4931.03 and 4931.04 of the Revised Code.
(B) Section 4931.04 of the Revised Code applies to a company organized for supplying electricity only if the company transmits or distributes electricity, and every such company has the powers and is subject to the restrictions prescribed for a telephone company by that section except for the purpose of erecting, operating, or maintaining an electric generating station.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4933 | Companies - Gas; Electric; Water; Others › Section 4933.15 | Right of Entry - Appropriation of Property.

Effective:
October 5, 1999
Latest Legislation:
Senate Bill 3 - 123rd General Assembly
For the purpose of making preliminary examinations and surveys, any company transmitting or distributing electricity in the state for public or private use may enter upon any land held by any individual or corporation, whether acquired by purchase, appropriation proceedings, or otherwise, unless such land is owned by and essential to the purposes of another corporation possessing the power of eminent domain. The company also may appropriate so much of such land, or any right or interest in the land, including any trees, edifices, or buildings on the land, as is deemed necessary for either of the following purposes:
(A) The erection, operation, or maintenance of an electric plant, including its substations, switching stations, transmission and distribution lines, poles, towers, piers, conduits, cables, and wires and other necessary structures and appliances, but excluding its generating stations;
(B) Rights-of-way over such land and adjacent lands for the purpose of access to any part of such land.
The right of appropriation shall be exercised in the same manner provided by sections 163.01 to 163.22 of the Revised Code.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4933 | Companies - Gas; Electric; Water; Others › Section 4933.151 | Appropriation of Property by Water Works Companies.

Effective:
January 1, 1966
Latest Legislation:
Senate Bill 94 - 106th General Assembly
Any company organized for supplying water for public and private use may enter upon any land held by any individual or private corporation, whether acquired by purchase, appropriation proceedings, or otherwise, for the purpose of making preliminary examination and surveys, unless such land is owned by and essential to the purposes of another corporation possessing the power of eminent domain, and may appropriate so much of such land, or any interest therein, including any trees, edifices, or buildings thereon, as is deemed necessary for the acquisition, construction, installation, operation, or maintenance of pumps, storage tanks, aqueducts, and water pipes, and for the protection thereof, and other structures and appliances necessary for the maintenance of pressure and the purification of water, and for rights of way over such land and adjacent for the purpose of access to any part of such land. The right of appropriation shall be exercised in the same manner provided by sections 163.01 to 163.22, inclusive, of the Revised Code.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4933 | Companies - Gas; Electric; Water; Others › Section 4933.16 | Municipal Control of Electricity.

Effective:
October 1, 1953
Latest Legislation:
House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly
No person or company shall place, string, construct, or maintain a line, wire, fixture, or appliance of any kind to conduct electricity for lighting, heating, or power purposes through a street, alley, lane, square, place, or land of a municipal corporation without the consent of such municipal corporation.
This prohibition extends to all levels above or below the surface of such public ways, grounds, or places, as well as along their surfaces, but not to rights received through and exercised under proceedings of a probate court prior to February 26, 1910.
The penalty provided by section 4933.99 of the Revised Code for a violation of this section is cumulative to other means of enforcing this section open to the municipal corporation, by way of injunction or otherwise, and is not exclusive.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4933 | Companies - Gas; Electric; Water; Others › Section 4933.17 | Cash Deposit - Interest.

Effective:
September 1, 1976
Latest Legislation:
House Bill 1251 - 111th General Assembly
No person, firm, or corporation engaged in the business of furnishing gas, natural gas, water, or electricity to consumers shall demand or require a consumer to deposit cash as security for the payment of any bills for such commodity to be furnished:
(A) If the proposed consumer is a freeholder who is financially responsible or a person who is able to give a reasonably safe guaranty in an amount sufficient to secure the payment of bills for sixty days' supply;
(B) If the security is not demanded within thirty days of the initiation of service, except that this division does not apply where the account of a customer is in arrears.
In case no such security can be furnished, a deposit not exceeding an amount sufficient to cover an estimate of the monthly average of the annual consumption by such consumer plus thirty per cent may be required, upon which deposit interest at the rate of not less than three per cent per annum shall be allowed and paid to the consumer, provided it remains on deposit for six consecutive months.
Any person, firm, or corporation convicted of a violation of this section shall forfeit all right to collect or receive any sum from such consumer for gas, natural gas, water, or electricity so furnished.
The making of any rule or requirement in conflict with this section, is forbidden, and hereby declared to be unlawful.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4933 | Companies - Gas; Electric; Water; Others › Section 4933.18 | Tampering With Utility Equipment.

Effective:
June 11, 2012
Latest Legislation:
House Bill 487 - 129th General Assembly
(A) In a prosecution for a theft offense, as defined in section 2913.01 of the Revised Code, that involves alleged tampering with a gas, electric, steam, or water meter, conduit, or attachment of a utility that has been disconnected by the utility, proof that a meter, conduit, or attachment of a utility has been tampered with is prima-facie evidence that the person who is obligated to pay for the service rendered through the meter, conduit, or attachment and is in possession or control of the meter, conduit, or attachment at the time the tampering occurred has caused the tampering with intent to commit a theft offense.
In a prosecution for a theft offense, as defined in section 2913.01 of the Revised Code, that involves the alleged reconnection of a gas, electric, steam, or water meter, conduit, or attachment of a utility that has been disconnected by the utility, proof that a meter, conduit, or attachment disconnected by a utility has been reconnected without the consent of the utility is prima-facie evidence that the person in possession or control of the meter, conduit, or attachment at the time of the reconnection has reconnected the meter, conduit, or attachment with intent to commit a theft offense.
(B) As used in this section:
(1) "Utility" means any electric light company, gas company, natural gas company, pipe-line company, water-works company, or heating or cooling company, as defined by division (C), (D), (E), (F), (G), or (H) of section 4905.03 of the Revised Code, its lessees, trustees, or receivers, or any similar utility owned or operated by a political subdivision.
(2) "Tamper" means to interfere with, damage, or by-pass a utility meter, conduit, or attachment with the intent to impede the correct registration of a meter or the proper functions of a conduit or attachment so as to reduce the amount of utility service that is registered on the meter.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4933 | Companies - Gas; Electric; Water; Others › Section 4933.19 | Notice to Customers Concerning Theft Offenses.

Effective:
June 11, 2012
Latest Legislation:
House Bill 487 - 129th General Assembly
Each electric light company, gas company, natural gas company, pipe-line company, water-works company, or heating or cooling company, as defined by division (C), (D), (E), (F), (G), or (H) of section 4905.03 of the Revised Code, or its lessees, trustees, or receivers, and each similar utility owned or operated by a political subdivision shall notify its customers, on an annual basis, that tampering with or bypassing a meter constitutes a theft offense that could result in the imposition of criminal sanctions.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4933 | Companies - Gas; Electric; Water; Others › Section 4933.20 | Tampering With Gas Pipes and Apparatus.

Effective:
August 18, 1978
Latest Legislation:
House Bill 605 - 112th General Assembly
No person shall maliciously open, close, adjust, or interfere with a valve, regulator, gauge, gate, disc, curb, cock, stopcock, meter, or other regulating, operating, or measuring device or appliance in or attached to the wells, tanks, conduits, pipelines, mains, service pipes, house pipes, display pipes, or other pipes of a gas company or manufacturer or furnisher of gas with intent to cause the escape of gas or to injure or destroy such property. No person shall maliciously enlarge or alter a mixer furnished or approved by a gas company or manufacturer or furnisher of gas to or for a consumer of gas, or maliciously remove from its connection a mixer so furnished or approved. No person shall without express permission, consume for fuel the gas of a gas company or manufacturer or furnisher of gas without the use of a mixer so furnished or approved by such gas company or manufacturer or furnisher of gas, or tap, sever, or open a main or pipe used or intended for the transmission of gas, or connect with such main or pipe any other main or pipe. This section does not apply to an agent or employee, for that purpose, of the owner, manufacturer, or operator of the devices or appliances referred to in this section.
As used in this section, "gas" includes natural and artificial gas used for heating and illuminating purposes.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4933 | Companies - Gas; Electric; Water; Others › Section 4933.21 | Interfering With Electric Wires.

Effective:
October 1, 1953
Latest Legislation:
House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly
No person shall willfully or maliciously injure, destroy, or intentionally permit to be injured or destroyed, disconnect, displace, cut, break, tap, ground, or make a connection with, or willfully or maliciously interfere with any pole, pier, cable, tower, or wire, legally erected, put, or strung, or electrical apparatus, appliance, or machinery used in the construction or operation of an electrical railway, electric light plant, or plant used in generating or transmitting electricity, or any meter, pipe, conduit, wire, line, post, lamp, burner, heater, machine, motor, or other appliance or apparatus used in the construction or operation of any such electrical railway or electrical plant. No person shall willfully or maliciously prevent any electric meter used in the construction or operation of any such electrical railway or electrical plant, from registering the quantity of electricity supplied, interfere with the proper action or just registration by such meter, alter the index in such meter, or, without the consent of the owner of such electrical railway or electrical plant, willfully or maliciously divert electric current from any such wire or otherwise willfully or maliciously use or cause to be used, without the consent of the owner of such electrical railway or electrical plant, electricity manufactured or distributed by any such electrical railway or electrical plant.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4933 | Companies - Gas; Electric; Water; Others › Section 4933.22 | Tampering With Hydrant, Pipe, or Meter.

Effective:
October 1, 1953
Latest Legislation:
House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly
No person shall maliciously open, close, adjust, or interfere with a fire hydrant, valve, regulator, gauge, gate, disc, curb cock, stopcock, meter, or other regulator, operating or measuring device, or appliance in or attached to the wells, tanks, reservoirs, conduits, pipes, mains, service pipes, house pipes, or other pipes or apparatus of a water company or furnisher of water, with intent to cause the escape of water or to injure or destroy such property. No person shall tap, sever, open, or make unauthorized connections with a main or pipe used or intended for the transmission of water. This section does not apply to the agent or employee for that purpose, of the owner or operator of the appliances referred to in this section, and does not apply to anything done by or under authority of any regularly constituted fire department.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4933 | Companies - Gas; Electric; Water; Others › Section 4933.23 | Interfering With Pipes and Meters.

Effective:
October 1, 1953
Latest Legislation:
House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly
No person shall willfully or maliciously injure or destroy, or intentionally permit to be injured or destroyed, cut, break, adjust, or interfere with any pipe, valve, regulator, gauge, gate, stopcock, trap, meter, or other regulating or measuring device or appliance used in the construction or operation of any plant furnishing or distributing hot water or steam for heating purposes. No person shall willfully or maliciously prevent any meter or other measuring device or appliance used in any such heating plant from duly registering the quantity of hot water or steam supplied. No person shall, without the consent of the owner of such heating plant, willfully or maliciously divert any hot water or steam from any pipe or other part of such heating plant or otherwise willfully or maliciously use or cause to be used, without the consent of the owner of such heating plant, hot water or steam supplied by any such heating plant.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4933 | Companies - Gas; Electric; Water; Others › Section 4933.24 | Prohibiting Interference With Apparatus of Sewage Disposal Companies or Unauthorized Taps.

Effective:
September 19, 1961
Latest Legislation:
Senate Bill 500 - 104th General Assembly
No person shall maliciously open, close, adjust, or interfere with a valve, regulator, gauge, gate, disc, curb cock, stopcock, meter, or other regulator, operating or measuring device, or appliance in or attached to the tanks, conduits, pipes, mains, service pipes, house pipes, or other pipes or apparatus of a sewage disposal company, with intent to interfere with the flow of sewage, or to injure or destroy such property. No person shall tap, sever, open, or make unauthorized connections with a main or pipe used or intended for the transmission of sewage.
2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4933 | Companies - Gas; Electric; Water; Others › Section 4933.25 | Issuing Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity.

Effective:
May 6, 1998
Latest Legislation:
House Bill 26 - 122nd General Assembly
No sewage disposal system company established after September 19, 1961, or expanding after October 2, 1969, or water-works company established or expanding after October 2, 1969, shall construct, install, or operate sewage disposal system facilities or water distribution facilities until it has been issued a certificate of public convenience and necessity by the public utilities commission. The commission shall adopt rules prescribing requirements and the manner and form in which sewage disposal system companies and water-works companies shall apply for such a certificate.
Before the commission issues a certificate of public convenience and necessity, it may hold a public hearing concerning the issuance of the certificate. Notice of the hearing shall be given to the board of county commissioners of any county and the chief executive authority of any municipal corporation to be served by a sewage disposal system company or water-works company.
As used in this section, "sewage disposal system company" and "water-works company" have the same meanings as in section 4905.03 of the Revised Code and include only "public utilities" as defined in section 4905.02 of the Revised Code.