Chapter PSC 185

PSC 185.12(4) (4) “Commission” means public service commission of Wisconsin;

PSC 185.12(5) (5) “Complaint” means a statement or question by any person, whether a utility customer or not, concerning a wrong, grievance, injury, dissatisfaction, illegal action or procedure, dangerous condition or action committed or created by a utility, or failure of a utility to meet a utility obligation;

PSC 185.12(6) (6) “Customer” means any person, owner, occupant, firm, partnership, corporation, municipality, cooperative organization, governmental agency, political entity, etc., provided with water service by any water public utility and is the party billed for payment of bills issued for use of utility service at a given premises. This definition is intended to create billing and payment responsibilities, but does not limit the need to afford occupants other protection under this chapter (e.g., evictions, emergency);

PSC 185.12(7) (7) “Customer-requested termination” is cessation of service at the request of the customer;

PSC 185.12(8) (8) “Deferred payment agreement” means an arrangement between a utility and a customer for payment of a delinquent amount or deposit in installments;

PSC 185.12(9) (9) “Denied or refused service” means service that a utility has refused to provide to a present or future customer, occupant, or premises;

PSC 185.12(10) (10) “Disconnection” means an event or action taken by the utility to terminate or discontinue the provision of service, but does not include a customer-requested termination of service;

PSC 185.12(10e) (10e) “Industrial customer” means a customer who is engaged in the manufacture or production of goods.

PSC 185.12(10m) (10m) “Irrigation” means the use of water to sustain crops, lawns, or landscapes, including water used on athletic fields, parks, and golf courses.

PSC 185.12(10s) (10s) “Irrigation customer” means a customer who has water service provided primarily for irrigation and other outdoor uses.

PSC 185.12(11) (11) “Meter” means an instrument installed to measure the volume and/or rate of flow of water delivered through it;

PSC 185.12(11m) (11m) “Multi-family residential customer” means a customer taking service for a building that is intended primarily for residential purposes, has three or more dwelling units, and is served by a single water meter.

PSC 185.12 Note Note: For accounting purposes, sales to multi-family residential customers are recorded as commercial sales under to the Commission’s Uniform System of Accounts for Municipal Water Utilities (January 2008).

PSC 185.12(12) (12) “New residential customer,” for purpose of deposit, means a customer who has not received utility service in his or her name during the previous 6 months from the utility from which service is requested;

PSC 185.12(12m) (12m) “Non-residential customer” means any commercial, industrial, or public authority customer.

PSC 185.12(13) (13) “Occupant” means the resident or residents of a premises to which utility service is provided;

PSC 185.12(14) (14) “Percent registration” means the ratio of the meter registration divided by the actual volume or rate of flow, stated in percent. Stated more simply for domestic (volumetric) meters, this is the percent of the water delivered through a meter which the meter actually registers;

PSC 185.12(15) (15) “Private hydrant” means any hydrant whose lead is connected to a private water main, private lateral, or public main where the hydrant lead is owned by the customer;

PSC 185.12(16) (16) “Prompt payment” means payment prior to the time when a utility could issue a notice of disconnection for nonpayment of an amount not in dispute;

PSC 185.12(17) (17) “Protective service emergency” means a threat to the health or safety of a resident because of the infirmities of aging, other developmental or intellectual disabilities, or like infirmities incurred at any age, or the frailties associated with being very young;

PSC 185.12(17m) (17m) “Public authority customer” means a customer that is a department, agency, or entity of the local, state, or federal government, including a public school, college, or university.

PSC 185.12(18) (18) “Public hydrant” means any hydrant and lead owned by the utility and connected to a utility-owned main, whether that main is in the public right-of-way or owned by the utility on an easement through private property;

PSC 185.12 Note Note: The hydrant and related fixtures would be recorded on the books of the utility.

PSC 185.12(19) (19) “Public utility” means an entity or individual included in s. 196.01 (5), Stats., which provides water for the public and an entity authorized by s. 66.0819, Stats., which provides water and sewer service for the public;

PSC 185.12(20) (20) “Remote outside meter” (ROM) means an analog device attached to a building structure which displays the reading of the base meter through electronic pulses sent from the base meter. Remote outside meters are considered part of the utility’s metering configuration.

PSC 185.12(20g) (20g) “Residential customer” means a customer taking service for residential or domestic purposes but does not include a multi-family residential customer.

PSC 185.12(20r) (20r) “Station meter” means a meter used to measure the volume or flow of water within a utility’s distribution system and not used to measure customer use. Station meter includes any meter used to measure water pumped from groundwater wells, surface water intakes, storage facilities, treatment facilities, or booster pumps.

PSC 185.12(21) (21) “Voucher agreement” means a payment agreement guaranteed by a third party who has access to or control over the benefits and finances of a public assistance recipient.

PSC 185.12(22) (22) “Water conservation” means practices, techniques, and technologies that reduce the demand for water, reduce water loss or waste, or improve water use efficiency.

PSC 185.12 Note Note: Examples of some public assistance are:

PSC 185.12 Note (a) Aid to families with dependent children (AFDC) restrictive payment arrangements;

PSC 185.12 Note (b) Social security representative payee;

PSC 185.12 Note (c) General relief voucher payment systems;

PSC 185.12 Note (d) Legal guardian.

PSC 185.12 History History: Cr. Register, January, 1997, No. 493, eff. 2-1-97; correction in (19) made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats., Register October 2001 No. 550; CR 11-039: cr. (3e), (3m), (3s), (4m), (10e), (10m), (10s), (11m), (12m), (17m), (20g), (20r), (22) Register July 2012 No. 679, eff. 8-1-12; (4m) renum. to (3s) under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 1., Stats., Register July 2012 No. 679; 2019 Wis. Act 1: am. (17) Register May 2019 No. 761, eff. 6-1-19.

PSC 185.13 PSC 185.13 General requirement. Every utility shall furnish reasonably adequate service and facilities at the rates filed with the commission and subject to this chapter and the rules of the utility that are on file with the commission.

PSC 185.13 History History: Cr. Register, January, 1997, No. 493, eff. 2-1-97.

PSC 185.15 PSC 185.15 Free or discriminatory service prohibited. No utility shall provide water service free or at a rate different than provided for in its rates. (See ss. 196.22 and 196.60, Stats.) This section applies to, but is not limited to, water service for all nonutility municipal purposes such as street and sewer flushing, and service to nonutility public buildings.

PSC 185.15 History History: Cr. Register, January, 1997, No. 493, eff. 2-1-97.

PSC 185.16 PSC 185.16 Protection of water utility facilities.

PSC 185.16(1) (1) A water public utility upon receipt of written notice as required by s. 66.0831, Stats., from the property owner or from a contractor of work which may affect its facilities used for serving the public:

PSC 185.16(1)(a) (a) Shall investigate and decide what action, if any, may reasonably be taken to protect or alter utility facilities in order to protect service to the public and to avoid unnecessary damage, such as identifying in a suitable manner the location of any underground utility facilities which may be affected by the work.

PSC 185.16(1)(b) (b) Shall take such action as is reasonably and legally necessary to protect, remove, alter, or reconstruct its facilities, and shall perform this work with reasonable dispatch taking into account the conditions to be met, provided that nothing in this section shall be deemed to affect any right which the utility may have to require advance payment or adequate assurance of payment of the reasonable cost to the utility by the property owner or contractor.

PSC 185.16(1)(c) (c) May, in order to protect its interests, require that the owner or contractor perform certain work upon or removal of that part of the service piping from the property upon which the excavating, building, or wrecking operations are being performed.

PSC 185.16(2) (2) This section is not intended to affect the responsibility of the contractor or owner, or the liability or legal rights of any party.

PSC 185.16 History History: Cr. Register, January, 1997, No. 493, eff. 2-1-97; correction in (1) (intro.) made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats., Register October 2001 No. 550.

PSC 185.17 PSC 185.17 Interference with public service structures.

PSC 185.17(1) (1) No utility having any work upon, over, along, or under any public street or highway or upon, over, along, or under any private property shall interfere with, destroy, or disturb the structures of any other public service corporation or railroad encountered in the performance of such work so as to interrupt, impair, or affect the public service for which such structures may be used, without first reaching an agreement concerning the location and the nature of the proposed work.

PSC 185.17(2) (2) A utility shall exercise care when working in close proximity to existing facilities. When the facilities are underground and are to be exposed or possibly may be exposed, hand digging shall be employed. In these cases, such support as may be reasonably necessary for protection of the facilities shall be provided in and near the construction area. When backfilling an excavation, such procedures and materials shall be employed to provide reliable support for existing underground facilities in and near the construction area.

PSC 185.17(3) (3) A utility shall, in the absence of working arrangements, give at least a 3-day written notice (not counting Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays) to all utilities or railroads and to those who may have facilities in and near the construction area which may be affected by the proposed work. The utility proposing to work shall obtain from the affected party the location of the existing facilities determined to be affected or to be in and near the construction area. Contacting a one-call system, such as the diggers’ hot line system established under s. 182.0175 (1m), Stats., shall constitute compliance with this subsection.

PSC 185.17(4) (4) A utility upon receiving a notice of proposed construction shall furnish in 3 days detailed information relative to location and type of facilities that are present in the proposed construction area. Where practical in those cases where the facilities are underground, they shall be marked physically in the field relative to location.

PSC 185.17(5) (5) Nothing in this section shall prevent a utility from proceeding as quickly as possible with any emergency construction work which might interfere with existing facilities. However, all reasonable precautions shall be taken to avoid or minimize damage or interference to the other facilities and notification shall be given as soon as possible to the utilities which have facilities in the construction area.

PSC 185.17 History History: Cr. Register, January, 1997, No. 493, eff. 2-1-97; correction in (3) made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats., Register April 2007 No. 616.

PSC 185.18 PSC 185.18 Location of records. All records required or necessary for the administration of this chapter shall be kept within this state unless otherwise authorized by the commission. These records shall be available for examination by the commission or its authorized representative at all reasonable hours. (See s. 196.06 (6), Stats.)

PSC 185.18 History History: Cr. Register, January, 1997, No. 493, eff. 2-1-97.

PSC 185.19 PSC 185.19 Retention of records.

PSC 185.19(1) (1) A utility shall preserve the following records in a readable format and keep them available for inspection by the commission for the period indicated. The list is not to be taken as comprehending all types of utility records.

PSC 185.19 Note Note: See also “Investigation to Consider Proposed Changes to Records Retention Requirements for Electric, Gas and Water Utilities” adopted by the commission in docket 5-US-114, December 12, 2006, as amended March 19, 2009, for a more comprehensive listing of retention periods of specific records.

PSC 185.19(2) (2) A utility may apply for a waiver from any portion of pars. (a) through (e) of this section. Such application shall include a list of the paragraphs to which the waiver would apply. Also, include the reasons the utility believes it cannot or shall not have to comply with pars. (a) through (e) and the impacts such a waiver would have on the utility’s ability to maintain usable continuing property records, if any.

PSC 185.19 History History: Cr. Register, January, 1997, No. 493, eff. 2-1-97; CR 13-033: am. (1) Register July 2015 No. 715, eff. 8-1-15.

subch. II of ch. PSC 185 Subchapter II — Rate Schedules and Rules

PSC 185.21 PSC 185.21 Schedules to be filed with the commission.

PSC 185.21(1) (1) Included in schedules. The schedules of rates and rules shall be filed with the commission by the utility and shall be classified, designated, arranged, and submitted so as to conform to the requirements of the current tariff or rate schedules and the special instructions which have been and may from time to time be issued by the commission. Provisions of the schedules shall be definite and so stated as to minimize ambiguity or the possibility of misinterpretation, and shall include, together with such other information as may be deemed pertinent, the following:

PSC 185.21(1)(a) (a) All rates for service with indication for each rate of the class of customers to which it applies. There shall also be shown any limitations on the service furnished under such rate, the prices per unit of service, and the number of units per billing period to which the prices apply, the period of billing, the minimum bill, method of measuring demands (where applicable) and consumptions, and any special terms and conditions applicable. The charge for late payment, if any, and the period during which the bill may be paid without late payment charge shall be specified;

PSC 185.21(1)(b) (b) At commission discretion a copy of each contract or the standard contract form with a summary of the provisions of each signed contract may be required if service to other utilities or municipalities for resale is furnished at a standard filed rate;

PSC 185.21(1)(c) (c) Extension rules for extending service to new customers indicating what portion of the extension or cost shall be furnished by the utility, and if the rule is based on cost, the items of cost included;

PSC 185.21(1)(d) (d) Designation of such portion of the service facilities as the utility furnishes, owns, and maintains;

PSC 185.21(1)(e) (e) Rules with which prospective customers shall comply as a condition of receiving service and the terms of any contracts required;

PSC 185.21(1)(f) (f) Rules governing the establishing of credit by customers for payment of service bills;

PSC 185.21(1)(g) (g) Rules governing the procedures followed in disconnecting and reconnecting service;

PSC 185.21(1)(h) (h) Notice required from customer for having service disconnected;

PSC 185.21(1)(i) (i) Rules governing temporary, emergency, auxiliary, and standby service;

PSC 185.21(1)(j) (j) Rules governing any limitations on the type of equipment which may or may not be connected;

PSC 185.21(1)(k) (k) A list of the municipalities in which service is rendered and the rates under which service shall be provided.

PSC 185.21(2) (2) Rates for water service.

PSC 185.21(2)(a) (a) A public utility shall adopt general service water rates that reflect the cost of service for each class of customer and include a volume charge based on actual customer consumption.

PSC 185.21(2)(b) (b) A public utility may not adopt a rate under par. (a) if the commission finds that the rate is discriminatory or otherwise not in the public interest.

PSC 185.21(2)(c) (c) The commission may approve rates that promote efficient water use.

PSC 185.21(2)(d) (d) A utility may adopt rates that treat multi-family residential customers as a separate customer class.

PSC 185.21 History History: Cr. Register, January, 1997, No. 493, eff. 2-1-97; CR 11-039: renum. (intro.) to (1) (intro.), cr. (1) (title), (2) Register July 2012 No. 679, eff. 8-1-12.

PSC 185.22 PSC 185.22 Information available to customers.

PSC 185.22(1) (1) A utility shall have copies of its rates and rules applicable to the locality available in its office where payments are received and at area libraries. A utility shall give reasonable notice to customers as to where the information is available to them.

PSC 185.22(2) (2) Each water utility, for every municipality in which it serves, shall provide in the respective telephone directories a telephone listing by which the utility shall be notified during a 24-hour day of any utility service deficiency or emergency which may exist.

PSC 185.22(3) (3) Where a second language is common in a particular area served by the utility and so identified by the commission, all rules pertaining to billing and credit shall be available upon customer request for distribution in English and that second language in every business office of the utility in that area accessible to the public and where customer payments are received.

PSC 185.22(4) (4) Each utility shall have available and provide upon request written notice to its existing residential customers, and a written notice to all new residential customers, at a minimum, of the rules on deposits, payment options including deferred payment agreements and budget billing, disconnection, and dispute procedures. Such notice shall contain a reply procedure to allow customers an opportunity to advise the utility of any special circumstances, such as the presence of infants or elderly persons or the use of human life-sustaining equipment, and to advise the utility to contact a specific third-party agency or individual prior to any disconnection action being taken.

PSC 185.22(5) (5) 

PSC 185.22(5)(a) (a) A utility shall provide customer usage and billing history on request to current or prospective customers, tenants, or property owners. This information shall include either the average consumption for the prior 12-month period or figures reflecting the highest and lowest consumption amounts for the previous 12 months. Provision of this information is neither a breach of customer confidentiality nor a guarantee or contract by the utility as to future consumption levels for the premises in question.

PSC 185.22(5)(b) (b) Upon a residential customer request, the public utility shall provide consumption information by billing periods for at least the last year and information and instructions needed by the customer to make consumption comparisons to similar residential customers in the same class and to evaluate water conservation efforts.

PSC 185.22 Note Note: The information in subs. (1) - (5) is contained in the commission’s residential customer bill of rights.