(a) A city or district may provide new or extended services by contract or agreement outside its jurisdictional boundary only if it first requests and receives written approval from the commission of the county in which the affected territory is located.
(b) The commission may authorize a city or district to provide new or extended services outside its jurisdictional boundary but within its sphere of influence in anticipation of a later change of organization.
(c) The commission may authorize a city or district to provide new or extended services outside its jurisdictional boundary and outside its sphere of influence to respond to an existing or impending threat to the health or safety of the public or the residents of the affected territory, if both of the following requirements are met:
(1) The entity applying for approval has provided the commission with documentation of a threat to the health and safety of the public or the affected residents.
(2) The commission has notified any alternate service provider, including any water corporation as defined in Section 241 of the Public Utilities Code, that has filed a map and a statement of its service capabilities with the commission.
(d) The executive officer, within 30 days of receipt of a request for approval by a city or district to extend services outside its jurisdictional boundary, shall determine whether the request is complete and acceptable for filing or whether the request is incomplete. If a request is determined not to be complete, the executive officer shall immediately transmit that determination to the requester, specifying those parts of the request that are incomplete and the manner in which they can be made complete. When the request is deemed complete, the executive officer shall place the request on the agenda of the next commission meeting for which adequate notice can be given but not more than 90 days from the date that the request is deemed complete, unless the commission has delegated approval of requests made pursuant to this section to the executive officer. The commission or executive officer shall approve, disapprove, or approve with conditions the extended services. If the new or extended services are disapproved or approved with conditions, the applicant may request reconsideration, citing the reasons for reconsideration.
(e) This section does not apply to any of the following:
(1) Two or more public agencies where the public service to be provided is an alternative to, or substitute for, public services already being provided by an existing public service provider and where the level of service to be provided is consistent with the level of service contemplated by the existing service provider.
(2) The transfer of nonpotable or nontreated water.
(3) The provision of surplus water to agricultural lands and facilities, including, but not limited to, incidental residential structures, for projects that serve conservation purposes or that directly support agricultural industries. However, prior to extending surplus water service to any project that will support or induce development, the city or district shall first request and receive written approval from the commission in the affected county.
(4) An extended service that a city or district was providing on or before January 1, 2001.
(5) A local publicly owned electric utility, as defined by Section 224.3 of the Public Utilities Code, providing electric services that do not involve the acquisition, construction, or installation of electric distribution facilities by the local publicly owned electric utility, outside of the utility’s jurisdictional boundary.
(6) A fire protection contract, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 56134.
(Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 37, Sec. 3. (AB 2957) Effective January 1, 2023.)