§ 8401 Utility Housing Connection Fees

Key Takeaways

•By January 1, 2026, big utility companies must put two things on their website: how much it costs to connect new homes to their services and how long it will take.
•This rule is for new houses, like small extra homes, apartments, or single-family houses.
•Small utility companies (with fewer than 4,000 customers) don’t have to do this if they can prove it’s too hard for them, like if they don’t have good internet or enough money or staff.
•If a small company says it’s too hard, they must explain why every year in a public meeting.

Example

A family wants to build a new house and needs to know how much it will cost to connect to water and electricity.

The family can check the utility company’s website to see the estimated fees and how long it will take to get connected. This helps them plan their budget and timeline.

(a) On or before January 1, 2026, for new housing construction, each utility shall publicly post both of the following on its internet website: (1) A schedule of estimated fees for typical service connections for each housing development type, including, but not limited to, accessory dwelling unit, multifamily, mixed-use, and single-family developments. This paragraph does not apply to a utility that continues to post a schedule of their fees with this information pursuant to Section 65940.1 of the Government Code. (2) The estimated timeframes for completing typical service connections needed for each housing development type, including, but not limited to, accessory dwelling unit, mixed-use, multifamily, and single-family developments. (b) (1) This section does not apply to a utility with fewer than 4,000 service connections that does not establish or maintain an internet website due to a hardship. (2) The utility may establish that a hardship exists by annually adopting a resolution that includes detailed findings based on evidence that is publicly noticed before the meeting and included in the meeting agenda that supports the determination that a hardship prevents the utility from establishing or maintaining an internet website. The findings may include, but shall not be limited to, inadequate access to broadband communications network facilities that enable high-speed internet access, significantly limited financial resources, or insufficient staff resources. (Added by Stats. 2024, Ch. 787, Sec. 1. (SB 1210) Effective January 1, 2025.)

Key Takeaways

•By January 1, 2026, big utility companies must put two things on their website: how much it costs to connect new homes to their services and how long it will take.
•This rule is for new houses, like small extra homes, apartments, or single-family houses.
•Small utility companies (with fewer than 4,000 customers) don’t have to do this if they can prove it’s too hard for them, like if they don’t have good internet or enough money or staff.
•If a small company says it’s too hard, they must explain why every year in a public meeting.

Example

A family wants to build a new house and needs to know how much it will cost to connect to water and electricity.

The family can check the utility company’s website to see the estimated fees and how long it will take to get connected. This helps them plan their budget and timeline.

Key Takeaways

Example

Key Terms

References

§ 8401 Utility Housing Connection Fees

Key Takeaways

Example

Key Terms

References

Key Takeaways

Example

Key Terms

Related Statutes

References

Key Takeaways

Example

Key Terms

Related Statutes

References