Section R14-2-208. Provision of Service

A.      Utility responsibility

1.        Each utility shall be responsible for the safe transmission and distribution of electricity until it passes the point of delivery to the customer.

2.        The entity having control of the meter shall be responsi- ble for maintaining in safe operating condition all meters, equipment, and fixtures installed on the customer’s prem- ises by the entity for the purposes of delivering electric service to the customer.

3.        The Utility Distribution Company may, at its option, refuse service until the customer has obtained all required permits and inspections indicating that the customer’s facilities comply with local construction and safety stan- dards.

B.       Customer responsibility

1.        Each customer shall be responsible for maintaining all customer facilities on the customer’s side of the point of delivery in safe operating condition.

2.        Each customer shall be responsible for safeguarding all utility property installed in or on the customer’s premises for the purpose of supplying utility service to that cus- tomer.

3.        Each customer shall exercise all reasonable care to pre- vent loss or damage to utility property, excluding ordi- nary wear and tear. The customer shall be responsible for loss of or damage to utility property on the customer’s premises arising from neglect, carelessness, or misuse and shall reimburse the utility for the cost of necessary repairs or replacements.

4.        Each customer shall be responsible for payment for any equipment damage and estimated unmetered usage result- ing from unauthorized breaking of seals, interfering, tam- pering, or bypassing the utility meter.

5.        Each customer shall be responsible for notifying the util- ity of any equipment failure identified in the utility’s equipment.

C.      Continuity of service. Each utility shall make reasonable efforts to supply a satisfactory and continuous level of service. However, no utility shall be responsible for any damage or claim of damage attributable to any interruption or discontinu- ation of service resulting from:

1.        Any cause against which the utility could not have rea- sonably foreseen or made provision for, that is, force majeure.

2.        Intentional service interruptions to make repairs or per- form routine maintenance.

3.        Curtailment.

D.      Service interruptions

1.        Each utility shall make reasonable efforts to reestablish service within the shortest possible time when service interruptions occur.

2.        Each utility shall make reasonable provisions to meet emergencies resulting from failure of service, and each utility shall issue instructions to its employees covering procedures to be followed in the event of emergency in order to prevent or mitigate interruption or impairment of service.

3.        In the event of a national emergency or local disaster resulting in disruption of normal service, the utility may, in the public interest, interrupt service to other customers to provide necessary service to civil defense or other emergency service agencies on a temporary basis until normal service to these agencies can be restored.

4.        When a utility plans to interrupt service for more than four hours to perform necessary repairs or maintenance, the utility shall attempt to inform affected customers at least 24 hours in advance of the scheduled date and esti- mated duration of the service interruption. Such repairs shall be completed in the shortest possible time to mini- mize the inconvenience to the customers of the utility.

Corporation Commission – Fixed Utilities

5.        The Commission, Consumer Services Section, shall be notified of interruption in service affecting the entire sys- tem or any significant portion thereof. The interruption of service and cause shall be reported by telephone to the Commission within two hours after the responsible repre- sentative of the utility becomes aware of said interruption and followed by a written report to the Commission.

E.       Curtailment. Each utility shall file with the Commission, through Docket Control, as a part of its general tariffs a proce- dural plan for handling severe supply shortages or service cur- tailments. The plan shall provide for equitable treatment of individual customer classes in the most reasonable and effec- tive manner given the existing circumstances. When the avail- ability of service is so restricted that the reduction of service on a proportionate basis to all customer classes will not main- tain the integrity of the total system, the utility shall develop procedures to curtail service giving service priority to those customers and customer classes where health, safety and wel- fare would be adversely affected.

F.       Construction standard and safety

1.        Each utility shall construct all facilities in accordance with the provisions of Institute of Electrical and Elec- tronic Engineers, Inc., Pub. No. C2-2007, The National Electrical Safety Code (2007), which is incorporated by reference in R14-2-207(E)(3)(c), and American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Pub. No. ANSI/ASME B31.1- 2007, Power Piping (2007), including no future editions or amendments, which is incorporated by reference, on file with the Commission, and published by and available from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 3 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10016, and through http://catalog.asme.org.

2.        Each utility shall adopt a standard alternating nominal voltage or standard alternating nominal voltages (as may be required by its distribution system) for its entire ser- vice area or for each of the several districts into which the system may be divided, which standard voltage or volt- ages shall be stated in the rules and regulations of each utility and shall be measured at the customer’s service entrance. Each utility shall, under normal operating con- ditions, maintain its standard voltage or voltages within the limits of National Electrical Manufacturers Associa- tion, Pub. No. ANSI C84.1-2006, American National Standard for  Electric  Power Systems and  Equipment- Voltage Ratings (60 Hertz) (2006), including no future editions or amendments, which is incorporated by refer- ence, on file with the Commission, and published by and available from the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, 1300 North 17th Street, Suite 1752, Rosslyn, Virginia 22209, and through http://www.nema.org.

Historical Note

Adopted effective March 2, 1982 (Supp. 82-2). Amended subsections (D)(5) and (F)(1) and (2) effective April 1, 1986 (Supp. 86-2). Amended effective February 8, 1991

(Supp. 91-1). Amended effective August 16, 1996 (Supp. 96-3). Amended by an emergency action effective August 10, 1998, pursuant to A.R.S. § 41-1026, in effect for a maximum of 180 days (Supp. 98-3). Emergency amend- ment replaced by exempt permanent amendment effec- tive December 31, 1998 (Supp. 98-4). Amended by

exempt rulemaking at 5 A.A.R. 2054, effective June 4,

1999 (Supp. 99-2). Amended by exempt rulemaking at 5

A.A.R. 3933, effective September 24, 1999 (Supp. 99-3). Amended to correct subsection numbering (Supp. 99-4). Amended by exempt rulemaking at 6 A.A.R. 4180, effec-

tive October 13, 2000 (Supp. 00-4). Amended by final

rulemaking at 15 A.A.R. 1933, effective December 27,

2009 (Supp. 09-4).

Note

Editor’s Note: The following Section was amended under an exemption from the Attorney General approval provisions of the Arizona Administrative Procedure Act (State ex. rel. Corbin v. Arizona Corporation Commission, 174 Ariz. 216 848 P.2d 301 (App. 1992)), as determined by the Corporation Commission. This exemption means that the rules as amended were not approved by the Attorney General.