California Public Utilities Code CHAPTER 1 - General Provisions and Definitions

• Section 201.
  This part may be cited as the “Public Utilities Act.”(Enacted by Stats. 1951, Ch. 764.)
• Section 202.
  Neither this part nor any provision thereof, except when specifically so stated, shall apply to commerce with foreign nations or to interstate commerce, except insofar...
• Section 203.
  Unless the context otherwise requires, the definitions and general provisions set forth in this chapter govern the construction of this part.(Enacted by Stats. 1951, Ch.
• Section 204.
  “Corporation” includes a corporation, a company, an association, and a joint stock association.(Enacted by Stats. 1951, Ch. 764.)
• Section 205.
  “Person” includes an individual, a firm, and a copartnership.(Enacted by Stats. 1951, Ch. 764.)
• Section 206.
  As used in this chapter “person” and “corporation” include the lessees, trustees, receivers or trustees appointed by any court whatsoever, of the person or corporation.(Enacted...
• Section 207.
  “Public or any portion thereof” means the public generally, or any limited portion of the public, including a person, private corporation, municipality, or other political...
• Section 208.
  “Transportation of persons” includes every service in connection with or incidental to the safety, comfort, or convenience of the person transported and the receipt, carriage,...
• Section 209.
  “Transportation of property” includes every service in connection with or incidental to the transportation of property, including in particular its receipt, delivery, elevation, transfer, switching,...
• Section 210.
  “Rates” includes rates, fares, tolls, rentals, and charges, unless the context indicates otherwise.(Enacted by Stats. 1951, Ch. 764.)
• Section 211.
  “Common carrier” means every person and corporation providing transportation for compensation to or for the public or any portion thereof, except as otherwise provided in...
• Section 212.
  (a) “Common carrier” shall not include:(1) Any corporation or person owning, controlling, operating, or managing any vessel, by reason of the furnishing of water transportation service between...
• Section 212.a.
  (a) “Common carrier” shall not include:(1) Any corporation or person owning, controlling, operating, or managing any vessel, by reason of the furnishing of water transportation service between...
• Section 214.5.
  With respect to a motor vehicle used in the transportation of passengers for compensation by a passenger stage corporation, “owner” means the corporation or person...
• Section 215.
  “Between fixed termini or over a regular route” means the termini or route between which, or over which any passenger stage corporation usually or ordinarily...
• Section 215.6.
  “Food products for human consumption” means articles used for human food or drink and articles used as components of any of those articles.(Added by Stats....
• Section 215.7.
  “Nonfood product” means any article, material, substance, or product which is not food.(Added by Stats. 1990, Ch. 1685, Sec. 2.5.)
• Section 216.
  (a) “Public utility” includes every common carrier, toll bridge corporation, pipeline corporation, gas corporation, electrical corporation, telephone corporation, telegraph corporation, water corporation, sewer system corporation, and...
• Section 216.2.
  Notwithstanding Section 216, “public utility” does not include a motor carrier of property.(Added by renumbering Section 216.5 by Stats. 2006, Ch. 198, Sec. 7. Effective...
• Section 216.4.
  “Cable television corporation” shall mean any corporation or firm which transmits television programs by cable to subscribers for a fee.(Added by renumbering Section 215.5 by...
• Section 216.6.
  “Cogeneration” means the sequential use of energy for the production of electrical and useful thermal energy. The sequence can be thermal use followed by power...
• Section 216.8.
  “Commercial mobile radio service” means “commercial mobile service,” as defined in subsection (d) of Section 332 of Title 47 of the United States Code and...
• Section 217.
  “Electric plant” includes all real estate, fixtures and personal property owned, controlled, operated, or managed in connection with or to facilitate the production, generation, transmission,...
• Section 218.
  (a) “Electrical corporation” includes every corporation or person owning, controlling, operating, or managing any electric plant for compensation within this state, except where electricity is generated...
• Section 218.3.
  (a) “Electric service provider” means an entity that offers electrical service to customers within the service territory of an electrical corporation and includes the unregulated affiliates...
• Section 218.5.
  (a) The following terms have the following meanings:(1) “Exempt wholesale generator” has the same meaning as defined in the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 2005 (42...
• Section 219.
  “Express corporation” includes every corporation or person engaged in or transacting the business of transporting any freight, merchandise, or other property for compensation on the...
• Section 220.
  “Freight forwarder” means any corporation or person who for compensation undertakes the collection and shipment of property of others, and as consignor or otherwise ships...
• Section 221.
  “Gas plant” includes all real estate, fixtures, and personal property, owned, controlled, operated, or managed in connection with or to facilitate the production, generation, transmission,...
• Section 222.
  “Gas corporation” includes every corporation or person owning, controlling, operating, or managing any gas plant for compensation within this state, except where gas is made...
• Section 223.
  “Heating plant” includes all real estate, fixtures, and personal property owned, controlled, operated, or managed in connection with or to facilitate the production, generation, transmission,...
• Section 224.
  “Heat corporation” includes every corporation or person owning, controlling, operating, or managing any heating plant for compensation within this state, except where heat is generated...
• Section 224.2.
  “Landfill gas technology” means the process of extraction of gas or gaseous compounds from sanitary landfill areas which gas or compound was generated as a...
• Section 224.3.
  “Local publicly owned electric utility” means a municipality or municipal corporation operating as a “public utility” furnishing electric service as provided in Section 10001, a...
• Section 224.4.
  (a) “Mobile data service” means the delivery of nonvoice information to a mobile device and includes nonvoice information communicated to a mobile telephony services handset, nonvoice...
• Section 224.6.
  “Motor carrier of property” means a motor carrier of property as defined in Section 34601 of the Vehicle Code.(Added by Stats. 1996, Ch. 1042, Sec....
• Section 224.8.
  “Network railroad transportation” means railroad transportation that is subject to the jurisdiction of the federal Surface Transportation Board pursuant to subsection (a) or (b) of...
• Section 225.
  “Passenger stage” includes every stage, auto stage, or other motor vehicle used in the transportation of persons, or persons and their baggage or express, or...
• Section 226.
  (a) “Passenger stage corporation” includes every corporation or person engaged as a common carrier, for compensation, in the ownership, control, operation, or management of any passenger...
• Section 227.
  “Pipe line” includes all real estate, fixtures, and personal property, owned, controlled, operated, or managed in connection with or to facilitate the transmission, storage, distribution,...
• Section 228.
  “Pipeline corporation” includes every corporation or person owning, controlling, operating, or managing any pipeline for compensation within this state.“Pipeline corporation” shall not include a corporation...
• Section 229.
  “Railroad” includes every commercial, interurban, and other railway, other than a street railroad, and each branch or extension thereof, by whatsoever power operated, together with...
• Section 230.
  “Railroad corporation” includes every corporation or person owning, controlling, operating, or managing any railroad for compensation within this State.(Enacted by Stats. 1951, Ch. 764.)
• Section 230.3.
  “Service area,” for purposes of the operations of a telephone corporation, means a local access and transport area as defined and approved by the United...
• Section 230.5.
  “Sewer system” includes all real estate, fixtures, and personal property owned, controlled, operated, or managed in connection with or to facilitate sewage collection, treatment, or...
• Section 230.6.
  “Sewer system corporation” includes every corporation or person owning, controlling, operating, or managing any sewer system for compensation within this state.(Added by Stats. 1970, Ch.
• Section 231.
  “Street railroad” includes every railway, and each branch or extension thereof, by whatsoever power operated, being mainly upon, along, above or below any street, avenue,...
• Section 232.
  “Street railroad corporation” includes every corporation or person owning, controlling, operating, or managing any street railroad for compensation within this State, or owning, controlling, operating,...
• Section 233.
  “Telephone line” includes all conduits, ducts, poles, wires, cables, instruments, and appliances, and all other real estate, fixtures, and personal property owned, controlled, operated, or...
• Section 234.
  (a) “Telephone corporation” includes every corporation or person owning, controlling, operating, or managing any telephone line for compensation within this state.(b) “Telephone corporation” does not include any...
• Section 235.
  “Telegraph line” includes all conduits, ducts, poles, wires, cables, instruments, and appliances, and all other real estate, fixtures, and personal property owned, controlled, operated, or...
• Section 236.
  “Telegraph corporation” includes every corporation or person owning, controlling, operating, or managing any telegraph line for compensation within this State.(Enacted by Stats. 1951, Ch. 764.)
• Section 237.
  “Toll-bridge corporation” includes every private corporation or person owning, controlling, operating, or managing any bridge or appurtenance thereto, used for the transportation of persons or...
• Section 237.5.
  “Transportation electrification” means the use of electricity from external sources of electrical power, including the electrical grid, for all or part of vehicles, vessels, trains,...
• Section 238.
  (a) “Vessel” includes every species of watercraft, by whatsoever power operated, which is owned, controlled, operated or managed for public use in the transportation of persons...
• Section 239.
  (a) (1) “Voice over Internet Protocol” or “VoIP” means voice communications service that does all of the following:(A) Uses Internet Protocol or a successor protocol to enable real-time,...
• Section 240.
  “Water system” includes all reservoirs, tunnels, shafts, dams, dikes, headgates, pipes, flumes, canals, structures, and appliances, and all other real estate, fixtures, and personal property,...
• Section 241.
  “Water corporation” includes every corporation or person owning, controlling, operating, or managing any water system for compensation within this State.(Enacted by Stats. 1951, Ch. 764.)
• Section 243.
  This part shall not release or waive any right of action by the State, the commission, or any person or corporation for any right, penalty,...
• Section 244.
  No transit district, common carrier, or publicly owned transit system shall require any person to waive, limit, or qualify any right to recover damages for...
• Section 246.
  A person or corporation shall not be a public utility subject to the jurisdiction, control and regulation of the commission and the provisions of this...
• Section 247.
  Any provision of this part that is in conflict with the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, (47 U.S.C. Sec. 332(c)(3)) shall not apply to...
• Section 247.1.
  (a) The Mobile Telecommunications Sourcing Act (Public Law 106-252) was enacted for the purpose of establishing nationwide uniform sourcing rules for the imposition of state and...
• Section 248.
  Any provision of the Public Utilities Act that is in conflict with the railroad provisions of Part A of Subtitle 4 of Title 49 of...

Last modified: October 22, 2018