Title XI, NATURAL RESOURCES (Ch. 455 - 485)

1. Notwithstanding the deregulation of a communications service or facility under section 476.1D , the commission may adopt rules to protect consumers from unauthorized changes in telecommunications service. Such rules shall not impose undue restrictions upon competition in telec…

If any provision of this chapter or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid or otherwise rendered ineffective by any entity, the invalidity or ineffectiveness shall not affect other provisions or applications of this chapter that can be given effect without …

1. For the purposes of this section , “building project expenses” means expenses that have been approved by the utilities commission for the building and related improvements and furnishings developed under this section and that are considered part of the regulatory expenses char…

Notwithstanding the Iowa administrative procedure Act, chapter 17A , any party, as defined in the rules and regulations promulgated by the commission as provided in section 476.2 , to a contested case before the commission may within twenty days after the issuance of the final de…

1. Notwithstanding the Iowa administrative procedure Act, chapter 17A , the district court for Polk county or for the county in which a public utility maintains its principal place of business has exclusive venue for the judicial review under chapter 17A of actions of the commiss…

Whenever the commission shall be of the opinion that any public utility or any other person is violating this chapter or any order of the commission, the commission may commence an action in the district court for the county in which such violation is alleged to have occurred, to…

The jurisdiction and powers of the commission shall extend as provided in this chapter to the utility business of public utilities operating within this state to the full extent permitted by the Constitution and laws of the United States. [C66, 71, 73, 75, §490A.21; C77, 79, 81, …

The commission shall include in its annual report required under sections 7A.1 and 7A.10 among other matters, to the extent such regulation is conferred upon the commission by this chapter , the following: 1. A complete financial report of receipts and expenditures, including lis…

1. The commission may promulgate rules pursuant to chapter 17A which require or authorize a public utility to establish peak-load management procedures. 2. Rules of the commission shall relate to reducing or limiting the peak-load period consumption. 3. In promulgating rules unde…

1. Public utilities subject to rate regulation are prohibited from including either directly or indirectly in their charges or rates to customers the costs of lobbying. 2. Legal costs and attorney fees incurred by a public utility subject to rate regulation in an appeal in state …

Nothing contained in this chapter shall be construed to invalidate any proceedings under statutes existing prior to the enactment of this chapter ; nor shall any action, litigation or appeal pending prior to the effective date of rate regulation of this chapter be affected. [C66,…

1. Electric public utilities having fewer than ten thousand customers and electric cooperative corporations and associations are not subject to the regulation authority of the commission, except for regulatory action pertaining to all of the following: a. Assessment of fees for t…

1. A municipally owned utility furnishing gas or electricity is not subject to the regulation authority of the commission, except for regulatory action pertaining to the following: a. Assessment of fees for the support of the commission and the office of consumer advocate, as set…

1. Gas public utilities having fewer than two thousand customers: a. Are not subject to the regulation authority of the utilities commission under this chapter unless otherwise specifically provided. Sections 476.10 , 476.20 , 476.21 , and 476.51 apply to such gas utilities. b. S…

1. Except as provided in this section , the jurisdiction of the commission as to the regulation of communications services is not applicable to a service or facility that is provided or is proposed to be provided by a telephone utility that is or becomes subject to effective comp…

1. The commission shall have broad general powers to effect the purposes of this chapter notwithstanding the fact that certain specific powers are set forth in this section . The commission shall have authority to issue subpoenas and to pay the same fees and mileage as are payabl…

1. a. A utility shall not, except in cases of emergency, discontinue, reduce, or impair service to a community, or a part of a community, except for nonpayment of account or violation of rules and regulations, unless and until permission to do so is obtained from the commission. …

A corporation or cooperative association providing electrical or gas service shall not consider the use of renewable energy sources by a customer as a basis for establishing discriminatory rates or charges for any service or commodity sold to the customer or discontinue services …

As used in this subchapter , unless the context otherwise requires, “electric utility” includes a public utility furnishing electricity as defined in section 476.1 and a city utility as defined in section 390.1 . [C77, 79, 81, §476.22 ] 2021 Acts, ch 80, §309 Referred to in §476.…

1. An electric utility shall not construct or extend facilities or furnish or offer to furnish electric service to the existing point of delivery of any customer already receiving electric service from another electric utility without having first filed with the commission the ex…

1. On or before July 1, 1977, and subsequently whenever requested by the commission, electric utilities furnishing electricity to the public for compensation in this state shall file, jointly or severally, with the commission detailed maps of their service area drawn to a scale o…

It is declared to be in the public interest to encourage the development of coordinated statewide electric service at retail, to eliminate or avoid unnecessary duplication of electric utility facilities, and to promote economical, efficient, and adequate electric service to the p…

The inclusion by incorporation, consolidation, or annexation of any facilities or service area of an electric utility within the boundaries of any city shall not by such inclusion impair or affect in any respect the rights of the electric utility to continue to provide electric u…

1. Definitions. As used in this section , unless the context otherwise requires: a. “Commission” means the Iowa utilities commission. b. “Crossing” means the construction, operation, repair, or maintenance of a facility over, under, or across a railroad right-of-way by a public u…

1. A public utility shall furnish reasonably adequate service at rates and charges in accordance with tariffs filed with the commission. When there is filed with the commission by any person or body politic, or filed by the commission upon its own motion, a written complaint requ…

The commission shall adopt not later than July 1, 1983, rules and policies to implement a program for the continuous review of operations of rate-regulated public utilities with respect to all matters that affect rates or charges for utility service. [ 81 Acts, ch 156, §1 ] 2024 …

The commission shall review annual reports submitted by rate-regulated public utilities. The commission shall commence rate-review proceedings under this chapter if an annual report indicates that the earnings of the public utility are excessive. [ 81 Acts, ch 156, §2 ] 2024 Acts…

1. The commission shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to provide for the completion of proceedings under section 476.3 within ten months after the date of the filing of a petition under section 476.3, subsection 2 , and to provide for the completion of proceedings under sec…

1. Every public utility shall file with the commission tariffs showing the rates and charges for its public utility services and the rules and regulations under which such services were furnished, on April 1, 1963, which rates and charges shall be subject to investigation by the …

It is the policy of this state to encourage the development of alternate energy production facilities and small hydro facilities in order to conserve our finite and expensive energy resources and to provide for their most efficient use. 83 Acts, ch 182, §2 Referred to in §476.43…

As used in this subchapter , unless the context otherwise requires: 1. a. “Alternate energy production facility” means any or all of the following: (1) A solar, wind turbine, electric storage unit, nuclear, waste management, resource recovery, refuse-derived fuel, agricultural cr…

1. Subject to section 476.44 , the commission shall require electric utilities to do both of the following under terms and conditions that the commission finds are just and economically reasonable for the electric utilities’ customers, are nondiscriminatory to alternate energy pr…

1. The commission shall not require an electric utility to purchase or wheel electricity from an alternate energy production facility or small hydro facility unless the facility is owned or operated by an individual, firm, partnership, corporation, company, association, joint sto…

The commission may establish or participate in a program to track, record, and verify the trading of credits or attributes relating to electricity generated from alternate energy production facilities or renewable energy sources among electric generators, utilities, and other int…

Capacity of an alternate energy production facility or small hydro facility, that is owned or purchased by an electric utility, shall not be included in a calculation of an electric utility’s excess generating capacity for ratemaking purposes. 83 Acts, ch 182, §6 ; 2003 Acts, ch …

1. The Iowa energy center created under section 15.120 shall establish and administer an alternate energy revolving loan program to encourage the development of alternate energy production facilities and small hydro facilities within the state. 2. a. An alternate energy revolving…

1. a. An energy infrastructure revolving loan fund is created in the office of the treasurer of state and shall be administered by the Iowa energy center established in section 15.120 . b. The fund may be administered as a revolving fund and may consist of any moneys appropriated…

1. Beginning January 1, 2004, an electric utility, whether or not rate-regulated under this chapter , shall offer an alternate energy purchase program to customers, based on energy produced by alternate energy production facilities in Iowa. 2. The commission shall require electri…

1. Definitions. For purposes of this section , unless the context otherwise requires: a. “Electric utility” means a public utility that furnishes electricity to the public for compensation and which enters into a model interconnection agreement with the owner of a small wind ener…

1. Definitions. For purposes of this section , unless the context otherwise requires: a. “Alternate energy production facility” means the same as defined in section 476.42 . b. “Distributed generation customer” means a person other than a public utility that interconnects an elig…

No public utility subject to rate regulation shall directly or indirectly charge a greater or less compensation for its services than that prescribed in its tariffs, and no such public utility shall make or grant any unreasonable preferences or advantages as to rates or services …

1. A public utility which, after written notice by the commission of a specific violation, violates the same provision of this chapter , the same rule adopted by the commission, or the same provision of an order lawfully issued by the commission, is subject to a civil penalty, wh…

1. It is the policy of this state that a public utility shall operate in an efficient manner. 2. If the commission determines in the course of a proceeding conducted under section 476.3 or 476.6 that a utility is operating in an inefficient manner, or is not exercising ordinary, …

1. It is the intent of the general assembly to attract the development of electric power generating and transmission facilities within the state in sufficient quantity to ensure reliable electric service to Iowa consumers and provide economic benefits to the state. It is also the…

It is the intent of the general assembly to encourage the development of renewable electric power generation. It is also the intent of the general assembly to encourage the use of renewable power to meet local electric needs and the development of transmission capacity to export …

A public utility shall not apply delayed payment charges on a customer’s account if the scheduled payment was made by the customer within twenty days from the date the billing was sent to the customer. Delayed payment charges on a customer’s account shall not exceed one and one-h…