Chapter 103

103-732.6. Estimated Bills. No utility shall send a customer an estimated bill, except for good cause, when the meter could not be read or was improperly registering. In no instance will more than one estimated bill be rendered within a 60-day period, unless otherwise agreed to b…

103-732.7. Deferred Payment Plan. The utility shall provide for the arrangement of a deferred payment plan to enable a residential customer to make payment by installments where such customer is unable to pay the amount due for water service. The deferred payment plan shall requi…

103-733. Adjustments of Bills. If it is found that a utility has directly or indirectly, by any device whatsoever, demanded, charged, collected or received from any customer a greater or lesser compensation for any service rendered or to be rendered by such utility than that pres…

103-733.1. Fast or Slow Meters. If the overcharge or undercharge is the result of a fast or slow meter, then the method of compensation shall be as follows: (a) In case of a disputed account, involving the accuracy of a meter, such meter shall be tested upon request of the custom…

103-733.2. Customer Inadvertently Overcharged. If the utility has inadvertently overcharged a customer as a result of a misapplied schedule, an error in reading the meter, a skipped meter reading, or any other human or machine error, except as provided in 1 of this rule, the util…

103-733.3. Customer Inadvertently Undercharged. If the utility has undercharged any customer as a result of a misapplied schedule, an error in reading the meter, a skipped meter reading, or any human or machine error, except as provided in 1 and 5 of this rule, then the utility m…

103-733.4. Customer Willfully Overcharged. If the utility has willfully overcharged any customer, the utility shall refund the difference, plus interest, as stated in the South Carolina Code of Laws Section 34-31-20(A) or such future Code of Laws of South Carolina governing the l…

103-733.5. Customer Undercharged Because of Fraud or Willful Misrepresentation. If the utility has undercharged any customer because of the customer’s fraudulent actions, such as tampering with, or bypassing the meter, or because the customer has willfully misrepresented a materi…

103-734. Applications for Service. A. All applications for water service may be made orally or in writing. B. The accepted application shall constitute a contract between the company and the applicant, obligating the applicant to pay for water service in accordance with the utili…

103-735. Denial or Discontinuance of Service. Service may be refused or discontinued for any of the reasons listed below. Unless otherwise stated, the customer shall be allowed a reasonable time in which to comply with the rule before service is discontinued. A. Without notice in…

103-735.1. Procedures for Termination of Service. (A) Service may be terminated for non-payment of a bill, provided that the water utility has made a reasonable attempt to effect collection and has given the customer written notice, sent by regular mail to the customer’s billing …

103-736. Insufficient Reasons for Denying Service. The following shall not constitute cause for refusal of service to a present or prospective customer: A. Non-payment for service by a previous occupant of the premises to be served, unless such previous occupant shall benefit fro…

103-737. Right of Access. 1. The authorized agents of the utility shall have the right of access to the premises supplied with water, at reasonable hours, for the purpose of maintenance and reading of meters, examining fixtures, protective device and pipes, observing the manner o…

103-738. Customer Complaints. A. Complaints concerning the charges, practices, facilities, or service of the utility shall be investigated promptly and thoroughly. The utility shall keep records of customer complaints as will enable it and the ORS to review and analyze its proced…

103-739. Tariffs, Rules and Regulations. A copy of the utility’s tariffs as filed with the commission and provided to the ORS shall be on file in the local business offices of the utility and shall be available for public inspection. HISTORY: Amended by State Register Volume 31, …

103-74. Guidelines for Rail Regulation. The standards and procedures outlined in Order No. 83-146, modified by Order No. 84-207, are hereby adopted as guidelines for all future rail regulation by the Public Service Commission of South Carolina. HISTORY: Added by State Register Vo…

103-740. System Which Utility Must Maintain. Each utility, unless specifically relieved in any case by the commission from such obligation, shall operate and maintain in safe, efficient and proper conditions all of its facilities and equipment used in connection with the services…

103-741. Replacement of Meters. Whenever a consumer requests the replacement of a service meter on his premises, such request shall be treated as a request for the test on such meter, and as such shall fall under the provisions of 103-760(B). 103-742. Waste of Water. The customer…

103-750. Requirement for Good Engineering Practice. A. The water plant of the utility shall be constructed, installed, maintained and operated in accordance with accepted good engineering practice and regulations included to assure as far as reasonably possible, continuity of ser…

103-751. Acceptable Standards. Unless otherwise specified by the commission, each utility shall use the guideline of the Department of Health and Environmental Control as minimum standards of good engineering practices. HISTORY: Amended by State Register Volume 31, Issue No. 5, e…

103-752. Acceptable References. Unless otherwise specified by the commission, the utility shall use the applicable provisions in the publications listed below as operational requirements, where applicable, and standards of accepted good practice: (a) The most current edition of t…

103-753. Adequacy of Service. The source of supply and transmission facilities, and/or production and/or storage capacity of the utility’s plant, must be sufficiently large to meet all reasonably expectable demands for service. 103-754. Inspection of Utility Plant. Each utility m…

103-760. Utility Inspections and Tests. A. Each utility shall, unless specifically excused by the commission, provide such laboratory, meter- testing equipment and other equipment and facilities as may be necessary to make the tests required of it by these rules or other orders o…

103-761. ORS Inspection and Tests. The ORS shall make tests of meters as follows: (a) Upon written application to the ORS by a customer or a utility, a test will be made of the customer’s meter as soon as practicable. (b) On receipt of such request the ORS will notify the utility…

103-762. Test Procedures and Accuracies. Method of Testing. All tests to determine the accuracy of registration of any water service meter shall be made with a suitable meter prover, and records of all regular or complaint tests shall be kept in the files of the utility. 103-763.…

103-770. Quality of Service. A. Each utility shall provide water that is potable and, insofar as practicable, free from objectionable odor, taste, color and turbidity. Each utility must have a permit as required by the health laws of the State of South Carolina, and shall comply …

103-772. Restrictions of the Use of Service. A. The utility may impose reasonable restrictions on the outdoor use of water during period of shortage of supply, excessive demand or other difficulty which jeopardizes the supply of water to any group of customers. B. The utility may…

103-773. Pressure Tests. A. Each utility having more than 100 customers must have at least one portable recording pressure gauge available. B. Pressure measurements should be made at the customer’s meter, or if no meter, customer’s curb stop. If no outlet is available at this poi…

103-774. Pressure Limits. A. Under normal conditions of use of water, the pressure at a customer’s service connection shall be: 1) Not less than 25 psig; and, 2) Not more than 125 psig. B. Pressure outside the limits specified will not be considered a violation when the variation…

103-780. Acceptable Standards. As criteria of accepted good safety practice the commission will use the applicable provisions of the standards referred to in 103-751. HISTORY: Amended by State Register Volume 31, Issue No. 5, eff May 25, 2007.

103-781. Protective Measures. A. Each utility shall exercise reasonable care to reduce the hazards to which its employees, its customers, and the general public may be subjected. B. The utility shall give reasonable assistance to the ORS in the investigation of the cause of accid…

103-782. Safety Program. Each utility shall devise and implement a safety program, adapted to the size and type of its operations. At a minimum, the safety program should: (a) Require the employees to use suitable tools and equipment in order that they may perform their work in a…

103-801. Application of Rules. These rules shall apply to any person who participates in proceedings before the Public Service Commission. HISTORY: Amended by State Register Volume 31, Issue No. 4, eff April 27, 2007.

103-802. Purpose of Rules. These rules are intended to define standards of proper practice before the Public Service Commis- sion. They are intended to insure that all parties participating in proceedings before the Commission will be accorded the procedural fairness to which the…

103-804. Definitions. The following words and terms, when used in the context of these rules and regulations, shall have the meanings indicated. A. Applicant. A party on whose behalf an application is made to the Commission for any permission or authorization which the Commission…

103-805. Representation. A. Parties and Their Representatives. Parties in a case have the right to participate or to be represented in all hearings or pre-hearing conferences related to their case. Except as otherwise provided herein, a party must be represented by an attorney ad…

103-810. Functions of the Commission. The Commission, as provided for by the South Carolina Constitution and as vested with power and jurisdiction by the South Carolina General Assembly, performs the following general functions: A. Regulation and supervision of privately-owned el…

103-811. Procedure to Employ, through Contract or Otherwise, Qualified, Independent Third-Party Consultants or Experts. The Public Service Commission shall use a formal Request for Proposals process to hire, through contract or otherwise, external qualified, independent third-par…

103-812. Chairman and Vice Chairman. The Commission will elect one of their number chairman and another of their number vice- chairman. HISTORY: Amended by State Register Volume 12, Issue No. 6, eff June 24, 1988.

103-813. The Commission Staff. The Commission is authorized and empowered to employ a chief clerk and deputy clerk; a commission attorney and assistant commission attorneys; hearing officers; hearing reporters; and such other professional, administrative, technical, and clerical …

103-814. Commission Meetings. Formal meetings of the Commission are held on a weekly basis, or at the call of the chairman or at the call of a majority of the Commission, for the purposes of formulating decisions, composing orders, planning and coordinating the work of the Commis…

103-815. Office Hours. The offices of the Commission will be open for business daily during the hours between 8:15 A. M. and 4:45 P. M., Monday through Friday, subject to the observance of State holidays. HISTORY: Amended by State Register Volume 12, Issue No. 6, eff June 24, 198…

103-816. Written Correspondence. All written communications shall be directed or hand-delivered to the Commission’s physical address as listed at www.psc.sc.gov. HISTORY: Amended by State Register Volume 31, Issue No. 4, eff April 27, 2007; SCSR 48-5 Doc. No. 5168, eff May 24, 20…

103-817. Proceedings. A. Nature of Proceedings. If required by law and upon filing of a pleading as set forth in R.103-819, et. seq., proceedings for the purpose of rulemaking, ratemaking, licensing, determining rights, duties, or privileges of any party, and undertaking an offic…

103-817.1. E-Filing and E-Service. A. Electronic Filing. The electronic transmission of a document to the E-Filing System in accordance with this Regulation constitutes the filing of that document in accordance with Title 58 of the South Carolina Code and the Commission’s Regulat…

103-818. Rulemaking Proceedings. A. Nature of Rulemaking Proceedings. When permitted by law, and upon the filing of a pleading, proceedings for the purpose of rulemaking shall be conducted by one or more Commissioners or by a hearing examiner through the development of a formal r…

103-819. General Contents of Pleadings. All pleadings in proceedings before the Commission to which docket numbers have been assigned shall prominently display such docket numbers. All pleadings shall also include the following information: A. The legal name and address of each p…

103-820. General Form of Pleadings. All pleadings filed in proceedings before the Commission should be typewritten on paper cut or folded to letter size (8 to 8 1/2 inches wide by 10 1/2 to 11 inches long) with a left-hand margin not less than 1 1/2 inches wide and other margins …

103-821. Copies of Pleadings. Pleadings shall be filed in one original and copies, as determined by the Commission, unless otherwise specified by the Chief Clerk. In addition, where practicable, an electronic copy of the pleadings shall be served on the Chief Clerk and all partie…

103-822. Signature and Verification. All pleadings filed with the Commission shall be signed. The signature of the person, or its authorized representative, submitting the pleading, shall constitute an admission that such person or representative has read the pleading and knows t…