Public Service Commission

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…

103-8. Waiting Rooms. A waiting room for passengers, sufficient for their comfort and convenience, shall be provided at all stations where passenger tickets are offered for sale, and these waiting rooms shall be furnished with adequate lights, and, when the inclemency of the weat…

103-800. Authorization. A. In accordance with provisions of law, the Public Service Commission has adopted the following rules and regulations and fixed the following standards to govern the practice and procedures of parties before it. All previous rules or standards of practice…

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…

103-803. Waiver of Rules. In any case where compliance with any of these rules and regulations produces unusual hardship or difficulty, or where circumstances indicate that a waiver of one or more rules or regulations is otherwise appropriate, such rule or regulation may be waive…

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…

103-823. Applications. Applications are submitted to the Commission for any authorization or permission which the Commission is empowered to grant under its statutory authority, including applications for establish- ment or adjustment of rates and charges. A. Content of Applicati…

103-823.1. Financing Applications. Any electrical utility filing financing applications must provide the following information as a separate part of its application: a. Identify the effect of the proposed financing on the utility’s income statement and balance sheet and identify …

103-823.2. Protection of Customer Data. A. Definitions of Key Terms. (1) Aggregated Data. The term ‘‘aggregated data’’ means customer data, alone or in combination with non-customer data, resulting from processing (e.g., average of a group of customers) or the compilation of cust…

103-824. Complaints. Any person complaining of anything done or omitted to be done by any person under the statutory jurisdiction of the Commission in contravention of any statute, rule, regulation or order administered or issued by the Commission, may file a written complaint wi…

103-825. Petitions. Petitions may be submitted to the Commission for any relief, other than for an adjustment of rates and charges, which the Commission is empowered to grant under its statutory authority. Petitions which may be filed include: Petition for Rulemaking, Petition fo…

103-826. Answers. Answers are submitted to the Commission in response to complaints and petitions, and to Rules to Show Cause issued by the Commission. Answers are not required to Petitions for Rehearing or Reconsideration. A. Content of Answers. (1) Answers shall be drawn so as …

103-827. Protests. A. In General. A protest is intended to advise the Commission and all parties to a proceeding before the Commission of the fact and character of the protestant’s objection to part or all of the subject matter of the proceeding. The filing of a protest does not …

103-828. Amendments. Any modification or supplement to a pleading shall be deemed an amendment to the pleading, and shall comply with the particular requirements of content and form for the type of pleading so amended. Upon its own motion or upon motion duly filed by a party of r…

103-829. Motions. A. Motions, except those made during hearings, will be reduced to writing and filed with the Chief Clerk at least ten (10) days prior to the commencement of a hearing. Responses to such motions are due within ten days after service of said motions. Replies to re…

103-830. Filing and Service of Pleadings. All pleadings shall be filed with the Chief Clerk of the Commission and served on the Office of Regulatory Staff unless and until it chooses not to participate in a proceeding. A. Service of Complaints and Answers. (1) A complainant reque…

103-830.1. Service Between Parties of Record. Upon written agreement by all the parties in a docket, service of filings made in a docket at the commission may be made through e-mail or electronic service. Upon a notice of appearance by a party in a docket or, in the case of an in…

103-831. Computation of Time. The computation of time shall be governed by Rule 6 of the South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure. Extensions of time may be granted by the commission for good cause shown. The provisions of Regulation 103-831 do not apply to Petitions for Rehearing…

103-832. Subpoenas and Subpoenas Duces Tecum. Subpoenas and Subpoenas Duces Tecum shall be issued and served in a manner consistent with the South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure. HISTORY: Amended by State Register Volume 12, Issue No. 6, eff June 24, 1988; State Register Volum…

103-833. Written Interrogatories and Request for Production of Documents and Things. A. Any material relevant to the subject matter involved in the pending proceeding may be discovered unless the material is privileged or is hearing preparation working papers or attorney work pro…

103-834. Depositions. Any party of record to a proceeding may, by written request, ask the Commission or its designee for leave to take the testimony of any witness by deposition. The request shall set forth the facts the requesting party seeks to establish by the deposition. Suc…

103-835. Other Discovery Procedures. The S. C. Rules of Civil Procedure govern all discovery matters not covered in Commission Regulations. Upon motion by a party, the Commission may entertain proposed modifications to discovery procedures and schedules. All discovery, including …

103-836. How Hearings are Set. The Commission will assign a time and place for hearing and shall give notice thereof as required by law. The Commission is authorized to conduct such hearings virtually or by other remote means, as needed. HISTORY: Amended by State Register Volume …

103-837. Hearing Calendar. The hearing calendar will be posted in the office of the Chief Clerk of the Commission and shall be available for inspection by the public during the office hours of the Commission. Proceedings pending upon this calendar will be heard in their order of …

103-838. Continuance. Any party of record desiring a continuance shall, immediately upon receipt of notice of the hearing or as soon thereafter as facts requiring such continuance come to its knowledge, notify the Chief Clerk, stating in detail the reasons why such continuance is…

103-839. Prehearing Conferences. A. Purposes. Upon written notice by the Commission in any proceeding, parties of record or their authorized representative may be directed to meet before a designated staff member at a specified time and place for a conference, prior to a hearing,…

103-840. Consolidated Hearings. The Commission, upon its own motion or upon motion by any party, may order two or more proceedings involving a similar question of law or fact to be consolidated for hearing where rights of the parties or the public interest will not be prejudiced …

103-841. Presiding Officer. A. In General. When evidence is to be taken in a proceeding before the Commission, any Commissioner or any hearing examiner designated by the Commission may preside at the hearing. B. Powers and Duties of Presiding Officer. A presiding officer shall ha…