Title 56, Title 56. Public Service Companies

Any railroad doing business in this Commonwealth may acquire, own and operate motor vehicles for the purpose of transporting persons or property over the public highways as a common carrier by motor vehicle as that term is defined by § 46.2-2000, subject to the laws of Virginia g…

It shall be the duty of every railroad company, or carrier, upon the arrival of freight shipped to any of its depots or stations, to notify the consignee by mail, electronic data transfer, or otherwise when such freight is ready for delivery, and to give a reasonable time for the…

Every railroad company or line, doing business in this Commonwealth, shall, at the time when such company delivers any articles shipped or transported over its line, furnish to the owner or consignee thereof, or to his agent, a bill, plainly stating the class of freight to which …

No contract, receipt, rule, or regulation shall exempt any transportation company from the liability of a common carrier which would exist had no contract been made or entered into and no such contract, receipt, rule, or regulation for exemption from liability for injury or loss …

Whenever any corporation, company, or association not incorporated by or formed in the Commonwealth, or any person or partnership not a resident thereof, shall obtain from a railroad, steamship, or steamboat company the right or privilege of carrying articles upon the trains, ste…

Every claim against a common carrier doing business in the Commonwealth for loss or damage to property while in its possession, and every claim for storage, demurrage and car service against such carrier under the rules and regulations prescribed by the State Corporation Commissi…

In any action which may be instituted pursuant to § 56-123 before a general district court for an amount not exceeding $300, either party at or before the return day of the warrant may, in lieu of or in addition to giving evidence at the hearing, file an affidavit relating to the…

When transportation lines are owned or operated by persons, partnerships, or associations, not incorporated, any one or more of them may be sued by his or their name or names only, and such suit shall not abate for want of joining any of the copartners or coproprietors.

The Commission may examine all the railroads and other transportation companies, and the works and equipment thereof so that it may keep itself informed as to their physical condition, the manner in which they are operating with reference to the security and accommodation of the …

The State Corporation Commission shall have the authority to participate in carrying out safety inspection activities in connection with any rule, regulation, order, or standard prescribed by the Secretary of Transportation of the United States under the authority of the Federal …

If any railroad, or other railroad company, when directed by a valid order of the Commission, refuses or fails to comply with any requirement imposed pursuant to § 56-129.1, such company shall, in the discretion of the Commission, be fined in accordance with federal guidelines.

The Commission shall investigate the cause of any accident on any railroad which, in its judgment, requires investigation. The Commission shall require every common carrier by railroad doing business in this Commonwealth to file all reports required by the Federal Railroad Admini…

Any transportation company which violates any of the provisions of this chapter, or refuses to conform to or obey any lawful rule, order, or regulation of the Commission relating to the provisions of this chapter, may, when not otherwise provided in this chapter, be fined by the …

The following terms, whenever used or referred to in this article, shall have the following meanings, unless a different meaning clearly appears from the context: "Acquire" means and includes construct, or acquire by purchase, lease, devise, gift or the exercise of the power of e…

A. Any number of natural persons not less than five may, by executing, filing and recording articles of incorporation as hereinafter set forth, form a cooperative, either with or without capital stock, not organized for pecuniary profit, for the principal purpose of making energy…

A. The articles of incorporation mentioned in § 56-231.16 shall be entitled and endorsed "Articles of Incorporation of the........ Electric Cooperative" or "Articles of Incorporation of the........ Utility Consumer Services Cooperative" (the blank space being filled in with the d…

The words "electric cooperative" or "utility consumer services cooperative" shall not be used in the corporate name of corporations other than (i) those subject to the provisions of this chapter, (ii) nonstock corporations of which cooperatives are members, and (iii) corporations…

The natural persons executing the articles of incorporation shall be residents of the territory in which the principal operations of the cooperative are to be conducted who intend to use utility services to be furnished by the cooperative. The articles of incorporation shall be s…

A stock or nonstock cooperative may be dissolved in the manner prescribed by Article 16 (§ 13.1-742 et seq.) of Chapter 9 or Article 13 (§ 13.1-902 et seq.) of Chapter 10 of Title 13.1, respectively.

A cooperative may amend its articles of incorporation to change its corporate name, to increase or reduce the number of its directors or change any other provision therein; however, no cooperative shall amend its articles of incorporation to embody therein any purpose, power or p…

Each cooperative formed under this article shall have power to do any and all lawful acts or things including, but not limited to the power: 1. To produce, generate, gather, store, transport, transmit, distribute, buy and sell energy and energy-related products. 2. To sue and be …

No cooperative may sell, lease or dispose of all or substantially all of its property (other than property which, in the judgment of the board, is neither necessary nor useful in operating and maintaining the cooperative's system and which in any one year shall not exceed fifty p…

A cooperative shall have power and is hereby authorized, from time to time, to issue its obligations for any corporate purpose. Such obligations may be authorized by resolution of the board, and may bear such date or dates, mature at such time or times, bear such interest, be pay…

In connection with the issuance of any obligations a cooperative may make covenants or agreements and do any and all acts or things that a corporation can make or do under the laws of this Commonwealth.

A cooperative may purchase any obligation issued by it.

Each cooperative shall have a board of directors of five or more members, which board shall constitute the governing body of the cooperative. Only members and the officers, directors or employees of any member shall be eligible for election to the board of directors. The director…

The board of directors of a cooperative shall have power to do all things necessary or incidental in conducting the business of the cooperative, including, but not limited to the power: 1. If authorized by the articles of incorporation, or by resolution of its members having voti…

A. A cooperative may have one or more classes of members. If the cooperative has more than one class of members, the designation of each class and the qualifications and rights of the members of each class shall be set forth in the bylaws of the cooperative. B. A cooperative shal…

When there is held by any cooperative any patronage capital to the credit of a deceased person, in an amount not exceeding $10,000, upon whose estate there shall have been no qualification, it shall be lawful for such electric cooperative, after 120 days from the death of such pe…

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, when there is held by any cooperative any retired patronage capital to the credit of (i) a deceased person who has no spouse or next of kin identified in the records of the cooperative or (ii) a member or former member who has terminate…

No person shall become or remain a member unless such person shall use utility services supplied by such cooperative and shall have complied with the terms and conditions in respect to membership contained in the bylaws of such cooperative. However, nothing in this article shall …

Regulated utility services offered by a cooperative shall be reasonably adequate, subject to the regulations of the Commission, as provided in § 56-231.34. The charge made by any such cooperative for any regulated utility service rendered or to be rendered, either directly or in …

The regulated utility services of a cooperative shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the Commission in the same manner and to the same extent as are regulated utility services provided by other persons under the laws of this Commonwealth. All other business activities of a coo…

A. No cooperative that engages in a regulated utility service shall conduct any unregulated business activity, other than traditional cooperative activities, except in or through one or more affiliates of such cooperative, provided that a cooperative that provides regulated utili…

A. Any person who suffers loss as the proximate result of a violation by a cooperative or its affiliate of any rule or regulation adopted by the Commission pursuant to § 56-231.34:1 shall be entitled to initiate an action to recover actual damages or $500, whichever is greater, a…

The general laws relating to fees and other charges in connection with issuing charters, amendments thereto and dissolutions of corporations organized on a mutual basis or without capital stock shall apply to cooperatives organized under the provisions of this article.

This article is to be liberally construed and the enumeration of any object, purpose, power, manner, method or thing shall not be deemed to exclude like or similar objects, purposes, powers, manners, methods or things, and any provisions of other laws in conflict with the provisi…

This article may be cited as the "Utility Consumer Services Cooperatives Act."

As used in this article: "Affiliate" means a separate affiliated or subsidiary corporation or other separate legal entity. "Board" means any board of directors of a cooperative formed under or which becomes subject to this article. "Commission" means the State Corporation Commiss…

A. Subject to § 56-231.50:1, any utility consumer service cooperative or utility aggregation cooperative may form a cooperative in accordance with this article, either stock or nonstock, not for pecuniary profit, with the exception of for-profit affiliates, for the purpose of pur…

The words "electric cooperative" or "utility aggregation cooperative" shall not be used in the corporate name of any corporation other than those subject to this chapter, or their wholly owned subsidiaries.

A. The articles of incorporation shall be entitled "Articles of Incorporation of......... Cooperative" (the blank space being filled in with the distinguishing part of the name of the cooperative) and shall state: 1. The name of the cooperative, which name need not contain the wo…

The original bylaws of a cooperative shall be adopted by the members of such cooperative. Thereafter, such cooperative's board shall adopt, amend, or repeal the bylaws unless otherwise provided in the articles of incorporation or bylaws, subject to the rights of the members to al…

A. Each cooperative formed under this article shall have power to do any and all lawful acts or things, including, but not limited to the power: 1. To purchase, sell, generate, store, transport or transmit energy, energy services, products and equipment. 2. To sue and be sued. 3.…

A. Each cooperative shall have a board of directors consisting of at least five directors, which shall constitute the governing body of such cooperative. The board, other than those named in the articles of incorporation, shall be elected annually by the members. The bylaws may p…

The officers of a cooperative shall consist of a president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer who shall be elected annually by the board and such other officers as may be designated by the board of directors. No person shall hold any offices unless that person is a director…