Title 80 — Title 80 PUBLIC UTILITIES

There is hereby created and established a state commission to be known and designated as the Washington utilities and transportation commission, and in this chapter referred to as the commission.The commission shall be composed of three members appointed by the governor, with the…

Each commissioner shall, before entering upon the duties of his or her office, take and subscribe the constitutional oath of office, and furnish bond to the state in the sum of twenty thousand dollars conditioned for the faithful discharge of the duties of his or her office and f…

The commission shall appoint and employ a secretary and such accounting, engineering, expert and clerical assistants, and such other qualified assistants as may be necessary to carry on the administrative work of the commission.The secretary shall be the custodian of the commissi…

When a commissioner has heard all or a substantial part of an adjudicative proceeding and leaves office before entry of a final order in the proceeding, at the request of the remaining commissioners the commissioner leaving office may be appointed by the governor as commissioner …

The utilities and transportation commission shall:(1) Exercise all the powers and perform all the duties prescribed by this title and by Title 81 RCW, or by any other law.(2) Regulate in the public interest, as provided by the public service laws, all persons engaging in the tran…

A majority of the commissioners shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business, for the performance of any duty, or for the exercise of any power of the commission, and may hold hearings at any time or place within or without the state. A quorum of commissioners ne…

(1) The commission may appoint administrative law judges when it deems such action necessary for its general administration. The administrative law judges may administer oaths, issue subpoenas for the attendance of witnesses and the production of papers, waybills, books, accounts…

The commission shall have full power to make joint or concurrent investigations, hold joint or concurrent hearings, and issue joint or concurrent orders in conjunction or concurrence with any official, board, or commission of any state or of the United States, whether in the hold…

The commission shall have the authority as petitioner, intervenor or otherwise to initiate and/or participate in proceedings before federal administrative agencies in which there is at issue the authority, rates or practices for transportation or utility services affecting the in…

There is created in the state treasury a public service revolving fund. Regulatory fees payable by all types of public service companies shall be deposited to the credit of the public service revolving fund. Except for expenses payable out of the pipeline safety account, all expe…

All proceedings of the commission and all documents and records in its possession shall be public records, and it shall adopt and use an official seal.[ 1998 c 245 s 163; 1987 c 505 s 77; 1977 c 75 s 91; 1961 c 14 s 80.01.090. Prior: 1949 c 117 s 5; Rem. Supp. 1949 s 10964-115-5.…

It shall be the duty of the attorney general to represent and appear for the people of the state of Washington and the commission in all actions and proceedings involving any question under this title or Title 81 RCW, or under or in reference to any act or order of the commission…

The commission is authorized to perform the duties required by RCW 53.08.380 and 54.16.340.[ 2000 c 81 s 10.]Notes:Findings—2000 c 81: See note following RCW 53.08.005.

Nothing contained in the provisions of RCW 36.58A.010 through 36.58A.040 and 70A.205.045 and this section shall detract from the powers, duties, and functions given to the utilities and transportation commission in chapter 81.77 RCW.[ 2021 c 65 s 92; 1971 ex.s. c 293 s 7.]Notes:E…

The definitions in this section apply throughout this title unless the context clearly requires otherwise.(1) "Automatic location identification" means a system by which information about a caller's location, including the seven-digit number or ten-digit number used to place a 91…

Whether or not any person or corporation is conducting business subject to regulation under this title, or has performed or is performing any act requiring registration or approval of the commission without securing such registration or approval, shall be a question of fact to be…

Each commissioner shall have power to administer oaths, certify to all official acts, and to issue subpoenas for the attendance of witnesses and the production of papers, books, accounts, documents, and testimony in any inquiry, investigation, hearing, or proceeding in any part o…

In all proceedings before the commission the commission shall have the right, in their discretion, to limit the number of witnesses testifying upon any subject or proceeding to be inquired of before the commission.[ 1961 c 14 s 80.04.030. Prior: 1911 c 117 s 75, part; RRS s 10413…

Each witness who shall appear under subpoena shall receive for his or her attendance four dollars per day and ten cents per mile traveled by the nearest practicable route in going to and returning from the place of hearing. No witness shall be entitled to fees or mileage from the…

The claim by any witness that any testimony sought to be elicited may tend to incriminate him or her shall not excuse such witness from testifying, but such evidence or testimony shall not be used against such person on the trial of any criminal proceeding, excepting in a prosecu…

The commission shall have the right to take the testimony of any witness by deposition, and for that purpose the attendance of witnesses and the production of books, documents, papers and accounts may be enforced in the same manner as in the case of hearings before the commission…

The commission and each commissioner, or any person employed by the commission, shall have the right, at any and all times, to inspect the accounts, books, papers, and documents of any public service company, and the commission, or any commissioner, may examine under oath any off…

All notices, applications, complaints, findings of fact, opinions and orders required by this title to be served may be served by mail and service thereof shall be deemed complete when a true copy of such paper or document is deposited in the post office properly addressed and st…

(1) Every public service company shall annually furnish to the commission a report in such form as the commission may require, and shall specifically answer all questions posed to it by the commission. The commission may prescribe a uniform system of accounts, and the manner in w…

The commission may, in its discretion, prescribe the forms of any and all accounts, records and memoranda to be kept by public service companies, including the accounts, records and memoranda of the movement of traffic, sales of its product, the receipts and expenditures of money…

Records, subject to chapter 42.56 RCW, filed with the commission or the attorney general from any person which contain valuable commercial information, including trade secrets or confidential marketing, cost, or financial information, or customer-specific usage and network config…

The commission may by order with or without hearing require the production within this state, at such time and place as it may designate, of any books, accounts, papers or records kept by any public service company in any office or place without this state, or at the option of th…

(1)(a) Complaint may be made by the commission of its own motion or by any person or corporation, chamber of commerce, board of trade, or any commercial, mercantile, agricultural or manufacturing society, or any body politic or municipal corporation, or by the public counsel sect…

At the time fixed for the hearing mentioned in RCW 80.04.110, the complainant and the person or corporation complained of shall be entitled to be heard and introduce such evidence as he or she or it may desire. The commission shall issue process to enforce the attendance of all n…

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, whenever any public service company shall file with the commission any schedule, classification, rule, or regulation, the effect of which is to change any rate, charge, rental, or toll theretofore charged, the commission s…

Whenever any order of the commission shall require joint action by two or more public service companies, such order shall specify that the same shall be made at their joint cost, and the companies affected shall have thirty days, or such further time, as the commission may prescr…

Whenever the commission shall find, after hearing had upon its own motion or upon complaint as herein provided, that any rate, toll, rental or charge which has been the subject of complaint and inquiry is sufficiently remunerative to the public service company affected thereby, i…

The commission is hereby authorized and empowered to adopt, promulgate and issue rules and regulations covering the transmission and delivery of messages and conversations, and the furnishing and supply of gas, electricity, wastewater company services, and water, and any and all …

Any complainant or any public service company affected by any findings or order of the commission, and deeming such findings or order to be contrary to law, may, within thirty days after the service of the findings or order upon him or her or it, apply to the superior court of Th…

(1) The pendency of any writ of review shall not of itself stay or suspend the operation of the order of the commission, but the superior court in its discretion may restrain or suspend, in whole or in part, the operation of the commission's order pending the final hearing and de…

The commission, any public service company or any complainant may, after the entry of judgment in the superior court in any action of review, seek appellate review as in other cases.[ 1988 c 202 s 60; 1971 ex.s. c 107 s 4; 1961 c 14 s 80.04.190. Prior: 1911 c 117 s 88; RRS s 1043…

Any public service company affected by any order of the commission, and deeming itself aggrieved, may, after the expiration of two years from the date of such order taking effect, petition the commission for a rehearing upon the matters involved in such order, setting forth in su…

The commission may at any time, upon notice to the public service company affected, and after opportunity to be heard as provided in the case of complaints rescind, alter or amend any order or rule made, issued or promulgated by it, and any order or rule rescinding, altering or a…

When complaint has been made to the commission concerning the reasonableness of any rate, toll, rental or charge for any service performed by any public service company, and the same has been investigated by the commission, and the commission has determined that the public servic…

When complaint has been made to the commission that any public service company has charged an amount for any service rendered in excess of the lawful rate in force at the time such charge was made, and the same has been investigated and the commission has determined that the over…

If the public service company does not comply with the order of the commission for the payment of the overcharge within the time limited in such order, suit may be instituted in any superior court where service may be had upon the said company to recover the amount of the overcha…

(1) The provisions of this section are necessary to ensure that the commission has sufficient flexible authority to determine the value of utility property for rate making purposes and to implement the requirements and full intent of chapter 288, Laws of 2019.(2) The commission h…

Whenever the commission shall be of opinion that any public service company is failing or omitting, or about to fail or omit, to do anything required of it by law, or by order, direction or requirement of the commission, or is doing anything, or about to do anything, or permittin…

Any public service company engaging in the sale of merchandise or appliances or equipment shall keep separate accounts, as prescribed by the commission, of its capital employed in such business and of its revenues therefrom and operating expenses thereof. The capital employed in …

No public service company shall permit any employee to sell, offer for sale, or solicit the purchase of any security of any other person or corporation during such hours as such employee is engaged to perform any duty of such public service company; nor shall any public service c…

A corporate public service company, either heretofore or hereafter organized under the laws of this state, may sell to its employees and customers any increase of its capital stock, or part thereof, without first offering it to existing stockholders: PROVIDED, That such sale is a…

The commission may regulate, restrict, and control the budgets of expenditures of public service companies. Each company shall prepare a budget showing the amount of money which, in its judgment, will be needed during the ensuing year for maintenance, operation, and construction,…

The commission may, both as to original and supplementary budgets, prior to the making or contracting for the expenditure of any item therein, and after notice to the company and a hearing thereon, reject any item of the budget. The commission may require any company to furnish f…

The commission may prescribe the necessary rules to place RCW 80.04.300 through 80.04.330 in operation. It may, by rule, establish criteria to exempt companies in whole or in part from the operation thereof. The commission may upon request of any company withhold from publication…

Any public service company may make or contract for any rejected item of expenditure, but in such case the same shall not be allowed as an operating expense, or as to items of construction, as a part of the fair value of the company's property used and useful in serving the publi…