Title 37 — Title 37 — Public Utilities

Renumbered by Laws 1983, ch. 171, § 5.

Sale of equipment designed to conceal source or avoid charges for telecommunication service; prohibited. (a) Any individual, corporation or other person who under circumstances evincing an intent to defraud, makes, possesses, sells, gives, or otherwise transfers to another, or wh…

Sale of equipment designed to conceal source or avoid charges for telecommunication service; exemption. Nothing herein shall apply to holders of valid federal communications commission licenses when the licensee is acting within the scope of his license; provided that nothing her…

Failure to yield telephone for reporting emergencies; definitions. (a) In W.S. 37-12-126 through 37-12-130 unless the context otherwise requires: (i) "Party line" means a subscriber's line telephone circuit, consisting of two (2) or more main telephone stations connected therewit…

Failure to yield telephone for reporting emergencies; misdemeanor; exception. Any person who willfully refuses to yield or surrender the use of a party line or a public pay telephone to another person for the purpose of permitting such other person to report a fire or summon poli…

Failure to yield telephone for reporting emergencies; pretext that emergency exists. Any person who asks for or requests the use of a party line or a public pay telephone on the pretext that an emergency exists, knowing that no emergency in fact exists, is guilty of a misdemeanor…

Failure to yield telephone for reporting emergencies; defense. It is a defense to prosecution under this act that the accused did not know or did not have reason to know of the emergency in question, or that the accused was himself using the telephone party line or public pay tel…

Failure to yield telephone for reporting emergencies; notice in telephone directories. Every telephone directory published after the effective date of this act and which is distributed to the members of the general public of this state shall contain, in a prominent place, a notic…

Failure to obey orders of commission, provisions of statutes. Every public utility and all officers, agents and employees of any public utility, and every person shall obey, observe and comply with every lawful order made by the commission under authority of this act so long as t…

Public utility personnel violating or aiding or abetting in violations. (a) Every officer, agent or employee of any public utility, who shall violate, or who shall procure, aid or abet any violation by any public utility of any provision of this act, or who shall fail to obey, ob…

Giving or receiving preferences. Any natural person who knowingly authorizes, gives or affords any benefit, preference or advantage, or who knowingly receives or participates directly or indirectly in any benefit, preference or advantage from such offense, shall be guilty of a mi…

Refusal to file report or answer questions. Any public utility which refuses to make and file any report called for by the commission within the time specified, or within the time extended, as the case may be, or willfully refuses to answer to any question propounded by the commi…

Making false returns. Any person who willfully makes any false return or report to the commission, or to any member, agent or employee thereof, and any person who aids or abets such person, is guilty of a felony, and upon conviction thereof shall be imprisoned as the court may di…

Hindering investigation. Any person who willfully obstructs or hinders the commission or a member thereof, or an authorized agent or examiner in making an inspection, examination or investigation of the accounts, records, memoranda, books or papers of any public utility, or of th…

Divulging information; exception. Any regular or special employee of the commission who divulges any facts or information coming to his knowledge respecting an inspection, examination or investigation of any account, record, memoranda, book or paper or of the property and facilit…

Utility liable for loss or damage. In case any public utility shall do, cause to be done, or permit to be done, any act, matter or thing prohibited, forbidden or declared to be unlawful, or shall omit to do any act, matter or thing required to be done by this act, or by any lawfu…

Accepting rebates. Any person receiving service from any public utility subject to the provisions of this act, who shall knowingly by an employee, agent, officer or otherwise, directly or indirectly, by or through any means or device whatsoever, receive or accept from such public…

Perjury. Any person who knowingly makes any false statement of fact under oath, whether oral or in writing, as required by this act, is guilty of perjury and upon conviction shall be punished as provided for in the perjury statutes of this state.

offenses. Penalty for violations by utility; other Any public utility which violates or fails to comply with any provision of this act, or which fails, omits or neglects to obey, observe or comply with any order, decision, decree, rule, direction, demand or requirement, or any pa…

Additional penalties. Every public utility, all officers and agents of any public utility, and every person shall obey, observe and comply with every provision of this act and with every order made by the commission under authority of this act and duly served in accordance with i…

Disposition of fines. All fines, forfeitures and penalties collected under the provisions of this act shall be paid to the state treasurer and credited as provided in W.S. 8-1-109; and all penalties accruing under this act shall be cumulative of each other, and the suit for the r…

Short title; definitions. (a) This act may be known and shall be cited as the "Wyoming Underground Facilities Notification Act." (b) As used in this act: (i) "Business day" means any twenty-four (24) hour period other than Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday; (ii) "Emergency" means…

Notices; exceptions; penalty. (a) Every operator shall file with the notification center a general description of the area served together with the name, address and telephone number of the person from whom necessary information may be obtained concerning the location of undergro…

Repealed by Laws 1996, ch. 113, § 3.

Notification centers; formation; duties. (a) All operators shall join the notification center and shall participate in the notification center providing for mutual receipt of notification of excavation activities in a specified area and pay their share of the cost for the service…

Exemptions. (a) The following oil and gas production facilities are not subject to this act: (i) Aboveground or underground storage tanks, sumps, impoundments or piping connected to aboveground or underground storage tanks, sumps or impoundments located in the same tract of land …

Civil penalties; applicability. (a) An action to recover a civil penalty under this section may be brought by an operator, excavator, aggrieved party, the notification center, county attorney, district attorney or the attorney general. Venue for an action shall be in the district…

notice. Architectural or engineering design drawings (a) Any person preparing or designing architectural or engineering design drawings that call for excavation shall make reasonable efforts to determine at no expense to the operator the nature, location, and depth if known, of u…

(a) Definitions. As used in this article: (i) "Bypassing" means the act of attaching, connecting or in any manner affixing any wire, cord, socket, motor, pipe or other instrument, device or contrivance to the utility supply system or any part thereof in such a manner as to transm…

Repealed by Laws 2019, ch. 186, § 2. Civil action allowed. (a) In addition to any applicable criminal penalties, a utility may bring a civil action for damages against any person who: (i) Commits, authorizes, solicits, aids, abets or attempts any act of bypassing, tampering, or u…

Remedies cumulative. This article is intended to provide additional remedies to avoid the wrongful use of the facilities of utilities and nothing in this article abridges or alters other rights of action or remedies existing before or after the effective date of this act.

Short title. This act shall be known and cited as the "Wyoming Underground Conversion of Utilities Law".

Legislative purpose. The legislature finds that in many areas of the state, landowners, cities, towns, counties and public utilities desire to convert existing overhead electric and communication facilities to underground locations by means of improvement district proceedings. Th…

Definitions. (a) As used in this chapter the following words and phrases and any variations thereof shall have the following meaning: (i) "Communication service" means the transmission of intelligence by electrical means, including, but not limited to telephone, telegraph, messen…

Powers conferred. The governing body is authorized and empowered to create local improvement districts within its territorial limits to provide for the conversion of existing overhead electric and communication facilities to underground locations and the construction, reconstruct…

Basis of assessments. (a) Whenever any improvement authorized to be made by any governing body by the terms of this chapter is ordered, the governing body shall apportion the cost and expenses thereof as in their judgment is fair and equitable in consideration of the benefits acc…

Resolution for cost and feasibility study. (a) Any governing body may upon a petition signed by at least sixty percent (60%) of the resident owners of property subject to assessment owning at least sixty percent (60%) of the assessable land of any proposed district, adopt a resol…

Costs and feasibility report. The public utility or utilities report shall set forth an estimate of the total underground conversion costs for the district and shall also indicate the cost of underground conversion of facilities of the public utility located within the boundaries…

district. Resolution declaring intention to create (a) On the filing with the clerk of any governing body of the cost and feasibility report by the public utility, and after considering the same, the governing body may, at any regular or special meeting, pass a resolution declari…

Notice of public hearing on proposed improvement; contents. (a) The governing body shall cause notice of a public hearing on the proposed improvement to be given in the manner provided in W.S. 37-13-110. Such notice shall: (i) Declare that the governing body has passed a resoluti…

Notice of public hearing on proposed improvement; manner of giving. The notice shall be published in full one (1) time in a newspaper of general circulation in the county, city, or town in which the proposed district is located and by posting in not less than three (3) public pla…

Public hearing; changes in proposed improvements or in area of improvement district. (a) At the time and place specified in the notice, the governing body shall meet and proceed to hear and pass upon all objections and protests to the creation of the proposed district, the making…

Waiver of objections. Any person who has real property within the boundaries of the proposed district who fails to appear before the governing body at the hearing and make any objection he may have to the creation of the district, the making of the improvements and the inclusion …

Proposed assessment list. After the resolution creating the district is adopted, the governing body shall cause an assessment list to be prepared detailing the total cost to be assessed, the specific properties assessed, and the amount of assessment on each piece of property. The…

Proposed assessment resolution. After the preparation of the proposed assessment list, the governing body shall cause to be prepared for adoption at the assessment hearing a resolution incorporating the proposed assessment list and declaring what share, if any, of the total cost …

Board of equalization and review. Before the governing body shall propose to levy any tax under any provision of this chapter, it shall sit as a board of equalization and review for the purpose of making corrections in the proposed assessments. After concluding the assessment hea…

assessments. Notice of public hearing on proposed Notice of a public hearing on the proposed assessment resolution shall be given. At least twenty (20) days before the date fixed for the hearing, the notice shall be published one (1) time in a newspaper in which the first notice …

Public hearing on proposed assessment resolution; corrections. (a) At the time and place specified in the assessment hearing notice, the governing body shall hear all arguments relating to the benefits accruing to any tract, lot or parcel of land therein and the amounts proposed …

Adoption of the assessment resolution; civil action; statute of limitations. After the public hearing has been concluded and all corrections made to the assessment list, the governing body shall proceed to adopt the assessment resolution. The resolution and supporting findings sh…

Payment of assessment. The amount of the assessment is due and collectible without demand within thirty (30) days after the final publication of the assessment resolution and if it is not paid within such time it shall commence to bear interest at a rate fixed by the governing bo…