West Virginia Code 24-3-10 – Termination of water service for delinquent sewer bills
(a) In the event that any publicly or privately owned utility, city, incorporated town, municipal corporation or public service district owns and operates either water facilities or sewer facilities, and a privately owned public utility or a public utility that is owned and operated by a homeowners' association owns and operates the other kind of facilities, either water or sewer, then the privately owned public utility or the homeowners' association may contract with the publicly or privately owned utility, city, incorporated town, or public service district which provides the other services to shutoff and discontinue the supplying of water service for the nonpayment of sewer service fees and charges.
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 24-3-10
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Customer: means any person, firm, corporation, municipality, public service district, or any other entity who purchases a product or services of any utility and shall include any person, firm, corporation, municipality, public service district, or any other entity who purchases the services or product for resale. See West Virginia Code 24-1-2
- Public Service Commission: means the Public Service Commission of West Virginia. See West Virginia Code 24-1-2
- Public utility: means any person or persons, or association of persons, however associated, whether incorporated or not, including municipalities, engaged in any business, whether herein enumerated or not, which is, or shall hereafter be held to be, a public service: Provided, That "public utility" does not include individuals or entities owning a solar photovoltaic energy facility located on and designed to meet only the electrical needs of the premises of a retail electric customer, the output of which is subject to a power purchase agreement with the retail electric customer, subject to §. See West Virginia Code 24-1-2
- Town: includes a city, village or town, and the word "council" any body or board, whether composed of one or more branches, which is authorized to make ordinances for the government of a city, town, or village. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
(b) Any contracts entered into by a privately owned public utility or by a public utility that is owned and operated by a homeowners' association pursuant to this section must be submitted to the Public Service Commission for approval.
(c) Any privately owned public utility or any public utility that is owned and operated by a homeowners' association which provides water and sewer service to its customers may terminate water service for delinquency in payment of either water or sewer bills.
(d) Where a privately owned public utility or a public utility that is owned and operated by a homeowners' association is providing sewer service and another utility is providing water service, and the privately owned public utility or the homeowners' association providing sewer service experiences a delinquency in payment, the utility providing water service, upon the request of the homeowners' association or the privately owned public utility providing sewer service to the delinquent account, shall terminate its water service to the customer having the delinquent sewer account.
(e) Any termination of water service must comply with all rules and orders of the Public Service Commission: Nothing contained within the rules of the Public Service Commission shall be deemed to require any agents or employees of the water or sewer utility to accept payment at the customer's premises in lieu of discontinuing water service for a delinquent water or sewer bill.