Revised 2-24-2010
Section 4-5-101 to 4-5-199, inclusive. Electrical service - general provisions.
Section 4-5-101. Prohibitions against private electrical plants and supplying of electricity.
No person, firm or corporation shall have authority to erect, construct or equip, or to operate any electric plant or establishment within the limits of the city for the purpose of furnishing or supplying any electric current to any other person, firm or corporation. Nor shall any person, firm or corporation owning or operating a private electric plant for the purpose of supplying or furnishing electric current for their own use permit any other person, firm or corporation to run and connect any electric line or lines to tap current generated by any such private plant or establishment.
Source: R.O. Pierre, 1957, 1.0602.
Section 4-5-102. Prohibitions against interfering with city electrical apparatus.
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to interfere with any electric power line, pole, or wire belonging to the city or located therein, or to permit any tree or shrub to touch or interfere with any such line, pole or wire.
Source: R.O. Pierre, 1957, 1.0604.
Section 4-5-103. Duty to remove any obstruction to or interference with city electrical apparatus - assessment of cost and lien against property.
If any person, firm or corporation has knowledge of any such interference as described in Section 4-5-102, it shall be the duty of such person, firm or corporation to immediately remove such interference or to trim any trees or shrubs which might be touching or interfering with such equipment as is described in Section 4-5-102, and upon failure of such person, firm or corporation to so remove such interference within three days from notice thereof, the city shall enter upon the premises where such interference is being caused and trim such trees or shrubs or remove such interference is being caused and trim such trees or shrubs or remove such interference and assess the expense thereof to said premises as a special assessment and such expense shall be a lien upon said premises with the same effect as any other special assessment lien and shall be collected in the same manner as provided by law for the collection of special assessments.
Source: R.O. Pierre, 1957, 1.0605.
Section 4-5-104. Procedures and charges for securing underground electrical service.
All new electrical construction including services in the city shall be placed underground.
The charge for each new service shall be set out in a schedule to be approved by the City Commission as presented and on file at the city business office. The city shall furnish all electrical apparatus and wire to the connecting structure for services 400 amps or less. The owner shall furnish all wire and electrical apparatus required from the city’s transformer to the structure for services larger than 400 amps. In all cases the city's responsibility will cease on the outside of the structure and the owner will have to supply all material attached to or through said structure. Said fees shall be paid to the city utility staff before the service will be connected or any power furnished. Service installation from November 1 through March 31 will be charged a premium rate according to the schedule of fees due to frost conditions.
Upgrade, relocation, and service to an established structure will be at actual cost of material, installation and necessary easements that may be required for the upgrade.
Under no circumstances shall the City be responsible for removal, replacement or repair of any concrete, pavement, patios, decks or structures located above a failed section of wire.
All one family and two family dwellings must have their electric meter located outside of structure.
A fee for temporary service shall be set out in a schedule to be approved by the City Commission as presented and on file at the city business office. Said fee shall be paid to the city utility staff in advance to such service being energized.
Source: Ord. No. 809, 1969; Ord. No. 760, 1966; Ord. No. 952, 1976; Ord. No. 1038, 1980; Ord. No. 1213, 1988; Ord. No. 1246, 1989. Rev. of Ord.; 1990; Ord. No. 1310, 1992; Ord. No. 1606, 2007;
Statutory reference: SDCL 9-35-1, utility poles and facilities in public places.
Sections 4-5-105 to 199, inclusive. Reserved.
Sections 4-5-201 to 299, inclusive. Electric meters - general provisions.
Section 4-5-201. Requirement for every principal building to have electric meter - metering apartment buildings.
Every principal building shall have a minimum of one electric meter. In the case of an apartment building the owner of said building may install meters on each unit which will in turn be read by the City of Pierre and billed individually at the residential rate. If one master meter is used on an apartment building the meter will be read and billed by the City of Pierre on commercial rates and the owner of said building will not be allowed to individually meter and resale said power.
The electric superintendent shall approve the location of all meter sockets on any structure. Meter socket shall be located on one of the two closest sides of structure to the transformer. All meter sockets shall be of the ring-less style, including pedestals and banks of metering. Meter sockets are to be mounted between 3 ½ and 5 ½ feet from proposed final grade to center of meter.
All single-phase sockets, 7 terminal poly-phase sockets (200 amps or less) and 13 terminal poly-phase sockets (greater than 200 amps) shall be equipped with a lever bypass. Electrician shall run a 1-inch conduit from transformer to meter socket location for 13 terminal sockets and the city will wire. Poly-phase 13 terminal sockets, metering services larger than 200 amps, shall be lever bypass equal to the Durham 1004671 or Landis & Gyr Type HQ-13T without removable bypass handle, which the City will wire.
Wooden supports for metering applications are not allowed. Must be galvanized metal suitable to support equipment.
Source: Ord. No 1646, 2009;
Section 4-5-202. Electric meters for mobile homes and mobile home parks.
Electricity shall be provided for each mobile home, and the grounds, washroom, toilets, and other service buildings shall be properly lighted with electricity at all times.
A single trailer owned by the occupant on land also owned by the occupant, outside of a regularly constituted trailer park containing two or more trailers, may be served at prevailing residential rates by obtaining an electric meter therefor from the city.
In all mobile home parks meters will be placed at each individual mobile home which will, in turn, be read by the City of Pierre and billed individually at the residential rate.
Source: R.O. Pierre, 1957, 15.0310; Ord. No. 775, 1967; and, Ord. No. 852, 1971. Rev. of Ord.; 1990.
Cross reference: Sections 10-13-101, et seq., mobile home parks.
Section 4-5-203. Inspection and testing of electric meters.
It shall be the duty of the Electric Department when requested, to inspect, examine, approve and ascertain the accuracy of any and all meters used or intended to be used for measuring electric current within the city and when found to be correct, to seal, stamp or mark all such meters and each of them with some suitable device.
Source: R.O. Pierre, 1957, 5.0219, Rev. of Ord., 1990.
Section 4-5-204. Right to remove meter for purpose of inspection.
The Electric Department shall have the right at any time when a demand for inspection has been made by a consumer, to direct that any meter used for measuring electric current within the city to be removed from the premises for the purpose of testing, a new meter shall be installed during the inspection of the meter so removed.
Source: R.O. Pierre, 1957, 5.0220, Rev. of Ord., 1990.
Section 4-5-205. Power of Electric Department upon refusal of consumer to allow removal of meter.
If any person, firm or corporation shall refuse to allow the removal of said meter as directed by the Electrical Department within a reasonable time, it shall be lawful for said Electrical Department to remove such meter for the purpose of testing the same and to connect said electric current for said consumer for use during the time said meter is being tested.
Source: R.O. Pierre, 1957, 5.0221, Rev. of Ord., 1990.
Section 4-5-206. Repealed.
Source: R.O. Pierre, 1957, 5.0222; Ord. No. 1087, 1981.
Section 4-5-207. Consumer's right to have electric meter inspected upon request and payment of fee.
Any consumer of electric current within the City shall have the right, upon payment of the required fee to the City, to have his electric meter tested and he may be present at such test if he so desires. The fee shall be set out in a schedule to be approved by the City Commission, as presented and on file at the city business office. If the meter is found to be defective, the fee shall be returned.
Source: R.O. Pierre, 1957, 5.0223; Ord. No. 1087, 1981; Ord. No. 1606, 2007;
Section 4-5-208. Unlawful to damage or interfere with electric meter penalty.
It shall be unlawful and punishable by a fine of not less than ten dollars ($10.00) nor more than one hundred dollars ($100.00) for any person, firm or corporation other than the Electric Department to deface, alter or remove any card or seal so placed by the Electric Department upon any meter or place upon any meter a certificate purporting to be the certificate of the Electric Department.
Source: R.O. Pierre, 1957, 5.0224, Rev. of Ord., 1990.
Sections 4-5-209 to 299, inclusive. Reserved.