CHAPTER 5. Relocation of Utilities [185500. - 185511.]

Cal. Public Utilities Code - PUC 5.

in effect

Cal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 185500. Section 185500.

(a) “High-speed rail property” means real property or an interest therein, including any right-of-way, previously or hereafter acquired by the state for high-speed rail purposes. (b) “Person” means a natural person, firm, partnership, association, corporation, organization, limited liability company, or business trust, and includes any city, county, city and county, public corporation, or public district. (c) “Utility” means any person maintaining a utility facility. (d) “Utility facility” means any pole, pole line, pipe, pipeline, conduit, cable, aqueduct, or other structure or appurtenance thereof used for publicly or privately owned utility services or used by any mutual organization supplying water or telephone service to its members.

Cal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 185501. Section 185501.

(a) When the authority requires any utility to remove any utility facility lawfully maintained in the right-of-way of any high-speed rail property to a location entirely outside the high-speed rail property right-of-way, the authority shall pay the reasonable and necessary cost of the removal. This includes both the cost of removal and the cost of relocation to a new location outside of the high-speed rail property right-of-way. (b) This section does not apply to the relocation of a utility facility from one point in a high-speed rail property to another point in that property, including relocation in any service road of the high-speed rail property or from one point of crossing of the high-speed rail property to another reasonable point of crossing.

Cal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 185502. Section 185502.

(a) When the authority requires a publicly owned utility to relocate within a high-speed rail property any utility facility lawfully maintained in that property that was not used for high-speed rail purposes at the time the utility facility was originally installed, the authority shall pay the cost of the relocation. (b) When the authority requires a privately owned utility to relocate within a high-speed rail property any utility facility used solely to supply water, which facility is lawfully maintained in any high-speed rail property that was not used for high-speed rail purposes at the time that the utility facility was originally installed, the authority shall pay the cost of the relocation. (c) When the authority requires a privately owned utility to relocate within a high-speed rail property any utility facility, other than one used solely to supply water, which facility is lawfully maintained in any high-speed rail property that was not used for high-speed rail purposes at the time the utility facility was originally installed, and it is established by the utility that the utility is not under express contractual obligation to relocate the utility facility at its own expense, the authority shall pay the cost of the relocation. (d) A permit containing a contractual obligation that was accepted by the utility for maintenance or minor improvement of the facility after the property became high-speed rail property shall not constitute a contractual obligation to relocate a utility facility at its own expense within the meaning of this section. (e) Publicly owned sewers and fire hydrants and any street lighting structure, whether publicly or privately owned, in any high-speed rail property shall be relocated, where necessary, at the expense of the authority.

Cal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 185503. Section 185503.

If the authority requires the relocation within the right-of-way of any utility facility more than once within a period of 10 years, the authority shall pay the cost of the second relocation and any subsequent relocation within the 10-year period.

Cal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 185504. Section 185504.

(a) In any case in which the authority is required under the provisions of this chapter to pay the cost of removal or relocation of any utility facility, it shall be entitled to the following credits: (1) In the amount of any betterment to the utility facility resulting from the removal or relocation, not in excess of the cost of the increased capacity of the facility. (2) The salvage value of any materials or parts salvaged and retained by the utility. (3) If a new utility facility or portion of that facility is constructed to accomplish the removal or relocation, an allowance of an amount equal to the same proportion of the original cost of the displaced utility facility or portion of that facility as the age of the facility bears to the normal expected life of the facility. (b) A credit shall not be allowed against any portion of the cost that is otherwise chargeable to the utility. (c) A credit allowance for age shall not be applied to publicly owned sewers.

Cal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 185505. Section 185505.

(a) The authority and any utility required to remove a utility facility or to relocate any utility facility may, by agreement, provide for the respective amounts of the cost to be borne by each. The authority may, without prejudice to its rights under Section 185506, advance the cost of removal or relocation, and, if the authority advances that cost, it is the duty of the utility to move its facilities as soon as reasonably possible so as not to delay high-speed rail construction. In the case of any utility that is not financially able to bear the costs of removal or relocation, the authority may by agreement provide for the work to be done on condition that the utility’s portion of the costs be repaid to the authority over a period of time not exceeding 10 years. (b) Either party may maintain an action in a court of competent jurisdiction for an adjudication as to the obligations and costs to be borne by each party under any contract entered into by the parties at any time within four years after the cause of action first arose. The cause of action shall be deemed to arise at the time of the completion by the utility of the removal or relocation in question, or at the time of a breach of the agreement by either party, whichever occurs first. The filing of a claim with a state agency shall not be deemed a condition precedent to the maintenance by the utility of an action under this subdivision.

Cal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 185506. Section 185506.

In the event of failure to reach an agreement as provided in Section 185505, the utility or the authority may bring an action in a court of competent jurisdiction for apportionment of the cost between them in accordance with this chapter. This action shall be commenced within three years of the date of completion by the utility of the removal or relocation in question. The filing of a claim with a state agency shall not be deemed a condition precedent to the maintenance by the utility of an action pursuant to this section.

Cal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 185507. Section 185507.

(a) The authority and any utility as defined in Section 185500 may enter into a contract providing for or apportioning the obligations and costs to be borne by each party as to either or both of the following subject matters: (1) Any or all removals or relocations of utility facilities completed by the utility prior to the effective date of the contract as required by notice given by the authority when necessary to accommodate any or all state high-speed rail construction, where: (A) the obligations or costs to be borne by each party for a removal or relocation are in dispute; and (B) the claim of the utility is: (i) founded upon a removal or relocation completed by the utility not earlier than three years preceding the effective date of the contract; or (ii) involved in an action pending in a court of competent jurisdiction if the action was commenced within three years after completion by the utility of the removal or relocation in question. (2) Any or all removals or relocations of utility facilities to be undertaken or completed by the utility after the effective date of the contract as required by notice given by the authority when necessary to accommodate any or all state high-speed rail construction. (b) Those provisions of a contract authorized in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) settling the claims of the parties in respect to removals or relocations of utility facilities completed by the utility prior to the effective date of the contract shall be irrevocable after the execution of the contract, unless changed or modified by mutual consent of the parties in writing. Either party may maintain an action in a court of competent jurisdiction upon any of the provisions of the contract at any time within two years after the effective date of the contract, and the utility need not file a claim with a state agency as a condition precedent to the maintenance of an action under this subdivision. (c) Those provisions of a contract dealing with removals or relocations of utility facilities to be undertaken or completed by the utility after the effective date of the contract, as authorized in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a), shall be subject to the following limitations and requirements: (1) While the contract remains in effect, the contract shall govern exclusively the determination of the obligations and costs to be borne by each party in regard to any removal or relocation covered by the contract and undertaken or completed by the utility after the effective date of the contract, whether notice of the necessity of the removal or relocation was given by the authority to the utility before or after the effective date of the contract. This chapter, as now or hereafter existing, and any and all other laws that would be applicable to the subject matter but for the contract shall not apply, except that laws may be referred to, retained, and made applicable by the contract. This paragraph shall not apply in the following circumstances: (A) If, before the effective date of a contract entered into under this section, the parties executed an agreement in respect to the obligations and costs to be borne by each party as to a particular removal or relocation under a notice given by the authority, the provisions of such an agreement shall govern as to the obligations and costs to be borne by each party in respect to that particular removal or relocation. (B) If a particular notice given by the authority before the effective date of a contract entered into under this section includes a determination that a removal or relocation is to be made at the expense of the utility, the utility shall be bound by that notice unless the utility advised the authority in writing of its disagreement with the determination within the time specified in an agreement then in effect between the authority and the utility in respect to the procedure to be followed in those cases, or, if there is no such agreement, within a reasonable time after receipt by the utility of the notice. (2) Either party may maintain an action in a court of competent jurisdiction for an adjudication as to the obligations and costs to be borne by each party under the contract at any time within four years after the cause of action first arose. The cause of action shall be deemed to arise at the time of the completion by the utility of the removal or relocation in question. The filing of a claim with a state agency shall not be deemed a condition precedent to the maintenance by the utility of an action under this paragraph. (3) The contract shall terminate upon the repeal of this section, the repeal of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) and subdivision (c), or at the time or in the manner as may be provided in the contract. In the event of termination under this paragraph, the laws applicable to the subject matter of the contract existing at the time of termination shall thereafter govern, except that the terms of the contract shall continue to apply to removals or relocations required of the utility by the authority under notice mailed or delivered to the utility prior to the termination, whether work upon the removal or relocation has already commenced, is in progress, or has been completed.

Cal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 185508. Section 185508.

A utility is entitled to a permit for such reasonable crossings of high-speed rail property as may be required for the proper discharge of the utility’s service to the public.

Cal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 185509. Section 185509.

The authority shall exercise reasonable discretion in acting on applications of utilities for permits to occupy high-speed rail property for longitudinal locations of facilities, as may be required for the proper discharge of their services to the public. The authority may, however, refuse to grant an application for a longitudinal installation that would be inconsistent with public safety or the continued unobstructed use of the high-speed rail property for rail or vehicular traffic, or for any type of utility structure inconsistent with the aesthetic values of any landscaped high-speed rail property within, or approaching within, one mile of the limits of any city.

Cal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 185510. Section 185510.

The authority, in acting upon applications for utility permits, shall consider both the interests of the traveling public upon the high-speed rail property and the needs of consumers for utility services.

Cal. Public Utilities Code - PUC § 185511. Section 185511.

Nothing in this chapter is intended to prevent the authority from making reasonable rules and regulations and requiring reasonable conditions in permits concerning the place, manner, and method of location of utility facilities in, under, over, or along high-speed rail property.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026