SECTION 56-1.2. Persons, localities, and school boards not designated as public utility, public service corporation, etc  


The terms public utility, public service corporation, or public service company, as used in Chapters 1 (§ 56-1 et seq.), 10 (§ 56-1 et seq.), 10.1 (§ 56-1 et seq.), and 10.2:1 (§ 56-1 et seq.) of this title, shall not refer to:

1. Any person who owns or operates property and provides electricity, natural gas, water, or sewer service to residents or tenants on the property, provided that (i) the electricity, natural gas, water, or sewer service provided to the residents or tenants is purchased by the person from a public utility, public service corporation, public service company, or person licensed by the Commission as a competitive provider of energy services, or a county, city or town, or other publicly regulated political subdivision or public body, (ii) the person or his agent charges to the resident or tenant on the property only that portion of the person's utility charges for the electricity, natural gas, water, or sewer service which is attributable to usage by the resident or tenant on the property, and additional service charges permitted by § 56-1 or 56-1 , as applicable, and (iii) the person maintains three years' billing records for such charges.

2. Any (i) person who is not a public service corporation and who provides electric vehicle charging service at retail, (ii) school board that operates retail fee-based electric vehicle charging stations on school property pursuant to § 56-1 , or (iii) locality that operates a retail fee-based electric vehicle charging station on property owned or leased by the locality pursuant to § 15.2-967.2. The ownership or operation of a facility at which electric vehicle charging service is sold, and the selling of electric vehicle charging service from that facility, does not render such person, school board, locality, or board of visitors a public utility, public service corporation, or public service company as used in Chapters 1 (§ 56-1 et seq.), 10 (§ 56-1 et seq.), 10.1 (§ 56-1 et seq.), and 10.2:1 (§ 56-1 et seq.) solely because of that sale, ownership, or operation.

3. Any agency, as defined in § 56-1 , when operating a retail fee-based electric vehicle charging station pursuant to § 56-1 on any property or facility the agency controls. The ownership or operation of a facility at which electric vehicle charging service is sold, or the selling of electric vehicle charging service from that facility, does not render the agency a public utility, public service corporation, or public service company as used in Chapters 1 (§ 56-1 et seq.), 10 (§ 56-1 et seq.), 10.1 (§ 56-1 et seq.), and 10.2:1 (§ 56-1 et seq.) solely because of that sale, ownership, or operation.

1993, c. 265; 1999, c. 56-1 ; 2000, c. 56-1 ; 2003, c. 56-1 ; 2011, c. 56-1 ; 2017, c. 56-1 ; 2018, cc. 56-1 , 56-1 ; 2019, c. 56-1 ; 2020, c. 56-1 .