(a) The owner or operator of any public service facilities need not obtain a permit from the commission for the construction within or upon any public highway or street of any public service facilities to provide service to persons or property located within the area of the commission’s jurisdiction. The public service facilities referred to in this subdivision shall be limited to those which are necessary for and are customarily used to provide direct and immediate service to the persons or property requiring that service.
(b) The owner or operator of public service facilities or a public street or road located anywhere within the area of the commission’s jurisdiction may, without first obtaining a permit from the commission, make emergency repairs to those facilities as may be necessary to maintain service if the emergency requires repairs before an emergency permit can be obtained under subdivision (f) of Section 66632 and if that notification is given to the commission not later than the first working day following the undertaking.
(c) “Public service facilities,” as used in this section, means any facilities used or intended to be used to provide water, gas, electric, or communications service and any pipelines, and appurtenant facilities, for the collection or transmission of sewage, flood or storm waters, petroleum, gas, or any liquid or other substance.
(d) Any agency that intends to undertake, carry out, or approve an emergency project to maintain, repair, or restore an existing highway, as defined in Section 360 of the Vehicle Code, except for a highway designated as an official state scenic highway pursuant to Section 262 of the Streets and Highways Code, within the existing right-of-way of the highway, damaged as a result of fire, flood, storm, earthquake, land subsidence, gradual earth movement, or landslide, within one year of the damage, need not obtain a permit from the commission, if notification is given to the commission not later than the first working day following the commencement of the undertaking or action. This subdivision does not exempt from this section any agency that is required to obtain from the commission a permit to undertake, carry out, or approve a project to expand or widen a highway damaged by fire, flood, storm, earthquake, land subsidence, gradual earth movement, or landslide.
(Amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 825, Sec. 5. Effective January 1, 1997.)