CHAPTER 203

An Act limiting the jurisdiction of the Board of Public Utilities over certain consumer owned water companies and supplementing chapter 2 of Title 48 of the Revised Statutes.

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

C.48:2-13.2 Limited jurisdiction of Board of Public Utilities over certain nonpublicly-owned, nonprofit water companies.

    1. The provisions of any law, rule, regulation or order to the contrary notwithstanding, with respect to a nonpublicly-owned, nonprofit water company which is exclusively owned and controlled by the consumers it serves, and provided that a majority of the entire membership of the association which controls the water company approves, the Board of Public Utilities shall not exercise any jurisdiction or control over the rates, charges or operations of the company; and the approval of the board shall not be required to authorize or validate any mortgage or encumbrance of real property, or the issuance or execution of any evidence of indebtedness by the company, except that the board shall retain its jurisdiction to determine disputes concerning the territory served or to be served by the company.

    2. This act shall take effect immediately.

    Approved August 14, 1997.