S8865 • 2025

Requires utility corporations and municipalities to notify property owners prior to beginning any scheduled non-emergency construction or other work

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Pete Harckham
Last action: 2026-06-04
Official status: Senate Floor Calendar
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Requires utility corporations and municipalities to notify property owners prior to beginning any scheduled non-emergency construction or other work

Requires utility corporations and municipalities to notify property owners prior to beginning any scheduled non-emergency construction or other work Requires a utility corporation or municipality to notify property owners at least five business days prior to beginning any non-emergency construction or other work that will result in a planned interruption of a customer's property; requires notice to include, but not be limited to, a description of the work to be performed, the expected duration of such work, the location of such work, and the contact information for the utility performing such work; exempts cases where a natural or man-made disaster or state of emergency occurs.

What This Bill Does

Requires utility corporations and municipalities to notify property owners prior to beginning any scheduled non-emergency construction or other work Requires a utility corporation or municipality to notify property owners at least five business days prior to beginning any non-emergency construction or other work that will result in a planned interruption of a customer's property; requires notice to include, but not be limited to, a description of the work to be performed, the expected duration of such work, the location of such work, and the contact information for the utility performing such work; exempts cases where a natural or man-made disaster or state of emergency occurs.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-06-04 Senate
COMMITTEE DISCHARGED AND COMMITTED TO RULES
2026-06-04 Senate
ORDERED TO THIRD READING CAL.1737
2026-06-04 Senate
SUBSTITUTED BY A11030A
2026-05-05 Senate
AMEND (T) AND RECOMMIT TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
2026-05-05 Senate
PRINT NUMBER 8865A
2026-01-12 Senate
REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Official Summary Text

Requires utility corporations and municipalities to notify property owners prior to beginning any scheduled non-emergency construction or other work
Requires a utility corporation or municipality to notify property owners at least five business days prior to beginning any non-emergency construction or other work that will result in a planned interruption of a customer's property; requires notice to include, but not be limited to, a description of the work to be performed, the expected duration of such work, the location of such work, and the contact information for the utility performing such work; exempts cases where a natural or man-made disaster or state of emergency occurs.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          8865

                                    I N  S E N A T E

                                    January 12, 2026
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by Sen. HARCKHAM -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on  Energy  and  Telecommuni-
          cations

        AN  ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to requiring corpo-
          rations and municipalities to notify property owners prior  to  begin-
          ning certain services

          THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
        BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

     1    Section 1. The public service law is amended by adding a  new  section
     2  119-f to read as follows:
     3    § 119-F. NOTIFICATION OF WORK. 1. PRIOR TO BEGINNING ANY NON-EMERGENCY
     4  CONSTRUCTION  OR  OTHER  WORK FOR WHICH A UTILITY HAS A VALID PERMIT AND
     5  WHICH THE UTILITY  REASONABLY  BELIEVES  WILL  DIRECTLY  AND  MATERIALLY
     6  IMPACT THE USE OF RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL OR OTHER PROPERTY, SUCH UTILI-
     7  TY  SHALL PROVIDE NOTICE OF SUCH WORK. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, THE
     8  TERM "UTILITY" SHALL INCLUDE: A  GAS  CORPORATION,  AN  ELECTRIC  CORPO-
     9  RATION,  A  GAS  AND  ELECTRIC CORPORATION, A WATER CORPORATION, A STEAM
    10  CORPORATION, A TELEGRAPH CORPORATION, A TELEPHONE CORPORATION OR A MUNI-
    11  CIPALITY RENDERING EQUIVALENT UTILITY SERVICES.  SUCH  NOTICE  SHALL  BE
    12  PROVIDED  TO  CUSTOMERS THE UTILITY REASONABLY BELIEVES WILL BE DIRECTLY
    13  AND MATERIALLY IMPACTED BY SUCH WORK.
    14    2. SUCH NOTICE SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO, A DESCRIPTION  OF
    15  THE  WORK  TO  BE  PERFORMED,  THE  EXPECTED  DURATION OF SUCH WORK, THE
    16  LOCATION OF SUCH WORK, ANY ROAD CLOSURES OR DETOURS THAT MAY  OCCUR  DUE
    17  TO SUCH WORK, ANY ACTION THAT MAY DIRECTLY AND MATERIALLY IMPACT THE USE
    18  OF SUCH PROPERTY, AND THE CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THE UTILITY PERFORMING
    19  SUCH  WORK.  SUCH NOTICE MAY INCLUDE ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS, SIGNAGE,
    20  AND WRITTEN MATERIALS.
    21    3. SUCH NOTICE SHALL BE GIVEN AS FAR IN ADVANCE AS PRACTICABLE  BEFORE
    22  THE  START OF WORK BUT NOT MORE THAN THIRTY DAYS IN ADVANCE OF THE START
    23  OF SUCH WORK.
    24    4. THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION SHALL NOT APPLY IN  THE  CASE  OF  A
    25  NATURAL  OR  MAN-MADE DISASTER OR STATE OF EMERGENCY PURSUANT TO ARTICLE
    26  TWO-B OF THE EXECUTIVE LAW, OR WHERE THE NEED  TO  PROVIDE  SUCH  NOTICE

         EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD00971-06-6
        S. 8865                             2

     1  WOULD PREVENT THE TIMELY INSTALLATION, RESTORATION OR REPAIR OF A UTILI-
     2  TY CUSTOMER'S SERVICE.
     3    §  2.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
     4  have become a law.    Effective  immediately,  the  addition,  amendment
     5  and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation
     6  of  this  act  on  its  effective  date  are  authorized  to be made and
     7  completed on or before such effective date.