General Definitions

PURPOSE: This rule sets forth the definitions of certain terms used in rules 4 CSR 240-3.015 through 4 CSR 240-3.030, and also includes the definitions of general terms used within this chapter of the commission’s rules. Definitions of additional terms used in certain utility-specific rules are found in 4 CSR 240-3.100, 4 CSR 240-3.200, 4 CSR 240-3.300, and 4 CSR 240-3.500. All definitions found in this chapter supplement those definitions found in Chapters 386, 392, and 393 of the Missouri Revised Statutes. (1) Applicant means any person or public utility, as defined herein, on whose behalf an application is made. (2) Bill means a written or electronic demand for payment for service or equipment and the taxes, assessments, and franchise fees related thereto. (3) Commission means the Missouri Public Service Commission as created by Chapter 386 of the Missouri Revised Statutes. (4) Commission staff means all personnel employed by the commission whether on a permanent or contractual basis who are not attorneys in the general counsel’s office, who are not members of the commission’s research department, or who are not law judges. (5) Complaint means an informal or formal complaint under 4 CSR 240-2.070. (6) Corporation includes a corporation, company, association, or joint stock company or association, or any other entity created by statute which is allowed to conduct business in the state of Missouri. (7) Customer means any person, firm, partnership, corporation, municipality, cooperative, organization, governmental agency, etc., that accepts financial and other responsibilities in exchange for services provided by one (1) or more public utilities. (8) Delinquent charge means a charge remaining unpaid by a monthly billed customer at least twenty-one (21) days and for at least sixteen (16) days by a quarterly billed customer from the rendition of the bill by the utility or a charge remaining unpaid after the preferred payment date selected by the customer. (9) Deposit means a money advance to a utility for the purpose of securing payment of delinquent charges which might accrue to the customer who made the advance. (10) Electric utility means an electrical corporation as defined in section 386.020(15), RSMo. (11) Financing means acquisition of equity or debt interests, loans, guarantees of loans, advances, sale and repurchase agreements, sale and leaseback agreements, sales on open account, conditional or installment sales contracts, or other investments or extensions of credit. (12) Gas utility means a gas corporation as defined in section 386.020(18), RSMo. (13) Guarantee means a written promise from a third party to assume liability up to a specified amount for delinquent charges which might accrue to a particular customer. (14) Municipality means a city, village, or town. (15) Person means any individual, firm, joint venture, partnership, corporation, association, county, state, municipality, political subdivision, cooperative association, or joint stock association, and includes any trustee, receiver, assignee, or personal representative of them. (16) Pleading means any application, complaint, petition, answer, motion, staff recommendation, or other similar written document, which is not a tariff or correspondence, and which is filed in a case. A brief is not a pleading under this definition. (17) Political subdivision means any township, city, town, village, and any school, road, drainage, sewer and levee district, or any other public subdivision, public corporation, or public quasi-corporation having the power to tax. (18) Premises means a tract of land or real estate, including buildings and other appurtenances thereon, to which utility service is provided to a customer. (19) Public counsel means the Office of the Public Counsel as created by the Omnibus State Reorganization Act of 1974, and includes the assistants who represent the public before the commission. (20) Public utility means public utility as defined in section 386.020(42), RSMo. (21) Regulated electrical corporation means every electrical corporation as defined in section 386.020, RSMo, subject to commission regulation pursuant to Chapter 393, RSMo. (22) Regulated gas corporation means every gas corporation as defined in section 386.020, RSMo, subject to commission regulation pursuant to Chapter 393, RSMo. (23) Regulated heating company means every heating company as defined in section 386.020, RSMo, subject to commission regulation pursuant to Chapter 393, RSMo. (24) Rule means all of these rules as a whole or the individual rule in which the word appears, whichever interpretation is consistent with the rational application of this chapter. (25) Service means service as defined in section 386.020(47), RSMo. (26) Sewer utility means a sewer corporation as defined in section 386.020(48), RSMo. (27) Steam heating utility means a heating company as defined in section 386.020(20), RSMo. (28) Tariff means a document published by a public utility, and approved by the commission, that sets forth the services offered by that utility and the rates, terms, and conditions for AND INSURANCE the use of those services. (29) Telecommunications company means a telecommunications company as defined in section 386.020(51), RSMo. (30) Utility company means an electric utility, a gas utility, a sewer utility, a steam heating utility, a telecommunications company, or a water utility, either individually or collectively, as those terms are defined herein. (31) Variance means an exemption granted by the commission from any applicable standard required pursuant to this chapter. (32) Water utility means a water corporation as defined in section 386.020, RSMo. AUTHORITY: section 386.250, RSMo 2016.* This rule originally filed as 4 CSR 240-3.010. Original rule filed Aug. 16, 2002, effective April 30, 2003. Amended: Filed Nov. 7, 2018, effective July 30, 2019. Moved to 20 CSR 4240-3.010, effective Aug. 28, 2019. *Original authority: 386.250, RSMo 1939, amended 1963, 1967, 1977, 1980, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996.