The Commission regulates, as a public utility, anyone furnishing water to the public for compensation or operating a public sewerage system for compensation, except for the following:
- Operations with less than 15 residential customers;
- Municipal or County systems;
- Sanitary Districts;
- Mobile Home Parks, where water/wastewater is included in rent;
- Homeowners’ Associations; and
- Nonprofit and consumer-owned corporations.
The Commission grants certificates for specific service areas and regulates the rates and service aspects of the public utility operation. However, the Commission does not directly regulate drinking water quality, but does require compliance with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) - Division of Environmental Health’s rules and regulations in this regard. Similarly, the Commission does not directly regulate the discharge of sewage being treated, but does require compliance with the DENR - Division of Water Quality’s rules and regulations in this regard.
In accordance with N.C.G.S. 62-110.3, traditional water/wastewater public utilities are required to file a bond with the Commission. See Topics of Interest – Bonding.
The Commission regulates the resale of water/wastewater utility service in most apartment complexes and manufactured home parks under different rules and requirements than those which our traditional water/wastewater public utilities are subject to. See Topics of Interest – Resale of Water/Wastewater.
