Minnesota Legislature
Office of the Revisor of Statutes
Minnesota Administrative Rules
7810.1500 DEPOSIT AND GUARANTEE REQUIREMENTS.
The utility may require a deposit or guarantee of payment from any customer or applicant who has not established good credit with that utility. Deposit or guarantee of payment requirements as prescribed by the utility must be based upon standards which bear a reasonable relationship to the assurance of payment. The utility may determine whether a customer has established good credit with that utility, except as herein restricted:
A.
A customer, who within the last 12 months has not had service disconnected for nonpayment of a bill and has not been liable for disconnection of service for nonpayment of a bill, and the bill is not in dispute, shall be deemed to have established good credit.
B.
A utility shall not require a deposit or a guarantee of payment based upon income, home ownership, residential location, employment tenure, nature of occupation, race, color, creed, sex, marital status, age, national origin, or any other criteria which does not bear a reasonable relationship to the assurance of payment or which is not authorized by this chapter.
C.
No utility shall use any credit reports other than those reflecting the purchase of utility services to determine the adequacy of a customer's credit history without the permission in writing of the customer. Any credit history so used shall be mailed to the customer in order to provide the customer an opportunity to review the data. Refusal of a customer to permit use of a credit rating or credit service other than that of a utility shall not affect the determination by the utility as to that customer's credit history.
Statutory Authority:
MS s 237.10
History:
17 SR 1279
Published Electronically:
August 29, 2008
Official Publication of the State of Minnesota
Revisor of Statutes