Underground Utility Districts

The County of Humboldt has established several Underground Utility Districts where overhead utilities are not permitted pursuant to County Code Section 361 et seq.  The districts were formed by passage of a resolution by the Board of Supervisors which are listed in the table below. Districts were typically formed as part of a California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) undergrounding program that provided funding for the undergrounding of overhead utilities. There are various CPUC rules regarding undergrounding with Rule 20A being the most popular. A significant 2021 decision by the CPUC (Decision 21-06-013) ended new Rule 20A project authorization after December 31, 2022, meaning only projects within existing work credit balances can proceed. As of 12/31/2022, the County has one active project (Garberville Townsquare) that is waiting for PG&E to design.

The GIS mapping (below) shows the location of the established underground districts were overhead utilities are prohibited.