Cal. PUC § 7724.1
This is the official text of Cal. PUC § 7724.1, part of California’s Public Utilities Code — regulates utilities such as electricity, gas, water, and transportation carriers.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
Official statutory text
(a) If a person reasonably, and in good faith, believes that the directions or orders given by the secretary or the commission would substantially endanger the public safety or the environment, the person may refuse to act in compliance with the orders or directions of the secretary or the commission. The person shall state, at the time of the refusal, the reasons why the person refuses to follow the orders or directions of the secretary or the commission. The person shall give the secretary or the commission written notice of the reasons for the refusal within 48 hours of refusing to follow the orders or directions of the secretary or the commission.
(b) In any civil or criminal proceeding commenced pursuant to Section 7724, the burden of proof shall be on the responsible party or potentially responsible party to demonstrate, by clear and convincing evidence, why the refusal to follow the orders or directions of the secretary or the commission was justified under the circumstances.
(b) In any civil or criminal proceeding commenced pursuant to Section 7724, the burden of proof shall be on the responsible party or potentially responsible party to demonstrate, by clear and convincing evidence, why the refusal to follow the orders or directions of the secretary or the commission was justified under the circumstances.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in California?
Find a California lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.