HB1180

South Dakota municipalities that own their own electric utilities can now set minimum infrastructure standards for electric service in newly annexed areas served by other utilities, as long as those standards aren't stricter than the municipality's own utility standards. The outside electric utility has 24 months to meet these standards, which may cover design, installation, appearance, capacity, and backup systems, and must be approved by the municipal utility before any construction begins. This creates a new process to ensure consistent electric infrastructure quality when areas are annexed into municipalities.