Bill Text: NJ S3101 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Prohibits certain public utilities from charging residents of multi-unit dwellings meter-reading fees in certain circumstances.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-01-13 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Economic Growth Committee [S3101 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-S3101-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator BENJIE E. WIMBERLY
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Prohibits certain public utilities from charging residents of multi-unit dwellings meter-reading fees in certain circumstances.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning public utility meter-reading fees and supplementing Title 48 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. As used in this section:
"Electric public utility" means a public utility, as that term is defined in R.S.48:2-13, that distributes electricity to end users within the State.
"Gas public utility" means a public utility, as that term is defined in R.S.48:2-13, that distributes gas to end users within the State.
"Meter-reading fee" means a fee charged to an electric public utility or gas public utility customer who has opted out of smart meter installation, and which fee is intended to cover the cost of manual meter readings conducted by an electric public utility or gas public utility.
"Smart meter" means a metering device that employs smart meter technology to measure, record, and transmit utility usage data to both a public utility and a customer for billing and other purposes. "Smart meter" shall include a basic hourly interval meter, a meter with one-way communication, and a real-time meter with built-in, two-way communication capable of recording and transmitting instantaneous utility usage data.
b. Notwithstanding any law, rule, regulation, or order to the contrary, no electric public utility or gas public utility shall charge a residential customer who resides in a multi-unit dwelling a meter-reading fee that exceeds the cost of the residential customer's electricity or gas usage for that billing cycle.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill prohibits an electric public utility or a gas public utility from charging a residential customer who resides in a multi-unit dwelling a meter-reading fee that exceeds the cost of the residential customer's electricity or gas usage for that billing cycle.
Under the bill, "meter-reading fee" means a fee charged to an electric public utility or gas public utility customer who has opted out of smart meter installation, and which fee is intended to cover the cost of manual meter readings conducted by an electric public utility or gas public utility.
