State Agencies
301 W. Preston Street
Baltimore 21201 Telephone: 383-2374
The Public Service Commission of Maryland
was established by Chapter 180, Acts of 1910. The
Commission consists of five Commissioners
appointed by the Governor with the advice and
consent of the Senate, one of whom is designated
as Chairperson (Chapter 756, Acts of 1976). The
five Commissioners serve for six-year terms, with
the Chairperson and two Commissioners being full
time while two Commissioners may be part time.
The General Counsel of the Commission is an at-
tomey-at-law of the State and is appointed by and
serves at the pleasure of the Commission (Chapter
756, Acts of 1976).
The Public Service Commission has jurisdiction
over common carriers, including steam and elec-
tric railroads, sleeping car companies, bus lines,
express companies, steamboat companies, power
boats, ferry companies, carriers by aircraft, toll
bridges, and all carriers, generally, engaged in the
public transportation of passengers or freight
within the State of Maryland, except those carriers
of passengers that come within the jurisdiction of
the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Com-
mission (Acts of 1959, Ch. 613). The Commission
also has jurisdiction over all taxicabs operating in
the City of Baltimore, Baltimore County, Cumber-
land, and Hagerstown. In addition, the Commis-
sion licenses the taxicab drivers in Baltimore City.
The Commission also exercises jurisdiction over
all gas, electric, telephone, telegraph, water, sew-
age disposal, heating, and refrigerating companies
operating within the State. "The Commission has
the power to fix both minimum and maximum
rates and to suspend schedules pending the deter-
mination of the reasonableness of the proposed
rates. Public utilities may not abandon or discon-
tinue the exercise of any franchise without permis-
sion of the Commission. The Commission tests all
gas and electric meters before installation; it also
tests previously installed meters at the request of
the consumer. It maintains a laboratory in which
it makes daily tests of gas furnished in the City of
Baltimore. It also makes regular and frequent tests
of the gas and electricty furnished in other parts of
the State. It hears matters relative to 1) rate
adjustments; 2) applications to exercise franchise;
3) approval of issuance of securities; 4) promulga-
tion of new rules and regulations; 5) quality of
utility and common carrier service; and 6) railroad
safety. The Commission has the authority to issue
a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity in con-
nection with an electric utility's application to
construct a new generating station or transmission
lines of a certain capacity (Code 1957, Art. 78,
sees. 1 to 107).

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The Commission is also authorized to make
joint investigations, hold joint hearings, and issue
joint or other concurrent orders in conjunction
with any official board or commission of any state
or the Federal government under agreements and
compacts between states, under the concurrrent
powers of states to regulate interstate commerce as
an agency of the Federal government, or otherwise
(Code 1957, Art. 78, sec. 59). The Public Service
Commission is also represented on joint boards
created by the Interstate Commerce Commission
under the Federal Motor Carriers Act to hear and
pass upon applications and proceedings pertaining
to interstate motor carrier operation conducted in
or through not more than three states.
By Chapter 234, Acts of 1973, the General As-
sembly provided for a new method of financing
the operations of the Public Service Commission.
The filing fee of .0009 percent imposed on gross
intrastate utility operating revenues was repealed.
In its place utilities and common carriers under
the jurisdiction of the Commission are assessed a
proportionate share of the Commission's direct
and indirect expenses based on their proportion of
jurisdictional revenues.
The Office of People's Counsel operates inde-
pendently from the Commission and may partici-
pate in all proceedings before the Commission,
People's Counsel represents the interests of the
Maryland consumers generally before the Com-
mission aad facilitates their inquiries on specific
utility complaints. The People's Counsel may ap-
pear before any federal or State agency as neces-
sary to protect the interests of residential or
noncommercial users (Chapter 756, Acts of 1976).
The Office of People's Counsel may utilize existing
staff of the Commission, and may also retain addi-
tional expert witnesses to testify in various
proceedings before the Commission.
Chapter 860, Acts of 1978, created a Utility
Consumer Advisory Panel within the Public Ser-
vice Commission. The Panel consists of thirteen
public members geographically representative of
the utility consuming public, seven of whom are
appointed by the President of the Senate and six of
whom are appointed by the Speaker of the House
of Delegates. The term of membership is three
years, except that of the original appointees four
shall serve one-year terms, four shall serve two-
year terms, and five shall serve three-year terms as
determined by lot within each category. The Panel
annually elects a chairperson from its membership
and appoints a secretary. The Utility Consumer
Advisory Panel is to advise the Public Service
Commission on general goals for the development
of programs, undertake studies and issue reports,