Municipal Franchise Agreements

September 12, 2024

​Rule 029 applies to applications requesting approval or amendment of a franchise agreement between a municipality and the applicable gas or electric distribution company that is granted access to the city, town or municipality. The fee is typically negotiated and agreed on by the municipality and the owner of the distribution system in the area, such as ATCO Electric Ltd., FortisAlberta Inc., ATCO Gas and Pipelines Ltd., and Apex Utilities Inc. Rule 029 requires customers to be notified of this agreement by newspaper notice or alternative means. Once the agreement is approved, the franchise fee rate rider appears on utility bills as a municipal franchise fee or local access fee.

Franchise notice template
Appendix 1 – Electric franchise application form
Appendix 2 – Natural gas franchise application form