Published
Fall River's line extension policy: the ten-year agreement and the fee that buys a number
The ten pages that price the line to your lot
Two pages on this site already follow the practical path to power — what the co-op asks for first, and what an estimate costs, and the application checklist itself. Behind both sits the document the cooperative’s whole line-extension machinery runs on: General Policy No. 402, the board policy for consumer service and line extension, effective 18 April 1988 and last revised 25 April 2022, retrieved 16 October 2026. It is ten pages of board-adopted policy, and it decides what a remote corridor lot pays that a town lot never does.
The policy’s opening move is a contract, not a wire:
“An “Agreement for Electric Service” is required for each consumer installation, and the standard term is ten years.”
— Fall River Electric, General Policy No. 402, section IV (revised 04/25/2022). Retrieved 16 October 2026
Read that before the price of anything. The line the co-op builds to serve you is financed against a ten-year commitment, and the policy’s refund and rebate machinery all runs inside that term. Cancel it early — the policy requires “thirty (30) days written notice” — and the same page rules that a cancelled account “shall not be eligible for proportional share rebate.”
The fee that buys a number: $150 in the policy, $250 on the page
The policy defines the estimate charge this way:
““Engineering Fee” is a one hundred and fifty dollar ($150) fee that must be provided to the Cooperative in order for a job cost estimate to be calculated.”
— General Policy No. 402, section VII.D (revised 04/25/2022). Retrieved 16 October 2026
Two conditions ride with it. The fee is credited back against the job — the policy promises an adjustment and a credit allowance once actual costs are known. And it expires: “If, after 1 (one) year, the job does not have a scheduled start date the $150 engineering fee shall be forfeited to the Cooperative.”
Now the wrinkle worth knowing before you budget. The cooperative’s current web page says $250, charged for all estimates whether you are ready to build or not — the figure we documented in August when the new-service page moved. The policy last revised in 2022 prints $150. Neither document supersedes the other in your favor by assumption — a 2022 board policy and a current web page disagree by $100, and Member Services will tell you in one phone call which number is collected today. Budget the higher one and treat the difference as the price of the question.
Every number the policy prices, in one place:
| Cost component | What the policy sets | The condition |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering fee | $150 ($250 on the current web page) | Credited to the job; forfeited if no start date within 1 year |
| Secondary service base | $500 | Includes transformer(s) and the meter; same minimum where facilities already exist |
| Overhead-to-underground conversion | Actual cost | No fixed price — priced per job by the cooperative |
| Your side of underground secondary | Your cost | Conduit, trench and backfill are the consumer’s to provide |
| Temporary service base | $1,500.00 | Six-month minimum billing; line extensions to the point paid in advance |
| Proportional-share rebate floor | $200 | Amounts over this to an earlier patron are collected and rebated |
| Reconciliation tolerance | $100 | Differences at or below this are neither billed nor refunded |
Proportional share: the neighbor math
The policy’s most corridor-specific idea is that a line paid for by one patron can be partly repaid by the next:
- A new patron attaching “within a five-year term of the original installation” of an existing line extension pays a proportional share of it.
- The share is computed from actual construction costs, adjusted for prior rebates and depreciation at three percent (3%) per year — then divided per foot.
- Rebates flow automatically only up to a point: “Any proportional share amount over $200 that is owed to one patron by the addition of another patron” is collected by the cooperative and rebated — but the policy puts the duty to notify the cooperative of a connecting patron on the patron owed, not on the co-op.
On subdivided corridor ground this cuts both ways. Buy the lot whose line was built within the last five years and you may pay a share rather than a whole extension; build the line yourself and a later neighbor’s connection can rebate part of your cost — if you are watching for it.
Secondary, temporary, and what you supply
The line from the transformer to your meter base has its own price structure, and it is short:
“The base cost of ($500) for secondary facilities includes the transformer or transformers (whether existing or needed) and the meter.”
— General Policy No. 402, section VIII.B (revised 04/25/2022). Retrieved 16 October 2026
Where adequate facilities already exist, the policy still sets “a minimum charge of $500.” Three more rules finish the secondary picture:
- Converting overhead service to underground is billed at the actual cost of the conversion — no fixed price.
- For underground secondary, the consumer provides the conduit, trench and backfill to the cooperative’s construction specifications — work your excavator prices, not the co-op.
- A secondary service on an existing primary line can carry a proportional-share charge under the same terms as a new attachment.
Building before the house has power? Construction service is its own product:
“The base cost for a temporary service shall be one thousand and five hundred dollars ($1,500.00).”
— General Policy No. 402, section VIII.D (revised 04/25/2022). Retrieved 16 October 2026
With it comes a billing floor: “The minimum billing period is six months.” Any line extension needed just to reach the temporary point is paid in advance too, with salvage credits on termination.
The $100 nobody chases
Estimates here are estimates. When construction finishes, the policy reconciles actual against estimated costs and refunds — or bills — the difference, with one quiet threshold:
“However, if the difference equates to $100 or less, then no refund or bill will be given.”
— General Policy No. 402, section XI, reconciliation (revised 04/25/2022). Retrieved 16 October 2026
That threshold works in your favor as often as against you, and it is the reason the estimate’s precision matters more than its roundness.
Sequence it like a builder
- Before an offer on a remote lot, call Member Services for the current estimate fee — $250 on the web page, $150 in the 2022 policy, one call resolves it — and pay for the estimate on the lot you actually want.
- Read the ten-year Agreement for Electric Service before signing it; the term, not the dollar, is the commitment.
- Ask two questions about the line: when was the nearest extension built, and by whom — a connection within five years means proportional share, in either direction.
- Price your side of the trench: conduit, trench and backfill for underground secondary are the consumer’s to provide.
- Plan construction power early — a $1,500 temporary base with six months’ minimum billing belongs in the schedule next to the county permit and the well and septic timeline.
- Bring us the lot and we will run the whole utility picture: (208) 656-1516.
The monthly bill that follows all this is a separate document — the rate card is its own page. The policy here is the one that prices getting to you; it rewards the owner who asks the estimate question early, in writing, before the line is the last thing standing between a permit and a build.
Common questions
What is Fall River Electric's line extension policy?
General Policy No. 402, Rules and Regulations Consumer Service and Line Extension - effective 18 April 1988, last revised 25 April 2022. It sets the ten-year Agreement for Electric Service, the engineering fee, proportional share rules, the $500 secondary base, temporary service terms, and the final cost reconciliation.
How much is the Fall River engineering fee for an estimate?
The 2022 policy defines it as a one hundred and fifty dollar ($150) fee provided so a job cost estimate can be calculated, credited back when actual costs are determined. The cooperative's current web page says $250 for all estimates - the two documents disagree, so confirm the live number with Member Services before budgeting.
Is the engineering fee refundable?
Partly, on two conditions written into the policy: an adjustment and credit allowance happen when actual costs are determined, but if after one year the job has no scheduled start date, the $150 engineering fee is forfeited to the cooperative. The fee is only an investment if the project actually starts.
What is proportional share on a Fall River line extension?
A patron attaching to an existing line extension within a five-year term of its original installation pays a proportional share of that line, figured from actual construction costs adjusted for prior rebates and depreciation at three percent per year. Rebates over $200 owed to an earlier patron are collected and credited - and the duty to notify the cooperative of a connecting patron sits with the patron owed.
What does temporary construction power cost from Fall River?
The policy sets a base cost of $1,500.00 for temporary service, with a minimum billing period of six months and monthly billing under the effective rate schedule. Where lines, poles or transformers must be extended to reach the temporary point, those costs are paid before construction, with salvage credits on termination.
Does the estimate get trued up after construction?
Yes - section XI reconciles actual costs against the estimate and the aid received, refunding or billing the difference. But if the difference equates to $100 or less, no refund or bill is given, in either direction.